Supernova

These all sound like entrance themes for wrestlers that get zero pop

Quite clearly, Dimery is aware of this community and how much we collectively bemoan his life's work, and has decided to use the 2026 edition of the book to exact his revenge. I barely believe this is a real release, let alone one from 2022. It looks and sounds like it came from 1996 and has just been unearthed from a charity shop bin for 49p. What in the MS Paint is that monstrosity?? Musically, it sits in that horrible intersection between nu-metal and chart-friendly novelty pop-rock. A bit like Linkin Park cosplaying as t.A.T.u. Its brevity might've earned it a second star but I'm not convinced the music has actually earned it a first one.

I can say with utmost certainly, whichever editor of the book submitted Supernova has teenage girls in his house. I'm sure dude randomly finds fake eyelashes in the sink, in the dishwasher, in the couch, in the dogs fur, everywhere but the trash. He probably took a browbeating that sounded like Veruca Salt saying, "Daddy, I want a Nova Twins album! I want you to get me a Nova Twins album right away!" "Daddy, get me one of those silver outfits!" So, like a real father, he caved to the whims of his children and championed for the inclusion of their favorite album. While everyone else is bashing him and falling out like they're at revival for including this slice of pop dreck that will surely be cut from the next book revision, I stand at attention and salute you Sir! Your kids are only young once and they will love you forever for adding this.

JUSTICE FOR FETCH THE BOLT CUTTERS!

I am sure that Nova Twins tear it up as a live act -- I would totally go see them live -- but the 'everything louder than everything else, all the damn time' production is exhausting to listen to. The reviews cited on the wikipedia page that describe this "a searing amalgamation of genres" and as "torchbearers of the future of rock" are just a touch delulu. The lyrics are cartoonish and the sound is surprisingly reminiscent of the poppier end of 90s industrial metal; I hear elements of Prong, White Zombie, Skunk Anansie, Muse, and even (shudder) Marilyn Manson. It's probably the drum machine programming, distorted bass, synth leads, and highly compressed Andy Wallace-style mixing. The future may well be female, but hopefully it is a bit more innovative than this. And with better cover art. 2.5 stars, rounding up.

I'll admit that I'm a little skeptical that this needed to make the list, but I did really enjoy it. At this point I'm skeptical of almost any artist that is British and was previously unknown to me, which I recognize is a little rude, but also, the list editor has made enough transgressions that I stand by it.

Gear: Grado Hemp Artwork: 🔥👯🧊 Production: 🗑️🥾😖 Music: 🇼 🇹 🇫 Rating: ♨️/5

Music is subjective and all that, but I can't believe this got added to the list and Fetch The Bolt Cutters (among others) got booted

Am I being punked? This would have been sh1t in the 90's but 2022.... wow.... absolute garbage.

This album fucking sucks. It's so basic and lazy. I don't understand why this got put into the list. This is an embarrassment. 1.49/5

Supernova by The Nova Twins is a nu-metal throwback album (yes, we're at that point now), unfortunately in doing so they highlight how dated their sound is, as well as nu-metal as a whole. There's some pretty good songs to groove through, Antagonist is pretty banging, and Choose Your Fighter comes after a long string of mediocre songs. There's a mild industrial element to some of the songs (like Antagonist) that juices up the songs a bit and gives it more of a punch. The Nova Twins also incorporate a lot of alt rock and hip-hop to their sound, but I think they sound better when they're on the heavier side. Fortunately the album is only 30 minutes, otherwise I probably would have docked it a star, this is just mid-00s nu-metal/alt metal without any interesting additions, and this style was dated 20 years ago, let alone in 2022. Was it a good addition to the list: No. It's an album that proves Dimery hasn't really learned anything, we don't need more throwback albums. Top 3 songs: Antagonist, Choose Your Fighter, Enemy

Supernova is the second album by rock duo Nova Twins. The album is full of over-the-top bombastic noise rock and pop with some rap and singing. Though it sounds somewhat gimmicky and plastic at times, the songwriting and guitar hook are actually rather good. This results in an enjoyable album that should not be taken so seriously. Best tracks are "Cleopatra" and "Antagonist".

