Pure Noise R

Spanish Love Songs: A Brief Intermission in... [CD]

Samiam: Stowaway [CD]

For over a decade, Drug Church have been building a very strong case that they’re the best loud guitar band in the game; their fifth full-length PRUDE–a 28-minute blast of aggression, melody, irreverence, and genuine heart–feels like the undeniable proof. The album is so downright satisfying it tricks you into thinking there’s nothing all that surprising about a difficult-to-pigeonhole punk band from Albany, NY, with a name like Drug Church somehow having a career at all, much less one that would last over 10 years and qualify them as the best band going. But before you start trying to think of who might have them beat (good luck), consider what just might be the key to Drug Church’s unexpected staying power: Don’t take it too seriously.

Galactic Empire returns with Cinemetal, an epic new chapter in their saga of cinematic metal. Expanding beyond the Star Wars universe that defined their 2023 release Special Edition, the band turns their focus to some of the most iconic scores in film history—Superman, Pirates of the Caribbean, Lord of the Rings, and more—reimagined as thunderous, high-octane instrumental metal anthems. With virtuosic musicianship and a flair for the dramatic, Cinemetal cements Galactic Empire’s role as the ultimate bridge between movie fandom and heavy music—delivering a soundtrack fit for heroes, villains, and everything in between.

Slow Crush have announced their new album, Thirst, on which the dynamic four piece further cement themselves at the forefront of rock and shoegaze. On Thirst, Slow Crush’s dynamic textures, propulsive rhythms and gauzy riffs glow bright as ever, but this time with more grit. Thirst’s overarching theme is what Isa describes as “the romance of being with a loved one”. Although being away from someone close for long periods might strain that bond at times, the return can feel glorious, the connection sparkling new again for a while. Slow Crush set out to capture the feeling of being tethered yet feeling weightless, absorbed in the surreal beauty of the quiet moments with someone.

Amity Affliction: Everyone Loves You... Once ... [CD]

Knocked Loose: A Tear in the Fabric of Life [CD Maxi]