Not least of these comes from back home, in the form of Hereford's fierce instrumental rock troupe, Talons.
I rarely fail to find a soft spot for instrumental rock/metal, although it does take some outstanding chops and variety to really catch the attention in a genre omitting lyrical hooks. Talons deliver in spades, particularly on lead off track Peter Pan.
Fusing wave after wave of serrated guitar crescendos to a strong spine of dramatic strings, the band resists the urge to push into the sprawling territory often inhabited by their peers, keeping this one to a neat 3 minutes or so. It pays off, with the riffs taking centre stage and washing through the auditory canals like a flash flood, devastating and cleansing in one fell swoop.
MP3: Talons - Peter Pan
Taken from the forthcoming album Hollow Realm, out December 6th - PRE ORDER
Although they aren't yet hitting the impassioned highs of their stated influencers, the much-missed Aereogramme, that Talons are showing the potential to do so this early in their band life is a mouth-watering prospect.
With a full length, Hollow Realm, due out right before the year's end, I hope to be making a frantic dash to add it to the end of year favourites in mid December. If it maintains the quality they're displaying on first listens, you'd have to say they're a shoe in. Mighty fine.