Tiresome plastic mashup of too many different genres, none of which sound remotely organic or sincere. I got through it but didn't enjoy any of it. 3/10 1 star IMO: Belonged in the book? No.

This was incredibly bad.

Holy crap

When starting this adventure I thought trailblazers or those who pick up the mantle and do it better or so different it is noteworthy would be on the list. Not so much. Never heard of this band. I don’t hate it, but shaking my head while it is here.

Their sound is definitely fresh but after two songs you want a little more variety.

Ugh. Nu-metal. Ugh.

The appeal of blending pop and nu-metal continues to elude me

First of the new 2026 additions! Wish I could hand this to middle school me & my friends who loved Avril Lavigne at the time, we would have thought they were sooooooo cool and badass A little too [wub wub] [distortion screech] to make the permanent rotation but it was an enjoyable listen

This album made me feel my age. It's a weird nu-metal/rap rock/industrial punk mix. Kinda Kid Rock, Rage Against The Machine, Limp Bizkit, Skin (Skunk Anansie) and Missy Elliott all into one. And it was nominated for a Mercury Prize 😳 Overall: 1/10

This is pretty awful. No idea why this should be considered for inclusion as a later addition over (some of) the ones removed.

Someone commented that it sounds like pro wrestlers theme music and that's accurate af. I can think of no better way to describe it lolol. It's like a mix of electronic music (grime maybe...) and alt rock. It's that weird electronic hard rock that kids tend to really like these days. I'm personally not a fan. I'm not young enough to see the appeal. I mean, it's fine, just not my thing. Favourite songs: Cleopatra, K.M.B., Fire & Ice Least favourite songs: Toolbox 3/5

If I had listened in 1999 I would probably enjoy it a little more. But this is just so outdated

This pick for a new album is so bad, Dimery should be ashamed. I listened to this in the gym because I knew it was gonna be hype up music but it gave me a headache and sounded like the league of legends music that I’ve heard. 3/10

Album #313 Nova Twins: Supernova I find it absolutely incomprehensible that this album is included on a list of albums to hear before you die. Even if you somehow are completely devoid of taste and enjoy it, the sound isn’t new or interesting; it had no cultural impact or influence, and wasn’t critically acclaimed. By what metric is this included? I can only assume, based on this and the other baffling modern inclusions, that the curator of the list stopped listening to music in the early 2000s and didn’t know which albums to include from after that, so he just started drawing from a hat. This is a combination of SmackDown vs. Raw default create-a-wrestler entrance themes, shitty early 2010s dubstep, and ‘creepy’ TikTok edit music enjoyed by people who play Bendy and the Ink Machine and watch Hazbin Hotel. Complete and utter nonsense, and I feel worse about myself for having listened to it. Best Songs: None Worst Songs: Pretty much all of them Score out of 10: 1.5

I'm honored to be one of the first ratings on this album! I'll try to flesh out my review since it's going to be one of the first ones people see. I haven't heard of the Nova Twins before this, maybe because they're mainly known in the UK? Anyway, this wasn't what I was expecting by looking at the cover but I really enjoyed it. I love seeing women making rock music and I think the mix with rap works really well. I'm not sure how influencial I see this being on future artists, I guess that's something only time will tell. 4/5

Engagingly genre tripping while being unreservedly Rock. Very worthwhile half hour (I love a short LP). The actually sung vocals are so processed and effect heavy it does make me think they might not be particularly strong singers, but it all did the job.

Nova Twins make female-fronted rap-rock, and it’s a musical style I enjoy. I like this uptempo, heavy music with a political bite, and I was rocking out to Supernova from the first listen. “Antagonist” and “Fire & Ice” are the two songs that jumped out for me. What I couldn’t shake was the feeling that it doesn’t bring much that’s fresh or new to the world of music. It’s quite standard, and I kept wondering if I was missing something. To me it sounds like a really good opening act for bigger bands. It is an album built around energy, attitude and having something to say, which is what this style is all about, and on those terms it delivers.

