I’ll share a thought for 2026. I have been watching the news from Iran where the body bags of young people are literally piling up on the streets. Today I awoke to news that Sanam Pourbabaei, a 26 year old beautiful and talented violin master and dedicated music teacher from Gilan, has died after being shot directly by the security forces of the regime. She was targeted on the same night she was scheduled for a performance (you can read about her, and how about her family had to pay the authorities for the return of her body here). Music is there for joy, here at Rock the Joint Magazine we celebrate new artists, promote the role of music for mental health and support musicians. It would be a crime for me to ignore the persecution of musicians in Iran, our magazine has been raising awareness of this for years.
Turning direction. New music is the lifeblood of the industry and we are proud to meet new artists and bands that we hope to remain on the journey with for years to come. This is a new Dutch band, and as I do the heavier side of things here (I do rock and blues – Lorraine does country and Anna-Louise tends to do pop and jazz), they fall under my umbrella.
“I will share the press with you for these guys:
EgoTwister is a rock band from the Netherlands. Their goal? Shaking ground and moving heads of their audience! What genre? Post-grunge with a twist of southern rock!
Ego Twister originated from the band 24/7 Junction. This band was founded by Sagai with some friends in the early 2010s, and soon after Sander joined. After taking a one-year break, the band got back together and continued under a new name: EgoTwister.
They began searching for a drummer, and after a thorough search, they found Stefan. Around the same time, the bassist decided to pursue other paths, so they had to look for a new member again, not long after Marc joined the band.
With this setup they played awesome shows, but at some point the band and lead singer decided it was time to split ways. The search for a new vocalist started. The choice was made that Ego Twister was going to move towards a heavier and more post-grunge sound. They found their new frontman with Giovanni, and with him, the band chose to take a completely new direction, moving toward a heavier rock sound.
Today, the band consists of Sagai, Sander, Stefan, Marc, and Giovanni. They are ready to bring their music to the world.”
Now, here is my review of their three tracks that were released at the back end of 2025. They are out now on all platforms.
“Dark Ocean” introduces a heavy riff with a touch of ZZ Top style in the blend that gets a strut and swagger in the tone. It creates a darkly urban sound with a powerful hook that should sound great when taken into the live setting. It puts down a note of intent.
“Temptress” was my favourite of the three.I liked the lyrics to the track and it was the most commercial of the three, I could certainly see late night rock commercial radio picking this one up. The chorus and the melody hooks are uplifting and the instrumentalisation is slick. It is one of those tracks about the siren calling and the appeal of the female of the species! I mean…it’s down the line rock and it entertained me in these troubled times, so a big like from me here, I kind of wish I’d heard this one first. The vocals nail this one too.
“Castles” returns to a darker late Seattle sound feel, which is fine. Lyrically it has a nod toward the world of ‘castles in the air’ and ‘candles in the dark,’ a world lit by fire alone. Running to 5.18 it is the longest of the tracks and closes this trio of releases strongly.
With a blend of post-grunge weight and southern-rock swagger, EgoTwister’s late-2025 releases announce a band hitting stride at just the right time. From the strut of “Dark Ocean” to the radio-ready hooks of “Temptress” and the brooding close of “Castles,” this is a trio of tracks that deserves volume and attention.
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Stream music from Ego Twister here
Band website here
Band Instagram here
By Stevie Ritson