Sound Mouth.

13th February 2020 marks fifty years since Black Sabbath released their seminal self-titled album, laying down the blueprint for the entire heavy metal genre in the process. To commemorate what  is surely one of the most important albums in the history of British music, I thought I would share my review of one the band's final shows, originally written for Liverpool Student Radio in January 2017. Since LSRadio has since been revamped and all the old articles lost, I may share some more of my old work here in the future. For now, read on to experience 'The End' from my 18-year-old perspective... Black Sabbath @ Manchester Arena Gig Review Over the course of rock history many bands have claimed to be on the verge of retirement, deciding to embark on a so-called “Farewell” tour before taking a final bow and saying goodbye to the road. However, music fans worldwide can be forgiven for doubting the sincerity of any major band’s retirement claims, given the tendency o...

January may now be almost over, but I couldn't let the month pass without finally sharing my picks for my favourite albums of the preceding year. Given how strong and varied 2019 was for music, it was difficult to limit this list to an easily-digestible ten record selection, so there's also a few honourable mentions towards the end. Some picks may surprise you or seem out of place alongside each other, but that's part of the fun. Let's get to it... 10 . The Darkness - Easter is Cancelled  This may seem like an unexpected start to a 'serious' year-end list, but hear me out on this one. I went back and forth on this choice more than any other, debating whether this sixth LP from the glam rock revivalists really deserved a top 10 spot or would be a mere honorable mention. However, recently returning to the album left me with no doubt. Easter is Cancelled is comfortably The Darkness' best effort since their still-brilliant 2003 debut Permission to Land, seei...

After posting last month's Top Tracks feature so late, I promised myself that I would get the November article out much sooner. Well, since today is the last of the month, I've just managed to keep that promise. But, before you take a look, be sure to check back here some time in December for my upcoming Top 10 Albums of 2019 list. It's going to be a big one! Until then, read on to find out what you should be listening to as we inch closer to the end of the decade... Dua Lipa - Don't Start Now The perfect comeback track for one of the biggest artists in pop, Dua Lipa has unsurprisingly stuck with the infectiously catchy dance-pop sound which brought her huge success last year through collaborations with Calvin Harris and Silk City. 'Don't Start Now' is in many ways familiar territory for Lipa, especially with the lyrics about thriving in the aftermath of a break-up, yet the undeniable groove and funky chorus bassline also feel refreshingly differ...

October was a pretty busy month for me, so that's why I'm only just getting round to posting this month's Top Tracks feature, along with the fact that there was such an influx of new music last month that this has been my hardest list to compile yet. Still, I persevered and finally my work is done! Read on to hear about my picks for the top five tracks of October... The Darkness - Heavy Metal Lover Well this was a surprise. The Darkness were the first rock band that I ever loved, with their debut album Permission to Land still holding a firm place amongst my favourite albums. Since their 2011 reunion, the band have released a string of fairly strong albums, but their latest effort, Easter is Cancelled, is quite possibly their best since that glorious debut. One of the standout tracks is undoubtedly 'Heavy Metal Lover', an audacious and confidently daft mix of tranquil balladry, tongue-in-cheek lyrical witticisms and blistering thrash metal riffs that onl...

September may have seen Green Day and Blink-182 dropping some of their most embarrassingly bland material to date, but there was also enough greatness from across the music spectrum that I could have easily made this month's list even longer. Either way, I've stuck to my usual five picks of the very best tracks of the past month. If you haven't heard these yet, get them in your ears! Foals - The Runner This second single from the upcoming Everything Not Saved Will Be Lost - Part II is a more than worthy follow-up to last month's excellent 'Black Bull'. While not quite as furious as that track, 'The Runner' sees Foals continue to deliver on their promise of heavier material for this new album with a formidable, fuzzy lead riff and production that packs a hefty punch. The chorus is a straightforward but hugely effective showcase for Yannis Philippakis' soaring vocals, while the frontman's conceptual lyrics are, as ever, owed your atte...