Weird to be back on the original list after almost 2 years of the user list. This was the surprise addition that wasn't in the previews so it was a bit of a surprise to see it. Based on Dimery's background god forbid we are missing out on British artists. I was familiar with the Nova Twins having seen them at a festival a few years back and enjoying their set. I had a song from this album saved on my liked songs and had listened to this album a bit at that time. I even thought about buying a ticket to their show last year when they played here but didn't, so that tells you how casual of a fan I am. Overall I appreciate the shortness (after a couple of days of long user submitted albums) and listening to something I am familiar with it. I should listen to them more (including their new album from last year) I will continue my little addition to my reviews, even if it doesn't quite make sense. My personal rating: 4/5 My rating relative to the list: 4/5 Should this have been included on the original list? No. I don't think this should given how many better albums there are out there from 2022 onwards.

Sounds like Muse put through a pop blender replaced by girly vocals and some candyfkoss added.

Pop always needs more guitars and this didn't disappoint.

One of the best of the new batch, but still very over-produced and with a very tinny drum sound. At various points it sounds a little like: royal blood, klaxons, destiny's child, linkin park, editors, kasabian, muse, bullet for my valentine, limp bizkit, rage against the machine, skunk anansie, and a bunch more, mostly only briefly. Lovely to see some 21st century rock, from a new band, but some way short of full marks. Nu-metal crossed with 90s r&b is probably not the future, but it can be plenty of fun

I went into Supernova knowing nothing about Nova Twins and came out wondering how I’d missed them. Loud, aggressive, ridiculously fun, and absolutely packed with energy. Not a single boring moment. An unexpected five stars and an absolute banger. ★★★★★

No way I needed to listen to this before I die

Rocks not dead

I heard of this band, but never really heard their music. This was very cool, and much more hard rock than I imagined. Loved it

When I first saw the art work I didn't know what to expect. The cover art is certainly eye-catching, would the sound be up to par? It is an interesting, fresh sound. But also aggressive and violent. Is this what this era calls for? Are some songs better than others? Yes, of course they are. But that's not what this album is about. It's not a very long listen. (It just about had me waiting for just one more song.) This offering is more about the times that we live in and the new era on the rise. Gorgeous performances and performers. Claiming their heritage, refusing to be shamed or shrinking away in modest attitude, hiding the differences by adjusting to society's median, adopting a look and attitude befitting an assimilated species. No, these artists are unique and innovative and they want to conquer the world. Good.

This was nothing I expected. An irreverent blend of rock, rap, nu metal and any other genre. And it totally works.

The Nova Twins rock. Listened to this on my drive home with some heavy pent up anxiety. It really did help. It’s pure angst and emotion with clever lyrics. As I was listening, I replayed Cleopatra because it just really hit. Fuck yes. Gonna listen tot heir other albums this week. Saved Cleopatra and Enemy

Enjoyable. It's cheesy at times, but the riffs are good fun and the screaming was a nice touch.

