By Maxazine South Africa 
Dozens of new albums arrive at Maxazine’s editorial staff every week. There are too many to listen to, let alone review them. It ensures that too many albums are left behind. And that’s a shame. That is why we post an overview of albums that arrive at the editors in short reviews today.
Photo (c) Jorge Fakhouri Filho
David Giesel – Echoes of the Unknown
Jazz remains a beautiful stage for drummers. Think of Gene Krupa, Art Blakey and Buddy Rich, to name just a few. They found modern successors in drummers such as Vinnie Colaiuta and Simon Phillips, whose “Protocol 6” will be released next week. The debut album “Echoes of the Unknown” by drummer and composer David Giesel moves somewhere between modern work and classic jazz. Giesel does not opt for technical showboating behind the drum kit, but he is clearly the leader of the band, in which a range of guest musicians are given full space to improvise. The opening “Trial and Error” is, in that respect, an immediate success. The album contains no weak tracks, though the title piece is the absolute highlight. The build, the arrangement, and the perfect execution in which you can hear that the band became more tightly connected as the recordings progressed. The record was recorded live in the Jazzcampus Studio Basel, a daring but, above all, successful way of working on new compositions. Giesel also does not shy away from pushing the boundaries of the genre, including a contribution from spoken word artist Dae Bryant in “Moods”. An excellent debut. (Jeroen Mulder) (8/10) (Double Moon Records)
Karmamoi – Eternal Mistake
“Eternal Mistake” is a love story and philosophical reflection between a human and a humanoid. Atmospheric elements are blended with powerful guitar riffs and orchestral passages. At the beginning, I need some time to adjust to the vocals and spoken words that sometimes sound distorted, and the occasionally rough texture of the music. But it fits the text. Vocals and music are initially fairly calm, and in the third track, more rock elements are introduced. The atmosphere shifts, even within a single track, from surreal and dreamlike to hectic. There are countless remarkable twists in both vocals and music. “Nothing But” is a very varied EP. The vocals are calm one moment and deeply expressive the next. I am regularly moved by both singing and music. This is also the case in “The Mirror – No Soul”, especially due to the combination of guitar playing and piano tones. Even if you do not understand a word of English, you still feel the emotion in the vocals. “The Question – We Are Going Home” is a beautifully constructed duet in which lightly classical elements are woven into hectic music. All tracks are complex and carefully constructed. “Eternal Mistake” is a very diverse and remarkable album. (Esther Kessel – Tamerus) (8/10) (Own Production)
Dogstar – All In Now
Dogstar returns with “All In Now”, the fourth studio album by the Californian trio consisting of bassist Keanu Reeves, guitarist and singer Bret Domrose and drummer Rob Mailhouse. After their comeback with “Somewhere Between the Power Lines and Palm Trees” in 2023, their first record in two decades, the band sounds more confident and focused than ever on this follow-up. Produced by Nick Launay, the man behind albums by IDLES and Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds, “All In Now” has a sharper edge that benefits the material. Tracks such as “This Sphere”, “Joy” and “Punch the Sky” evoke memories of alternative rock from the nineties, with echoes of bands like Better Than Ezra and Toad the Wet Sprocket, yet they sound anything but trapped in nostalgia. The standout track “The Whisper” shows the dramatic power of a classic Echo & The Bunnymen-style song. There is a looseness in the performance that keeps the album human. Dogstar do not perform for the stage, but out of genuine engagement, and that chemistry can be heard in every track. With “All In Now”, the trio proves their comeback is more than a one-time curiosity. (Anton Dupont) (7/10) (Dillon Street Records)
All Them Witches – House of Mirrors
All Them Witches return after six years of silence with “House of Mirrors”, their seventh studio album and their first release on a major label. The Nashville band recorded the album in less than a week at Blackbird Studio in their hometown, together with producer Eddie Spear, known for his work with Zach Bryan. The result is the most straightforward rock album of their career, with psychedelic and blues elements woven into a denser, more rock-driven sound. The opener “Red Rocking Chair”, a reinterpretation of a traditional Appalachian folk song, immediately sets the tone with a dragging, dark riff reminiscent of Cathedral. “Culling Line” drips with menace and features guitar work that evokes both David Gilmour and Carlos Santana. The lineup has changed after the departure of founding drummer Robby Staebler, and the arrival of Christian Powers has clearly given the band new energy. The penultimate track, “The Welterweight”, written in honour of the grandfather of singer Charles Michael Parks Jr., is one of the most memorable songs in their discography. “House of Mirrors” proves that All Them Witches are far from finished. (William Brown) (8/10) (BMG)
Kurt Vile – Philadelphia’s Been Good to Me
“Philadelphia’s Been Good to Me” is the tenth studio album by Kurt Vile and an openhearted love letter to the city that shaped him. The album was written and recorded between 2023 and early 2026, largely in his home studio in the Mt. Airy neighbourhood of Philadelphia, with additional sessions in Memphis, Athens and Los Angeles. The twelve tracks are unmistakably Vile, laid back, layered and carefully careless. Lead singles such as “Chance to Bleed” and the dreamy “Avalanches of Snow” show his ability to weave guitar lines that only truly reveal themselves on the third listen. The performance is rawer and more direct than his earlier work, and the vocals carry a presence he has not shown so explicitly before. Fellow musicians such as Ethan Buckler of Slint and Greg Cartwright of Reigning Sound add extra colour to the whole. 2026 also marks the 250th anniversary of the United States, with Philadelphia as the centre of celebrations, and Vile embraces that context without making it heavy. An accessible and consistent album from an artist who knows exactly what he wants to make. (Anton Dupont) (8/10) (Verve Forecast)
Bart van de Sande