Bad Earth – Stitches
Bad Earth – Stitches
Self-Released
Release Date: 23/10/2026
Review by Beth Morait
9/10
Bad Earth have been stalwarts of our local scene for so long now that I’ve lost count of how many times I’ve seen them, reviewed them, photographed them, and irritated the shit out of them with my turn of phrase (especially frontman Jordie). But in that time, they have grown so much, played Bloodstock a few times, and become a properly serious player in the Metal world. Now they’re back with a new album that cements their sound. And that sound is ‘Rockcore,’ a Sludge-laden, heavy, Thrashy, Punky Progressive mashup of Rock and Metal, that is a pure delight.
Kicking off with ‘12th hour’, a mysterious musical introduction track, overlaid with dystopian spoken word, the album quickly launches into the Punk-laden ‘Break Of Day’, which features Ste ‘Jordie’ Coxon’s unmistakable ‘I’ve had so much bourbon I’m pretty sure I’ve drunk myself sober’ gravelly vocals, along with backing vocals provided by drummer Ben Burke, adding the Punk edge, and Bassist Karl Ditcher, adding the ‘Fuck you’ growl edge! It goes full-on early Metallica Thrash in the middle, which I wasn’t expecting, but somehow, it works.
Bad Earth are known for their punishing, heavy, crunchy riffs, and this album is absolutely rammed full of them! Every single song has that intense, battering ram-style power that punches you in the gut with every beat. It’s angry music for angry people, and let’s face it there’s a lot for us all to be angry about in the world right now, so this is absolutely the soundtrack you need.
Another thing that stands out on this album is the quality of the bass licks. They are continuously rumbling along in the background, the unsung hero pulling every track through like a shire horse. Combine them with the sheer power of Ben’s drumming and Jordie’s guitar, and you have a very fine combination indeed. A lot of the time, the bass is made up of the root notes in the guitar riff, which really gives the whole sound huge depth. ‘Coerse’ and ‘Misunderstood’ are good examples of this – the latter kind of reminds me of Rage Against the Machine. And to be honest, that ‘ 90s era sound makes up a lot of what Bad Earth are too.
Title track ‘Stitches’ and album-closer ‘Trigger Point’ are my personal favourite tracks, but this whole album really kicks the proverbial arse, and my love for what Bad Earth do has grown again listening to it. If you want something that’s prim and proper, Bad Earth are not that band, but if you’re angry and want to break things, then definitely bang this in your headphones while you do it! A great, solid, Thrashing Rockcore album from the originators of the genre themselves. Top job, chaps – can’t wait to see you perform all this live!
TRACKLISTING:
01. 12th Hour
02. Break Of Day
03. Southern Gold
04. Come What May
05. Stitches
06. Coerse
07. Interlude
08. Another Knife In The Back
09. Misunderstood
10. Blood On My Hands
11. Trigger Point
LINKS:
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