Plastic rock + textbook nu-metal (hate that style) + hackneyed rapping + streamlined grime + Skrillex-inspired dubstep (hate that style) + shlocky noughts r'n'b + overblown production values (still pulling off the mind-blowing feat of creating an awful thinny sound for the live drums, in spite of all the gloss everywhere else) = ... yet another rather stupid choice by Dimery and his team after the mid-noughts. Bringing me back from the users list for this feels kind of weird. Now I catch myself wishing there were a skip button for the original list -- something I call for when it comes to the users list, but only because more albums are now added to it than you can reasonably manage to review in one life if you keep the one-LP-a-day thing... Under that light, Dimery also adding albums himself now really takes the cake, lol. Especially when you see today's choice... Seriously, what went through the heads of the book's writers here? Was the rationale drawing from the need to shed a light on more women and POC artists for the 2026 edition? (the sort of thing Nova Twins promote themselves in their activism, and *rightly so*). OK, I can support the idea on paper. The thing is, what am I supposed to say if I don't like the musical results? Don't get me wrong, objectively speaking, the two Nova Twins gals are insanely talented: they can play electric guitars, they can sing, they can rap, they write their own songs and they can perform in an energetic fashion onstage. But when it comes to the artistic quality level that's required *for a list like this one*, surely there's been more striking examples among black and brown women artists in the last few years releasing stellar or at least genuinely interesting albums, and this in *any genre*... I was just kidding earlier about the skip button by the way (at least for the original list). But as you can probably understand after my last paragraph, what I am not kidding about is my general distaste for Nova Twins' songs. I have been a music listener and a follower of trends for quite some time now. I can definitely recognize an ephemeral fad when I see one. If only in commercial terms, Nova Twins' last album (released after *Supernova*) didn't sell that much, which means that apparently, it didn't help the project expand their fan base. So from 2026's vantage point, the decline of this band's popularity has already happened, actually. Surely, it can't be popular demand which motivated someone in Dimery's team to add this record in 2026. And if it's the music per se, call me dumbfounded as well. As I said, what went through the head of the 1001 Albums book's writers? The best Nova Twins song I have heard so far is "Taxi", from their previous LP (and full-length debut) *Who Are The Girls?", which definitely comes off as less bloated and better-sounding than *Supernova*, at least. And there again, post-noughts Dimery and his team look like being late to a party -- chasing trends and yet being so out of their depths they can't even recognize when said trends have already born their most interesting fruits and there's no need to chase further. There are exceptions to Dimery's lack of foresight, of course, and I know a couple of them are coming up among the thirteen 2026 additions / changes. But still... I repeat, what went through their heads here? 1/5 for the purposes of this list dedicated to essential albums. 6/10 for more general purposes (5 for the musicianship and production values + 1 for the artistry) ---- Number of albums from the original list I find relevant enough to be mandatory listens: 465 + 1 (addition to the 2026 edition of the book) Albums from the original list I *might* select for mine later on: 289 + 1 (addition to the 2026 edition of the book) Albums from the original list I won't select for mine: 336 + 3 (*including this one addition to the 2026 edition of the book*) ---- Number of albums from the users list I find relevant enough to be mandatory listens: 124 Albums from the users list I *might* select for mine later on: 142 Albums from the users list I won't select for mine: 319

A fun album, with high energy and plenty of FU attitude to deliver in spades, and from a band I've never heard of nor heard anything from them before. They made a great choice to keep the runtime to right about 30 minutes, and the Nova Twins keep up the ball-busting intensity throughout. I liked it also that they've adopted a strange mashup of overdriven guitars/bass, industrial style background, rap and pop style lyrics and who knows what else, although at times it felt like each track was kind of intended to feature as explosive end credits to a season of a TV series more than anything else (although the impressive videos to their singles kind of evoke a movie soundtrack instead). Regardless, though, this is a fun sonic explosion; I'd definitely be up for hearing other albums by them.

I liked Antagonist

What the hell was this? Demon hunter girl groups for basement dwelling adults? It isn't bad or poorly done, but it isn't good or necessary in any way whatsoever.

needed a 2nd listen but I don't hate this as much other reviewers, I can't imagine this will age well though in a list of this nature

This takes me back to the 90s. I don't want to go back to the 90s. 2/5

I respect it but no 1/5

Noisy

Great modern punk

Very in-your-face and booming sound. It was annoying to me. Not melodic enough.

Seriously? Why. I fail to see the significance of this album, in my humble opinion it sux ..

Utter crap

A throw back to the late 90’s Gen X vibe. The full blown angst, rage, and flair all rolled up into a noisy throat punch.

