As the skies darken here at Grumpy Labs and winter draws closer, the choice of music being played tends to the darker side… or does it? Devin Townsend - Lightwork You most certainly can’t call Devin’s latest work dark. It’s very much the opposite of that. The opening track Moonpeople is a whimsical track that sets the scene for much of what follows. Although the end of the album becomes a little darker in places, this is an uplifting album that strips back the layers from previous releases.

October 2022 Halloween is the Grumpy Household’s favourite time of the year, so October is normally fairly spooktacular1 musically. This year was no different, as evidenced by the most played album of the month… Danny Elfman - The Nightmare Before Christmas “No animal or man can SCREEEEEEAAMMMMM like I can” has been shouted loudly throughout Grumpy Manor2 by all of us so many times that I’ve lost count. This gets played year-round, but during October, it gets a few extra spins for good measure.

September 2022 Another month, and not enough music listened to. However, it also marked the return of gig attendance, with Grumpy Metal Girl and myself attending a gig together for the first time in nearly 3 years. Was a strange sensation to be sure, but also a welcome one, and hopefully the first of many more! Blind Guardian - The God Machine I’ve been a massive BG fan since the Imaginations… days, so hearing that the new album was going to be a more stripped back affair brought happy tinglings to this Grumpy Metal Guy.

Prologue In a time, when dinosaurs walked the earth… A young man, known simply as Grumpy, stumbles across something in his home town called a “record store”. In it, many large flat packages are displayed, colourful pictures adorning the front facing card. Enticed by the imagery and the strange sounds coming from boxes mounted to the walls, Grumpy saves his money and begins buying these round black discs, often produced by new and upcoming groups of bards, some local, some from over the waves.

Another month of not enough time, and too much music to listen to. Instead of listening to new things, for the most part, I decided to go back in time a little… Porcupine Tree - Closure/Continuation However, firstly, I finally got around to listening to this. I had held off well past the actual release date to find some time to listen to it on vinyl for the first time. Harridan had grabbed my attention some time ago with it’s blend of newish Steven Wilson and newer PT, so was curious to see what the rest of the album would bring.