Have you ever wondered what 311 would sound like if they took the guitar tone from the intro to “Beautiful Disaster” and made a career out of making heavier Reggae music? You probably never wondered that though, cause that’s an oddly niche thing to think about, but I have thought of it and finally have my answer, and it’s Aurorawave!

ONI is another case of one of those bands that I somehow missed as they were coming up, and after getting the chance to listen to their new EP early, I’m kicking myself for being so late to the party. ONI has been around since 2014, releasing three albums and three EPs during that time. The group has also worked with big names in the Metal scene, most notably Randy Blythe of Lamb of God, Howard Jones of Killswitch Engage (previously), producer Josh Wilbur (Lamb of God, Korn, Trivium, Suicide Silence, Motionless in White, etc) as well as Josh Gilbert (Spiritbox, As I Lay Dying, Wovenwar). The band has seen some lineup changes over the years, but vocalist Jake Oni has remained the constant, offering stability and killer vocals.

All The Devils Are Here is all killer and no filler. It moves at a breakneck pace, clocking in at 25:35 across 12 songs, and it does not waste your time. This album feels like the closest you can get to a 2025 version of old-school early to mid-2000s Metal. The riffs aren’t overcomplicated, the songs are short and to the point, the vocals are brutal and raw, and the production value is not too clean or filtered like so many newer releases. The guitars have a nice crunch to them and the drums are tuned just right. Nothing is drowning anything else out on the recording, allowing each member to be heard clearly. Mugshot is firing on all cylinders with this release. 

2 years have passed since Sleep Token took the world by storm with their breakthrough album, Take Me Back to Eden. After several ARG puzzles and countless intriguing marketing ploys this year, we finally have the answer to what a follow-up from the band looks like: A more mature and evolved sound that doesn’t benefit the band as greatly as you’d imagine. I took my time with this record, allowing it to soak into my brain a full week after release. At first brush, something felt “off” and wasn’t clicking with me, so I felt like maybe I was the problem, and I was misinterpreting some level of genius staring me in the face. As the week wore on, I felt my interest waning with Even in Arcadia. Most of the songs lacked the teeth found on their previous record, the genre-shifts have become predictable, and Vessel’s lyrical writing revealed itself to be the weakest part of the record with many of his lyrics being recycled from Take Me Back to Eden (how many times are you going to “cough up blood”?). I can honestly say that I was surprised at not only my reaction to the record but the record itself. I expected much more from the band that shook up the music scene the past two years, blending Prog/Pop/Metal/Hip Hop in a way accessible to the mainstream in a way we’ve only seen a handful of times I can recall. Even in Arcadia is a clear progression in the band’s songwriting ability (not lyrically), but it comes at a cost.

Adam Bentley and Lee Albrecht did a decent job mixing and producing the EP. The vocals are not buried under the instruments, the bass is deep and heavy without overpowering everything else, and the guitars are quite clear. At times, the snare drum can be a little softer than I’d like, but that’s just a small nitpick. As for the project as a whole, I felt like this EP served more as a vehicle for Lauren to market herself and her skills, as seen on “I’m Bored” where she bounces between several vocal styles on just one track. I can’t fault her for it, considering you need to find ways to rise to the top in a heavily saturated genre, but it does weigh the EP down a bit. I think with future releases Lauren will be more focused and not feel this need to “prove” herself – a notion that is incredulous considering the hundreds of songs she has been featured on that clearly prove her abilities. I’m very interested to see where Lauren goes from here with more of a focus on writing original songs for herself rather than in a band environment or doing covers of other musician’s work.