It's like they put every popular genre circa 1995 - 2005 into a blender and let it rip for 30 minutes. And they do most certainly let it rip. I am grateful for the economical album length - i'm probably too old to even listen to this album much less appreciate it. It did make more sense on a second listen. For better or worse the high energy never once flags.

Fun! Like “Toxic” era Britney mixed with horrorcore rap and a bit of Rob Zombie. Shame I didn’t get this on Halloween since most of these songs are about monsters and ghouls and murder, would have been primo spooky listening. Short, too! This will definitely be removed in the next update, but a fun little album I wouldn’t have listened to otherwise.

Oof. Noisy

I didn't particularly like this. Too heavy but also too polished. Not my cup of tea.

Temu t.A.T.u tribute act.

This isn't good AND it didn't have any cultural impact. I'm not that aware of new music but to be on this list I really think it should be something most people heard of at the time. An extra star because I just heard a good 8 bars

Grating

Dance, Rock, Punk, 2022 -> 2

Great

Better than expected

Album #1098 (1,001 challenge): "Supernova" by Nova Twins (2022) "Supernova" is the second full-length album by British rock duo Nova Twins. Alternative rock, punk rock and rap rock are the Wiki-listed genres. The duo consists of Amy Love (lead vocals, guitar) and Georgia South (bass, backing vocals, drum programming). Commercially, the album reached #27 in the UK. It had critical acclaim and was nominated for the 2022 UK Mercury Prize. The short "Power (Intro)" opens the album. Industrial drums and guitar and noises. Women talking. Hmmm, aggressive sounding. Feedback and a high-pitched guitar gets "Antagonist" going. Love rapping, singing and screaming. Heavy drums and heavy and dark overall. Something about riots and war. More of the heavy in "Cleopatra." A drum machine and a grungy guitar. She's a fighter; she's Cleopatra. The song title "K.M.B. (Kill My Boyfriend)" says it all. A phone ringing. A creepy bass and quick rapping. Of course, the song goes loud. "Puzzles" has a buzzing and screeching guitar melody. The heavy and busy continue. "Choose Your Fighter" was actually catchy until it wasn't. The loud and heavy eventually take over. Was it really necessary to have a 2022 reboot of nu metal??? And, how this this now designated as one of the 1,001 albums you need to listen to before you die? Angry, in your face and loud. Heavy guitar and pounding drums. Love is rapping, singing, screaming and mostly muffled. The lyrical themes are defiance, resilience and take no shit. At it's best, which isn't often, the music approaches Korn. At it's best! Otherwise, it's loud, busy and annoying. Very annoying...I struggled to finish the 30-minute long album. Recommended for no one. Avoid at all costs. 1 out of 5 (the 1 for the times it approach Korn)

Love this subgenre and gave this lp a couple of spins previously - still nothing too catchy here, not sure this one is a must-hear

Wow, what a way to finish the 2026 expansion pack. Power punch indeed. Antagonist, Cleopatra, K.M.B., Puzzles, Toolbox and Choose Your Fighter all hit hard.

Ok...sure. Not sure THAT is a needed addition to this list. Feel like the author kind of lost the plot with these latest additions. Glad that is over with now. 1.5/5

I get it, but I just didn’t like it. I’ve seen what the bass player can do live and it’s innovative. But much like Jacob Collier, what’s the sense of having great musical knowledge and great musical skill to do something on your instrument that others can’t if the music is not great?

It seems like this is the theme with the new additions: the idea that rock is back because of these super-nostalgic pseudo-nu metal albums? They make it look like BABYMETAL has been the biggest influence in music in the last 5 years...

nu-nu-metal is still shit.

Cheesy and generic. Doesn’t belong on this list.

This generations Limp Bizkit, which is not a complement. At least the women are getting in on the act as well though.

Load of shite. Apparently they’re not really twins and neither of them drive a Nova. It’s all a sham

Never heard of the group or the album so had no idea what to expect but was pleasantly surprised by some of the rock/metal aspects of the album. I was less keen on someone the dubstep-y bits but found that they didn’t dominate as much as they could have so overall had a decent time listening.

