All The Devils Are Here - Mugshot
Mugshot is a band I was not familiar with prior, but after listening to their new album, All The Devils Are Here, I felt like I had been missing out all this time. Thankfully, this is only the band’s second album, the first being released in 2016 (almost a full decade ago). The band also released an EP in 2023 under a new label, Pure Noise. When the band’s representation approached me, I decided not to go back and listen to their earlier work so it wouldn’t inform my opinions on the newest release. I didn’t want to get bogged down in whatever differences in sound there may be, what the band’s evolution looked like, or any personnel changes. I wanted to come into this review with a clean slate and as a new fan!
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.
The one thing that sticks out as a downer for this record is that after a few listens, many songs start to blend, especially with the truncated song lengths and overall album length. Sometimes it can feel like the song is just getting off the ground before you’re listening to the next track. It makes it harder for any tracks to really stand up above the rest when there aren’t any specific memorable riffs, drum patterns, or vocal performances. Despite this gripe, I can definitely say I’m a fan of the band and this record, and am excited to listen to their earlier work for the first time!
The tracks that I did end up enjoying more than others are “Next To Your Idols”, “Die in Fear”, “Shame”, and “I Will Be Here Forever”, so check these out when the album releases June 20th, 2025!