Album review overview: Noah Kahan, Grammofon and more

Dozens of new albums arrive at Maxazine’s editorial staff every week. There are way too many to listen to them all, let alone review them. It ensures that too many albums are left behind. And that’s a shame. That is why today we post an overview of albums that arrive at the editors in short reviews.

Spirit Adrift – Infinite Illumination

Spirit Adrift is calling it quits, or rather, multi-instrumentalist Nate Garrett is stopping making new music under the name Spirit Adrift. It all began in 2015 as a solo project by Nate Garrett. From 2017 onwards, Spirit Adrift evolved into a real band, and the musical direction also shifted from doom to a more traditional heavy metal sound. “Infinite Illumination” is the sixth and therefore final album of this American band that has managed to leave its mark on the genre. On “Infinite Illumination”, several big names also appear as guest musicians. We hear guitarists James Murphy (Death, Testament, Obituary) on “I Am Sustained”, Steve Jansson (Crypt Sermon, Daeva) on “White Death” and the versatile Arthur Rizk, driving force and guitarist of, among others, Eternal Champion and one of the most in-demand producers in modern heavy metal and hardcore. Nate Garrett could not have said goodbye in a better way. The swan song of Spirit Adrift, therefore, receives a solid score. (Ad Keepers) (8/10) (20 Buck Spin)

Grammofon – Fabelagtige Forviklinger

Peter Bang og Svend Olufsen. Many audiophiles will recognise those names. The founders of Danish Bang & Olufsen mainly distinguished themselves through the design of their electronics. They developed their own design language, best described as stylishly minimalistic. And that design language can also be applied to the work of another Danish duo. The title “Fabelagtige forviklinger” is not easy to translate. Wondrous entanglements. As soon as you hear the first tones of this album, you immediately get an image of the title given to this record by saxophonist Niels Oldin and guitarist Jacob Frandsen. Saxophone and guitar literally intertwine in the compositions. As a listener, that is what you are left with: conversations between six strings and 25 keys, wrapped in lyrical, playful melodies and sparse arrangements that mainly emphasise the elegance of the compositions. That restraint and elegance make it intimate, but also fragile. These two musicians only have each other, and that sometimes leads to excessive caution. After a few tracks, you start to long for something that creates more tension. But those who surrender to this restrained dialogue will discover a beauty in that understatement that does not shout, but whispers and therefore keeps you listening. Peter and Svend would have been proud. (Jeroen Mulder) (7/10) (Grammofon/Zack’s Music)

Internal Bleeding – Settle All Scores

A small warning beforehand. This album is not new. “Settle All Scores” dates from 17 October 2025 and was released by label Maggot Stomp. This is the official European CD edition released on 17 April this year by Back On Black. The release coincides with their upcoming European tour, which started on 22 April. This seventh album does not differ greatly from the previous six. If you put on an Internal Bleeding album, you know what you are going to hear. Brutal slam death metal with an emphasis on grooves and breakdowns. The move to Maggot Stomp has clearly done the band good. Internal Bleeding sounds fresh and eager, and new vocalist Steve Worley, formerly of Sacrifical Slaughter, replaces Joe Marchese more than adequately. The guitars on “Settle All Scores” sound great, but the drums and bass are pushed too far into the background. This type of music requires a strong bottom-end production, which is missing on this otherwise excellent slam death album. There are also vocal guest contributions on this album. Three of these guest singers were formerly members of Internal Bleeding. Frank Rini can be heard on “Deliberate Desecration”, Joe Marchese on “Empire Of Terror”, and Jay Lowe on “Glorify The Oppressor”. Skinless vocalist Sherwood Webber appears on “Prophet Of Deceit” and Never Ending Game frontman Mikey Petroski on “Deliberate”. If you are not expecting innovation, which is the case for most fans of the genre, you will once again have a solid album here. (Ad Keepers) (7/10) (Back On Black)

Lis Wessberg feat. Veronica Rud – In the Wake of the Blue

Composer and bandleader Lis Wessberg takes a radical turn. Whereas in earlier work her trombone played the leading role, she now gives that role to singer Veronica Rud. With this change of direction, Wessberg leaves traditional jazz and explores the boundaries of pop music on “In the Wake of the Blue”. And that produces a few surprising pieces. Initially, in the glaze-destroying, overly sweet opening “The Promise”, you are misled and fear this will be an album with a heavy dose of cosy pop. Fortunately, that impression is corrected with “Longing”, which would not have been out of place on a late Bowie record. Alongside Rud’s slightly grainy, dark timbre, we also hear Wessberg in form, including that typical attack (the breath before the actual tone) that defines her sound. Wessberg is one of the few who can make a trombone sigh and then fully explode. The latter could have happened more often. A bit more outside the lines at times. Control is a virtue, but “In the Wake of the Blue” sometimes nearly collapses under its own nuance and intimacy. (Jeroen Mulder) (7/10) (April Records)

Noah Kahan – The Great Divide

Four years after the breakthrough album “Stick Season”, Vermont singer-songwriter Noah Kahan returns with his most ambitious work to date. “The Great Divide” is a seventeen-track concept album about the gap between who you were and who you have become, about the tension between fame and roots, city and countryside, friendship and distance. Kahan, who now sells out stadiums and has two Grammy nominations to his name, openly struggles with his own success. On “End of August” he opens the album with a melancholic car journey through familiar landscapes, while songs like “Porch Light”, “Haircut” and “Dashboard” depict sometimes painful encounters with people he left behind. Producers Gabe Simon and Aaron Dessner give the record a warmer, more layered sound than “Stick Season”. The title single broke through as the first release and shows Kahan’s gift for anthemic choruses that feel both personal and universal. The album is long and requires patience, but rewards the listener with a coherent emotional journey. Many critics agree that Kahan here surpasses his own magnum opus. (William Brown) (8/10) (Mercury Records)