Mick Birchall Reviews | Interviews, Gig Reports & Album Reviews

Screenshot Taken from  Hypnosaur live @ SoundArt Festival, 14.03.2025, Quantic, Bucharest After I published my editorial about the Polish stoner-rock band, Hypnosaur , and off the back of the release of their second album, Afterlife , I got the opportunity to sit down and chat with the full band: Bartosz Kulczycki (vocals, keyboards), Michał Siedlecki (guitar, backing vocals), Marcin “Farf” Jastrzębski (bass), and Marcin Szóstakowski (drums). In this interview, we spoke about the production of the new album, their songwriting process, and the struggles of being an independent band in 2026. This is a great look into the band and their thoughts. Also, being able to talk to the full band was interesting. This interview serves as a complementary piece to my original blog about them. Mick: Hi, thanks for joining me today. How are you guys doing? Farf: Yeah, we're great, and all of us are here actually, which wasn't the plan in the first place. So, you've got the whole band, whi...

I love Bandcamp Friday ! It’s such a genuinely good way to support the artists and bands that need extra support. I waited to get this album on Bandcamp Friday. They’re a band I’ve kept my tabs on for a little while now. Hostal Handshake are from Athens, Greece and a band I definitely recommend you go check out. They’ve been around since the early 2000s and had success with their debut album, Hellish , from 2007. It must have been a long wait for the die-hard, day-one fans, as they’ve returned 18 years later. This year, Hostel Handshake has released their long-awaited sophomore record, Stone Oracle . The music landscape might have changed dramatically since their last album, but they’re back with all the fire and fury you’d want from a band like this. I was introduced to them by word-of-mouth recommendations. I’ve been listening to them quite frequently. This album has actually been sitting on my Bandcamp wishlist for a little while now. Well, today is the day to do it; why not throw ...

So, this started as an album review. It has evolved from that in some ways, because, well, I just have to tell you about this band that I’ve been listening to. Yes, they’re that good. They have that sound that I’ve been looking for for a few years now. If you know me, you’ll know that I enjoy weird-sounding rock bands. Bands that seem to enjoy breaking the rules of rock music in some way or another. For me, rock music has always been about expression and standing out. If you’re not in it to stand out from the pack, then why do it? That’s why I want to talk about this band. Coming to us from Warsaw, Poland, I am referring to Hypnosaur . This band, quite honestly, broke my brain when I first heard them. In this blog, I’m going to talk about two of the studio records that they’ve released and express my thoughts and feelings about them. Just to give you a taste of this band and give a moment to explain why I like them so much.  Just to start, what do they sound like? Well, they’r...

I’ve always had a strange relationship with Kamelot . They’ve always been one of those bands on my periphery. I love power metal and symphonic metal; it’s a core part of my identity. However, for whatever reason, Kamelot has always just been one of those bands that don’t click in my head. Which makes no sense, since I am a fan of the overall genre and many of their contemporaries. However, I can never truly say that I’m a fan. I’ve seen them perform live many times over the years, and I’ll admit, they are impressive. I can’t truly fault them as musicians or songwriters. It’s so difficult to put my finger on it. So, with their fourteenth studio record, Dark Asylum coming out, I thought I would take an opportunity to listen to it and really try to engage with the material. Their longtime producer Sascha Paeth returns to helm the album, also contributing additional guitars, alongside Jacob Hansen, who oversees mixing and mastering. So the band are well within their realm of stability and...

Wille And The Bandits are one of those bands I always feel the need to keep up with. The songwriting genius of frontman Wille Edwards can not be overlooked and, in my opinion, they’re the most exciting rock band to break out of the UK’s illustrious southern rock scene. Their mix of southern boogie, hard rock, blues and country, all brought together in that jam-band style, makes them a specific delight to my ears; a boy who grew up on rock, blues and country music. I knew that the guys were working on new music after speaking with Wille  last year , and I promised myself that I’d talk about the album when it came out. I’m a little behind that promise to myself, but I’m getting around to it now. I have been listening to this album quite a bit, and I’ve been enjoying myself. The new album, Salt Roots , is an ideal example of why this style of music will just never die out. The production is fun, the songwriting is intriguing to take in, and it’s just one of those albums you need to ...

Escape The Hive is an exciting band exploding out of the independent scene and getting ready to take over with their new album coming out in 2026, now signed with Deko Entertainment/Warner Brothers Music. I had the opportunity to sit with band members, Michael Beck (Lead Vocals) and Paul Williams (Bass & Backing Vocals), to discuss the new record, their writing, their live shows and their influences. This is a fun interview with two great guys. It’s gotten me excited for the new album. Mick: Thank you for taking the time to speak to me. So, you have a new album coming out next month. I took a listen to the new single “Around The Sun”, and I really quite enjoyed it. I guess my first question is, what were the lessons you took from the first record into this one? Michael: Paul, you want to take that one? Paul: Well, the first record and the second record are so different, just timeline-wise. The first record was just Michael and me writing the songs. There were just a bunch of riffs,...