Calva Louise - Edge Of The Abyss (Mascot 
Records)
Release Date: 11th July 2025
Given how much I've been championing Calva Louise, I hope the release of their album 'Edge Of The Abyss' is as hotly anticipated by you as it is by me. Well, the wait is over, the genre straddling trio are approaching over the horizon having killed off the four horsemen of the apocalypse because they didn't hit hard enough. The album opens with 'Tunnel Vision' that swings between metal, hardcore, screamo, techno and EDM like a DJ with ADHD trying to confuse the shit out of a wedding disco. Recent single 'W.T.F.' still rocks hard with furious guitars and vocals that equal parts angel and devil before 'Aimless' pairs a killer, hypnotic riff with powerhouse drums and those bipolar vocals again.
There is a Spanish influence running through this album thanks to Venezuelan singer/guitarist Jess Allanic and this shows on 'Lo Que Vale' ('What Is Worth' to anyone without Google translate) which blends Latin guitar influences with the power of a juggernaut that's had its brakes cut. 'Impeccable' leans into the more dark electro influence in the band to create a rock track that will have clubbers losing their minds while 'Barely A Response' is the heaviest anthem you could hope for (but probably not safe for a gym or road trip playlist due to drum'n'bass levels of energy and ferocity).
There's a definite Exorcist influence on 'The Abyss' which uses synths, organs and unsettling chanting to really set the scene before a pulsating beat brings this into the realms of Muse and the '28 Days...' franchise (both huge compliments from where I'm sitting). 'El Umbral' melds those Latin influences with something ungodly but 'La Corriente' takes direction from Knightrider in the pulsating synths, driving beat and unhinged guitars (that last part is pure Calva Louise).
Penultimate track 'Hate In Me' shows off the incredible guitar work of Allanic but it's closing track 'Under The Skin' that really brings the house down with the kind of song that would work perfectly in the redemption moment of a disaster movie as our hero free jumps from an exploding spaceship to plant the explosives on a meteor before she surfs one of the fragments safely back to earth. This album is intense, dark and a little intimidating but if you lean into all of that you will see the beauty, intricacy and power that it holds and you'll be better for it. Album of the year? I wouldn't bet against it.
More information: https://www.facebook.com/calvalouise
Live Dates:
12th July - 2000 Trees Festival