This is pretty damned fantastic, actually. It's one of the rare albums that make me happy that I started this project, because the purpose was always to find awesome albums that I had missed, and this is one of them.

31/10/2026 This really surprised me. I thought I was in for a really bumpy ride with this... but it was no where near as bad as I was thinking. Definitely should not be on the list though. There are more worthwhile albums out there. Spotify listeners: 911.3k

Got through about 4 songs and got bored.

I respect this but not for me.

Pretty damn good but I have liked them since they first surfaced as BRAATS

I’m old and most music in the last 20 years is shit - this hasn’t changed my mind

A little poppy for me. I did like A Dark Place for Something Beautiful.

I thought the music couldn’t be worse than the sleeve

I hated nu-metal the first time around, and this does nothing to change my mind. Cleopatra is almost tolerable. Almost.

I know it's old man yells at cloud, but I can't stand how modern hard rock just cranks up the drum volume in the mix, especially the bass drum. It just absolutely drowns out the melody/guitars. It's so distracting. It's not just Nova Twins, it's pretty much every modern hard rock band. All I hear is thump thump thump of the bass drums. And my bass isn't turned up to crazy levels. The drums are rhythm instruments not lead instruments. Other than that it's a decent album from a band I've heard of but never really listened to before. Just have a headache from the drum volume now is all.

RATING: 7.5/10 HIGHLIGHT: Puzzles LOWLIGHT: Fire & Ice

This was better than I was expecting. There was a familiarity to some of the songs like they were covers or heavily borrowed from other musicians? Definite Sleigh Bells vibes - a band I enjoyed for while before having to delete them from iTunes which constantly played A/B Machines every time I turned it on. It’s called Noise-pop for a reason and becomes grating if not taken in measured doses. I’d put this on again. 3/5

The sound of young women finally avenging themselves on Fred Durst.

Music was OK but don't like the girly singing very much.

I was unsure of this at first, it sounded like an angry Milli Vanilli. But then it got better, like a fusion of Maneskin and Lincoln Park. 3.5✨

Interesting British rock - was enjoyable

This one sounds like it will be really good! I'm excited for this because I don't think I've ever heard of this band. But GPT described it as They mix alternative metal, punk, grime, electronic bass, industrial textures, hip-hop rhythm, and pop hooks into something really physical and modern. And it's only 4 yrs old. This album was great! Reminded me of Grimes. I loved it. 5 stars.

Never judge an album by its cover. Whatever I thought this was, it was not. While not my particular flavor, I enjoyed the unique sound they created by combining heavy metal with lyrics and vocals from a woman's perspective. Worth trying out.

I don't dislike this album per se, but i also don't really enjoy it.

The problem with nu metal wasn’t the music. It was the white people rapping. This album largely fixes that problem by replacing white men whining about their problems with hot black British chicks. I think it works.

Its fun to be thrown this stuff, but its tough to figure out how I feel about it. I do like the maximalist, almost dubstep like, rock music. Its wacky and cool sometimes even though it feels like music that belongs in a cyberpunk game. I also think the hardcore sexual lyrics are fitting Not coming back, but that was alright

Didn't seem essential.

Listening to Supernova, I can't help feeling like this latest 2026 addition is the ultimate participation trophy pick, a thoroughly basic, derivative nu-metal throwback that feels like it was panic-selected just to fill a modern diversity and representation quota rather than on any actual artistic merit. Sure, the thirty-minute runtime mercy-kills the boredom and the duo certainly brings just enough high-octane energy and raw attitude, but the relentless, compressed "everything louder than everything else" production gives me a migraine, resulting in a toothless pastiche that wouldn't have even turned heads back in 1999. Besides, there's only one Scottish Supernova, and that's Noam Dar, pass it on...

This album would go hard for cosplaying TikTokers. There seems to be a music style they are attempting, but the album lacks focus and is pretty grating. 2/5 Won't listen again

This was not bad but not really my kind of music