Alexis Evans I've Come a Long Way (2019)

Craft Recordings has revealed the full details of the forthcoming Poppies: Assorted Finery from the First Psychedelic Age: a compilation of 1960s-era psychedelic rock featuring cult-classic artists such as Buffy Sainte-Marie, Circus Maximus and Southwest F.O.B.

Kim Richey celebrates the 20th anniversary of her album Glimmer with, A Long Way Back: The Songs of Glimmer, featuring new recordings of the songs from Kim's classic album. Whereas Glimmer, produced by Hugh Padgham, had a pop sheen to its sound, A Long Way Back. . . strips everything down to a more raw essence. Produced by Doug Lancio, who also plays most of the instruments, A Long Way Back. . . allowed Kim to reinterpret these songs and give them a fresh, yet timeless sound. Other musicians on the album include Nielsen Hubbard and Dan Mitchell.

Beth Hart is as real as it gets. At a time when other musicians polish their songs, airbrush their image, conceal their blemishes, deny their age and bury their darkest secrets, this is one artist who throws down her cards and invites you to either walk or love her anyway. And with War In My Mind, this Grammy-nominated talent has never served herself up so raw, on a record that embraces her merits and flaws, channels her bittersweet headspace and spins gold from her demons. "More than any record I've ever made, I'm more open to being myself on these songs,” Beth explains. "I've come a long way with healing, and I'm comfortable with my darknesses, weirdnesses and things that I'm ashamed of – as well as all the things that make me feel good."

Steel Prophet are no strangers to metal. They’ve been active as a band since the release of Show No Mercy and The God Machine marks their ninth full-length album. But even though they were alive and well during the golden age of heavy metal, it wouldn’t be until 1995 that their masterpiece of a debut was released. They’ve certainly come a long way since then, and their sound has morphed with the times, but they’re still playing their own brand of philosophy-laden power metal with all the pomp and thunder you could expect from a veteran band with a resume that spans several decades…

With a history tracing back to the epicentre of melodic death metal in Sweden, October Tide have come a long way and have generated a spark that is strongly felt in the energy of the scene. "In Splendor Below" is the latest addition to their vibrant discography of guitar-driven, emotive death/doom metal art. It packs some of the most authentic and unique compositions from the capable hands of founding member and long-time Katatonia guitarist, Fredrik Norrman, his brother and guitarist Mattias Norrman (ex-Katatonia), vocalist Alexander Högbom (Demonical), bassist Johan Jönsegård (Letters From The Colony) and drummer Jonas Sköld (Letters From The Colony / Thenighttimeproject). While Fredrik prefers for the music to speak for itself, he finds the new album "a bit more aggressive, a bit more death metal, and with an overall colder feeling than previous records".