thisquietarmy X Away
The Singularity, Phase I
P572 (2020)
Imagine a highway, stripped of all life and containing their minute particles, each one full of information and colour, sound and breath. Imagine the highway reaching to the sky, its steps as notes and stretches of sound as the straights. thisquietarmy have created such an image in their collaboration with Voivoid’s Michel “Away” Langevin, their rhythms bringing soul and a tangible “known” … Read more
Too Many Voices
Catch Me if You Can
Division Street Records (2020)
A nice little seven song ep of mid-tempo and introspective punk rock for us dads in our late thirties. These guys seem to have been around for some time but are new acquintance for me. And a pleasant one too, when I want to listen to hardcore with some thought behind it but that isn’t full-blast in-your-face aggression.Don’t get me … Read more
Toronto
Under Siege
Dying Victims Productions (2020)
From the ashes of the sorely missed, contemporary but old school death merchants Morbus Chron rises an altogether different phoenix. From 80s style Death-and-Entombed death metal we get the same decade as a frame of reference, but this time we’re talking some fist-pumping New Wave of British Heavy Metal infused with speed metal and more than a smidgen of hardcore.This … Read more
Ulcerate
Stare Into Death and Be Still
Debemur Morti Productions (2020)
Writing this review has been a long time in the making. Usually, sitting down and pressing play is enough to get some words flowing, however, Ulcerate are a unique experience and apparently so is the process of trying to explain why Stare Into Death and Be Still is so, so good. Much time has been spent on consuming the New Zealand trio’s new record … Read more
Ulver
Flowers of Evil
House of Mythology (2020)
It’s no secret that Ulver have long since moved on from their black metal past and while the Norwegians have firmly left the harsh, cold winters behind, their music still moves in less than positive circles – at least when it comes to the subject matter. The Ulver of 2020 plays in the pantheon of synth-driven pop, however, the lyrical … Read more
Uniform
Shame
Sacred Bones (2020)
Uniform’s music is aggressive; it’s harsh, noisy, power electronics with smatterings of industrial, metallic hardcore and rumbling chords and overseeing it all is Michael Berdan’s voice – a voice that has lived through more than most can ever imagine and one that underpins their fourth full-length, Shame, as its narrator.Shame is the study of the in between, the moments that are never … Read more
Various Artists
Raging Nathans/Reaganomics - Midwest Duress
Rad Girlfriend/Red Scare Industries (2020)
2020 was a rough year -- so rough that I somehow stumbled across two different EPs from last year that end with songs about removing people’s faces. With that noted, I’m certainly curious what abstract and gory trends 2021 will bring…Anyway, Midwest Duress features Raging Nathans (Ohio) and Reaganomics (Illinois). Raging Nathans play modern pop-punk with a strong ‘90s influence. What the … Read more
Venomous Concept
Politics vs the Erection
Season of Mist (2020)
People tell me all the time that they don't "get" politics. That they don't really understand them and try to avoid them whenever they come up. CNN contributors usually pan these types of people as "undecided voters," usually implying that lack of decisiveness in choosing a political candidate ahead of an election is due to them being too dumb, misinformed, … Read more
Vile Creature
Glory, Glory! Apathy Took Helm!
Prosthetic (2020)
There has been a shift in recent years, in heavy music, and it’s one that has given bands and artists the opportunity to use their platform to speak out, to uplift those who need help and to talk about difficult topics more openly. Heavy music is changing, for the better, and one such band using their space for good is … Read more
Wake
Devouring Ruin
Translation Loss (2020)
Wake started out as a grindcore act with a lot of Nasum influences. Nasum being one of my favorite grind bands that was never a big issue for me. It did not take very long to find a voice of their own though. The band added more and more sludge influences on each release. An odd combination, but it worked for them. … Read more
War On Women
Wonderful Hell
Bridge Nine (2020)
I owe War On Women an apology. This review was due months ago, but some shit circumstances came about and an unplanned hiatus was from Scene Point Blank was needed. The band deserved far better and I very much regret that I wasn’t around to give them the lauds and love upon Wonderful Hell’s release because had I been around … Read more
Weekend Dads
Future Hangs
It's Alive (2020)
Sometimes it all comes together, even when you weren’t trying.I picked up this EP for review based, more or less, on its label – It’s Alive – which has released a lot of enjoyable records over the years. Then I thought, you know, this voice sounds like Future Girls. When you listen to the kind of DIY punk I do, figuring … Read more
Western Addiction
Frail Bray
Fat Wreck Chords (2020)
There are bands who you rush to get the new record to see what direction they’ve gone. There are others you return to time-after-time because they have a style and they’ve nailed it. File Western Addition in the latter category. Frail Bray continues their West Coast melodic hardcore tradition without any surprise changes-of-direction.The band plays what used to be called “The Fat … Read more
William Elliott Whitmore
I'm With You
Bloodshot (2020)
When William Elliott Whitmore signed to Bloodshot, I thought it was a natural fit. I like Whitmore; I like the label. Win/win. But I also wondered how an artist I think of as more on the folk/bluegrass side fit with a label I think of as Americana/alt-country. Similar, for sure, but not quite there. These are silly semantics to worry … Read more
Wills Dissolve
Echoes
Hypnotic Dirge Records (2020)
I think it’s a good rule of thumb to assume if some band has their album art done by Adam “Nightjar” Burke, it’s going to be at least a good album. While that could be an exaggeration, I’ve yet to see a bad record with album art made by that man, so that’s a good track record, right? Anyway, Wills … Read more
Worriers
You or Someone You Know
6131 (2020)
If it weren’t for playing in a certain scene, Worriers would likely be branded as a pop band instead of punk. The band is DIY all the way, with a growing discography, plus a back catalogue of previous bands dating into the early 2000s. As the project has grown since debut Cruel Optimist, it’s shifted more and more pop in song … Read more
Wreath
Wreath EP
New Grenada (2020)
One era that continues to be emulated is the ambiguous brand of post-hardcore often dubbed Revolution Summer. Wreath burst onto the scene last year out of the hotbed of whiskey-soaked punk music that is central Florida, the latest to give their own interpretation of the style. Their newly released debut self-titled EP quickly shows off its colors as rooted in the early … Read more
Wrekmeister Harmonies
We Love To Look at the Carnage
Thrill Jockey (2020)
Wrekmeister Harmonies style is one that is hard to pin down and give a definitive name, yet the duo of JR Robinson and Esther Shaw do create music that is beautifully intimate and stark in equal measure. Latter day works are much more stripped back and streamlined, a change from the huge swells of sound that coloured earlier works and … Read more
