Squid, Dream Theater and Inhaler: a week in the sign of rock
It is a Friday in the sign of rock. Squid, Dream Theater, Inhaler and Manic Street Preachers, including new influences, Virate Metal and more classic sound, are ready to publish their new record labors. On February 7, the outgoing albums wink at the international scene and concern four bands, very different from each other, linked by love and passion for music played. Below a dip inside their new records.
SQUID – “Cowards”
Experimental, playful, complicated, light, evocative, crazy. And always with a central theme to do, somehow, by glue or by an unleashing element. The new SQUID album, “Cowards”, coming out on February 7, 2025 for Warp Records, speaks of evil. Nine songs, nine stories whose protagonists deal with cults, pain, bewilderment and apathy. Real and imaginary characters who move in a dark ocean where the music of the British band, once again, a year after “O Monolith”, seems unhealthy. The band recorded “Cowards” at the Church Studios of Crouch End with the winning producer of the Mercury Marta Salogni Prize and Grace Banks. At additional production there is the Shifu and long -database collaborator Dan Carey, who recorded the first two albums of the group. The disc was mixed in Seattle by John Mcentire.
Dream Theater – “Parasomnia”
The Dream Theater made up of James Labrie, John Petrucci, John Myung, Jordan Rudess and Mike Portnoy return with the first album together from the time of “Black Clouds & Silver Linings” of 2009. The disc, the sixteenth of the US band, is named ” Parasomnia “(a term that indicates disruptive disorders related to sleep, including sleepwalks, sleep paralysis and night nightmares) and will be released on February 7th. The album was produced by Petrucci, recorded by James ‘Jimmy T’ Meslin and mixed by Andy Sneap. While Hugh Syme once again returns to lent his creative vision for the cover.
Inhaler – “Open Wide”
Elijah Hewson’s band, Bono Vox’s son of U2, is back. The group, recorded at the “Cuts and Bruises” of 2023, the second album that came two years after the 2021 debut with “It Won’t Always Be Like This”, makes an album recorded in London together with Kid Harpoon, producer already alongside Miley Cyrus, Harry Styles and Florence and the Machine. From the sound point of view, according to the advances, with the songs contained in the Hewson and members disk they will celebrate their love for bands such as the T.rex, MGMT and the Depeche Mode, but also for artists like Prince. Among the 13 tracks also the individual “Your House”, “Open Wide” and “A question for you”.
Manic Street Preachers – “Critical Thinking”
The band composed of Nicky Wire, James Moore and James Dean Bradfield is back alive three years after the release of “The Ultra Vivid Lament”. “Critical Thinking” is the fifteenth studio album of the Gallese group, on the scenes for almost forty years, which since its debut – the legendary “Generation Terrorists” – has been characterized by its very original rock for the highly politicized texts . “Critical Thinking” was preceded by the individual “Decline & Fall” and “Hiding in Plain Sight”.