Between Foals dropping a new single, Tool finally adding their discography to streaming services, and Slipknot releasing their brand new album, last week was a big one for rock and metal. As always, I'm here with a round-up of how rock's biggest names have fared across the UK charts this week and there's plenty to talk about, so let's get stuck in! 'Rewind, Replay, Rebound', the new album from American metallers Volbeat has received something of a mixed response since its release last week, but that didn't stop it from nabbing the top spot on the Rock & Metal Albums Chart . The album also managed to make an impressive impact on the main UK Albums Chart, coming in at a very respectable number 7 in a testament to the band's growing popularity. As mentioned, Tool finally moving with the times and making their entire back-catalogue available for streaming was a huge moment in the world of metal. Unsurprisingly, the decision is already paying off for...

After taking a break for a few weeks, the Weekly Rock Chart Round-Up has finally returned with a bunch of big new releases to talk about! Let's take a look at how rock's biggest names are fairing across the UK charts... On the albums front, two big names releasing albums in the same week made for a unpredictable race for the top spot of the UK Rock & Metal Albums Chart. Pop punk veterans Sum 41 dropped perhaps their heaviest, most overtly metal-influenced album to date with 'Order in Decline', which was preceded by several fairly popular singles yet failed to take the top spot . Forcing Sum 41 to settle for the number 2 position was the pleasure of Swedish power metal outfit Sabaton , whose latest war-obsessed record also managed to debut at an impressive 11 on the main UK Albums Chart. Meanwhile, Sum 41 only just managed to crack the top 30, coming in at 29, significantly lower than 2016's '13 Voices' LP. I usually focus entirely on albums f...

After taking a break last week, I'm back again with my weekly round-up of how rock's biggest names and breakthrough stars are fairing on the UK charts! There's loads to talk about this week, from new releases to chart-affecting factors like Glastonbury hype, Metallica 's UK tour and Kerrang! Awards fallout, so let's get stuck in! First up, let's talk about American metal quartet Baroness. They scored their highest chart position to date when their great new record Gold & Grey debuted  at No. 1 on the Rock & Metal Albums Chart last week. The album is now down to 8, with the new LP from classic rock supergroup Hollywood Vampires now taking the top spot in Baroness' absence. Metallica 's recent UK live dates received huge praise from fans and critics last week, with the continuing Metallica-fever having impacted the chart in a big way. The thrash veterans currently have five albums in the rock top 40, including a re-entering Hardwired ...

B eing the biggest act in your genre is a near-impossible status to attain for any artist, much less maintain for over two decades. Yet thrash legends Metallica can undoubtedly lay claim to this impressive distinction. While their discography obviously contains several all-time classic records, it is in their live shows where they routinely display exactly why they remain the biggest and, arguably, best band metal has to offer. The band's 'Worldwired' tour has been chugging along and adding new dates for well over two years now, with fan demand seeing them recently return to Europe for a second leg of shows. I saw the band at Manchester's Etihad Stadium for a gig every bit as incredible as their reputation suggests. Metallica really brought the heat to Manchester Opening up for a band as huge as Metallica is always going to be a near-impossible task, especially given how ferociously dedicated their fans are. Yet Ghost stepped up with bags of confidence...

Welcome back to the SoundMouth weekly rock chart round-up, where I take a look at how rock's biggest names and brightest prospects are faring across the UK music charts. The big story this week is Yonaka 's debut album Don't Wait 'till Tomorrow, which has broken into the UK Albums Chart at number 38. Considering that this is their debut LP, this is not a bad result, although I did expect it to place slightly higher considering how much their fanbase has been growing recently. Still, the band have several gigs and festivals coming up this summer, including Truck and 2000 Trees , so the Yonaka gospel should continue to spread far and wide and see the album do even better. The real point of contention for me is the Official Charts Company's bizarre decision to not count Don't Wait 'till Tomorrow in the rock album chart. Presumably this is down to the band's embracing of pop and indie sounds in their music. If OCC were a little more open-minded w...