{"id":106224,"date":"2026-08-09T00:00:03","date_gmt":"2026-08-08T23:00:03","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.metalforcesmagazine.com\/site\/?p=106224"},"modified":"2026-09-07T10:32:19","modified_gmt":"2026-09-07T09:32:19","slug":"album-review-squalor-dark-side-of-the-sun","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.metalforcesmagazine.com\/site\/album-review-squalor-dark-side-of-the-sun\/","title":{"rendered":"SQUALOR – Dark Side Of The Sun (2026) | Album \/ EP Reviews @ Metal Forces Magazine"},"content":{"rendered":"

SQUALOR
\nDark Side Of The Sun<\/strong><\/span>
\n\"\"
\nSelf-released (2026)<\/span>
\nRating: 8\/10<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

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This debut full-length opus is the work of a double act, namely Spaniard Jos\u00e9 Andr\u00e9s Rodr\u00edguez Alonso (drums) and Spanish-based American Adam Wise (vocals, guitar and bass). Beyond the amateurish yet fun cover art, this is a a grower of a thrash experience made up of ten tracks, although opener \u2018Baptism By Fire Hose\u2019 is more of an introduction.<\/p>\n

The album really kicks off with \u2018Raptor Strike\u2019, the longest song on the platter. It\u2019s very much zippy thrash let down a little by the slightly thin production. Even so, there are already some nice shifts as a solo careers out of the energetic thrash zone. There\u2019s melody, pace and the odd slip into chuggier passages, but what I really like about the record is the vocals. Dark, raspy and foreboding, the tone is more of a black thrash sneer which is somewhat contrasting to the look of the album.<\/p>\n

Even after several spins, I\u2019m wondering if Squalor are meant to be humorous or not, but let\u2019s not get bogged down by such minor things. Instead, let\u2019s sneer along to the serrated axe work from guest guitarist Michael Angelo Batio (Manowar \/ ex-Nitro) on \u2018Tango Uniform\u2019 and then begin to detect a slightly unorthodox shade to this unassuming beast. Odd 80s metal vibes descend via a melodic traipse and Gothic narrated vocals before more delicious leads squirm in sprightly fashion.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s a fact that \u2018Tango Uniform\u2019 remains my most played track from the album, but there\u2019s so much to delve into throughout and with an air of complexity, although \u2018Harsh Mistress\u2019 begins with a hint of a tech-thrash vibe. Again, the guitar work is effective and sharp, leading us into a timely crisp chug. It\u2019s such an accessible romp with a cosmic bend. \u2018Defenestration\u2019 is slower, scowling from its dark underbelly with the vocal scathing, but it showcases the diversity here as \u2018Men, Women And Children First\u2019 scrambles to a blackened gallop where the sneer is Bathory-ish. The drums gallop like black smouldering stallions loping through Hell\u2019s ashen wastes.<\/p>\n

And speaking of the fiery underworld, \u2018Hell Bites\u2019 poses a blackened theme too, the guitar work glinting with a chill before the cutting solo and black thrash torrent. \u2018Intense Malaise\u2019 scorches the turf, blistering with more shreds of axe from Michael Angelo Batio, but without jarring. Instead, there\u2019s a mature fluidity about proceedings, Squalor weaving between scurrying passages and methodical sweeps of thrash. It really is enjoyable metal, climbing with the rawness and rage of \u2018Search For The Sun\u2019.<\/p>\n

Squalor is a surprise package indeed, and proof that there\u2019s more to Madrid than its football teams. At the time of writing there are no physical copies available as of yet, although a CD version is scheduled for release in December. In the meantime, nip on over to the band\u2019s Bandcamp page<\/a> for the download.<\/p>\n

Neil Arnold<\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

SQUALOR Dark Side Of The Sun Self-released (2026) Rating: 8\/10 This debut full-length opus is the work of a double act, namely Spaniard Jos\u00e9 Andr\u00e9s Rodr\u00edguez Alonso (drums) and Spanish-based American Adam Wise (vocals, guitar and bass). Beyond the amateurish yet fun cover art, this is a a grower of a thrash experience made up […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[24,6044],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-106224","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-album-ep-reviews","category-squalor"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.metalforcesmagazine.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/106224","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.metalforcesmagazine.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.metalforcesmagazine.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.metalforcesmagazine.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.metalforcesmagazine.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=106224"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.metalforcesmagazine.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/106224\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":106225,"href":"https:\/\/www.metalforcesmagazine.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/106224\/revisions\/106225"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.metalforcesmagazine.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=106224"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.metalforcesmagazine.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=106224"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.metalforcesmagazine.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=106224"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}