It’s been a good while since I’ve done a Mixed Bag Review and up on the chopping block, I have selected five bands and 5 albums for you to listen to and check out. Let’s take a look……..
The Rumours- this is a band that I have seen on things like posters and have come across them a few times so I’ve always been sort of curious. I do have to say they’re just a really fun band. This band comes from Iowa and they definitely have a skater punk sound, but with a modern flare. They currently have two albums out and both are really fun listens. The first album is called Suck It and this has a sort of skater punk meets classic rock sound. The second album is called Kill Or Be Killed and this one just goes for more of a straightforward punk sound. I could honestly see this band at a punk festival, such as an early Warped Tour or they would be a perfect fit to open for a band like Bad Religion. Both albums will get 8/10
Standouts:
Suck It- Hey You, Phone Calls, Caroline Brown
Kill Or Be Killed- Cuntrol (U) Freak, D.U.I., Outta My Mind
Paramore/ Brand New Eyes- yes you read that right. I’m actually listening to a Paramore album. Much like some albums I’ve given a chance to this one was recommended to me by my podcast cohost Brian of Audioeclectica. This does not mean that I will be going back and doing a Paramore review like I have with other bands. I genuinely made an effort to put them on the chopping block and I honestly could not get past the second album. This album is just a great pop rock album but it definitely feels like their most cohesive one. It doesn’t have that bubblegum pop sound that I think most people are used to with this band. If I had to equivalent it to another band, I would say it’s probably up there with the self-titled Blink-182 album. I definitely did not have listening to a Paramore album on my bingo card for this year but here we are. It’s a great album and if you were not a fan of this band like I am but can appreciate good pop music definitely give this album a chance you might actually like it. I’ll be giving this album 8.5/10.
Standouts: Looking Up, Turn It Off, Where The Lines Overlap
Electrify- another band from Mexico, much like one of my favorite bands, The Warning. Now, I’m sure there will be plenty of comparisons to the aforementioned band, but really this band is its own thing. This band is another really young band and they don’t even have any album or EP on streaming. They just have five singles, but they’re all great singles and some of them have a bit more grit to them than others. They are definitely one of those bands that you should have on your radar and keep an eye out for because I can see them getting a lot bigger. Even just having five songs up online you can kind of hear the potential.
Standouts: Fake, Drive
Sludge Mother- this was another band that came across my radar via Spotify, and it was their single “I Don’t Want A Job” is what hooked me. Again they have sort of a gritty hard rock sound, and they just have the sort of raw energy about them. They have one EP that came out in 2025 called How Can Anything Bloom? Don’t let the first song that I listened to think that that’s how the rest of it sounds because there are some softer songs and some not so soft songs. I’m gonna go ahead and give it 7/10.
Standouts: I Don’t Want A Job, Antidote
Torture Squad/Devilish- this is a band that I had sort of known about for quite some time. I think I had read about them in the book Choosing Death and I always thought that their band name was really cool. They are another band that I attempted to put on the chopping block, but you can only listen to death metal albums back to back for so long. Now, yes, they have more than just the one album that I’m going to be reviewing. In fact they have about 11 albums but the one that I’ll be reviewing is the album featuring front-woman Mayara Puertas. When it comes to Devilish, here’s where I think you can tell that they have a new singer. Yes to the casual listener it might sound the same, but I really feel like she is sort of coming into her own on this one. I would actually say they kind of go melodic with this record. I mean, there’s even a couple of moments of clean vocals and it actually works quite well. I think what I like about this album is that it’s more of a death/thrash metal album and if this is how they’re gonna start making records going forward that makes me very excited to hear their follow up album. I’m giving this album 9/10.
Standouts: Hell Is Coming, Uatumã, Farewell To Mankind
As with all Mixed Bag Reviews, please give these bands a listen and a follow. There’s a couple of curveballs, but all of these bands and albums are fantastic in their own right so if you’re looking for something more in the pop or in the more brutal way of things, check any or all of these bands out. I really don’t think you’ll be disappointed with any of them.
Sinister Reviews 