Mick Birchall Reviews

Well, it’s been a big month with Canadian rockers, The Commoners . They dropped their second album Restless to mass-critical acclaim. All that work of building up to a new album and now the wait is over. I’ve had the chance to listen to it and you can read my thoughts here . I think it’s fair that I’ve become fairly enamoured with the band on this new album. So, this was a really exciting opportunity for me! This weekend I’ve had the opportunity to chat with the lead singer, Chris Medhurst about the new record, his journey from singer-songwriter to frontman of a rock band and the lessons he’s learned along the way.  With Restless being released yesterday, how have you found the reaction to the new album? The reaction has been awesome. I’ve been checking some of the streaming metrics this morning and the album’s doing really well. Considering it’s only been out for 24 hours. We’ve had a lot of really great reviews and people seem to be giving us a really great response to it, so ...

There are a bunch of bands that I would define as throwback bands. Bands that try to evoke the same rock ‘n’ roll philosophy, style and production as that decades past. Some come off as completely derivative of the genre stereotypes and never break out into their own identities. Then you have bands like The Commoners , which I feel have some real legs. Not only do they successfully capture that spirit of the classic rock era, but they modernise it in such a spectacular way. By levelling up the quality in production and writing with genre-fluidity. The super clean and punchy production that shines on record, streaming or wherever you listen to music. This is my introduction to them and may I say, what an introduction. This new record Restless is filled to the brim with golden vocals, beautiful instrumentation and quality writing. It really is the kind of music that makes you want to stand up and pay attention.  So, who are they? The Commoners hail from Toronto, Canada and comprise ...

I’ll tell you what. Ever since I saw them live at the tail-end of last year ( full blog here ), I have become a pretty fan of Robert Jon and The Wreck . Their Southern rock style is something that spoke to me on a personal level. Growing up loving country and rock music and developing a love for any band that mixes the two genres, it’s no wonder that the Californian rockers have grabbed my imagination as much as they have. It’s honestly a wonder why I didn’t know about them until late 2023. Anyway, I’ve had the opportunity to listen to their new album Red Moon Rising and, well, it’s damn good. It has fantastic production, stellar songwriting, poetic lyrics and an overall joy to listen to. This album is a slight departure from their normal sound, though it is still recognisably theirs. I would say this is more of an evolution of their sound than an actual deviation. Their blues-infused rock ‘n’ roll styling still shines through on this one and has a healthy dose of countrified energy t...

It’s funny how far the Japanese metal band Bridear have come in the last few years. Ever since they exploded onto the scene in 2016 they have been by far one of the most consistent and electrifying bands that I've had the pleasure of listening to. Granted, I didn’t get on this hype train until their 2021 album Bloody Bride , yet ever since I have been a firm fan of their work. Their mix of power metal and classic metal stylings has gripped me so intensely. As a British metal fan, I’ve grown up with many of the classic standards for heavy metal. So I can tell you that Bridear fits quite well into the category of bands that remind me of; older metal bands but somehow are a new take on the genre at the same time! This album Born Again is their follow-up to the highly acclaimed Age of Athena and this one is another notch in the proverbial bed-post. It's a rip-roaring album that hits all its high points with energy and commands the metal world’s attention.  The album opens with th...