Ditches
Drunk Dial #9
Drunk Dial Records (2022)
The Drunk Dial series is a 7” concept where the label hooks up with a band, gets them inebriated, and records. Side A is an original, Side B is a cover. I guess the point is a spontaneous, live feel with a glimpse into influences. This time around we get Ditches, a power-pop/garage trio with a great catalog thus far. … Read more
Double Cheese
Thee Black Album
Dirty Water Records (2022)
Royale With Cheese! Brie De Meaux, Pyrénées Sheep Fromage, Comté, Bleu d'Auvergne, Époisses de Bourgogne, Le Chevrot. So much French Cheese and so little time. Nothing like a fine aged cheese that has the aroma of a baby’s shit-filled diaper accented with the smell of unwashed construction worker's feet and top offed with the ripe order of a hippie full-flavored … Read more
Dr. Acula
Dr. Acula
Silent Pendulum Records (2022)
First of all, I can’t believe Dr. Acula is back! When I saw the promo from Silent Pendulum that there’s a new album on the way, I had to triple check and listen to the single a couple of times. It still took a while for the reality to sink in and I’m not going to lie, I had some … Read more
Drakulas
Drunk Dial #10
Drunk Dial Records (2022)
My first thought on seeing that Drakulas cover The Jim Carroll Band on this was, “Huh, that’s a weird choice.” But about 10-seconds in, everything clicks. You see, Drakulas is a concept band, set in a dystopian, Warriors-esque world of broken streetlights, shenanigans, violence and smut. And, well, let’s just say that 1970s New York inspired a lot of that genre. For the … Read more
ExxoStack
Terramygdala
Independent (2022)
Instrumental progressive metal pretty much died out in the late 2010s, right? Wrong! While it can feel like that at times, there are still plenty of bands out there toying with the legacy of the genre in interesting ways. One of them is ExxoStack, on which I’ll be focusing today, particularly the latest record, Terramygdala. ExxoStack took off as the … Read more
Fallujah
Empyrean
Nuclear Blast (2022)
The last time I listened to Fallujah was five or so years ago, around the time when they released Dreamless. I can’t say that I was impressed or anything of the sort, but I did spin that album for a short while, until I basically all but forgot about the existence of the band. I wasn’t even aware they made … Read more
Fields Of Regret
Fields Of Regret
Bassick (2022)
Fields Of Regret is the brainchild of musician Filip Van Lysebeth, a producer based in Belgium. This self titled five track EP, released through Bassick Records on November 18th 2022, unveils Fields Of Regret's blend of horror fuelled gothic and industrial metal crossed with punk rock and a carnival style theme. In a statement from Bassick Records the EP is … Read more
Florida Men
Florida Men
Morning Wood Records (2022)
Oh Florida Man, you strange and magnificent creature of legends. Or at least it seems to be something unreal, reading what he did. Who comes up with stuff like that? And now three of these Florida Men united in one band. Nothing good can come from that! Perhaps you can’t help yourself and you read some of the crazy things … Read more
Football, Etc.
Vision
Independent (2022)
I never thought that I would review a Houston-based band. It seems Football, Etc is my first. The band just put out this new EP this year which is a surprise, as the band is focusing on Overo now (which includes 2/3 members of Football, Etc). The last thing the band put out was 2017's LP Corner, taking 5 years for the band … Read more
Forests
Get In Losers, We're Going To Eternal Damnation
Dog Knights Productions (2022)
Singaporean trio twinkle band, Forests, just put out their 3rd full- length entitled Get In Losers, We're Going To Eternal Damnation. I guess the title itself explains what would lie in the theme of the lyrics. It Ssounds stupid but serious at the same time. The band still encapsulates what's good from 2010's emo scene, and some words to describe Forests' … Read more
Forever Unclean
Best
Hidden Home Records (2022)
It’s a tough to summarize Forever Unclean in a neat little genre-name. It’s punk rock, but with elements of ‘90s alt rock, screamo and more. It’s short and concise, energetic and uplifting, yet unpredictable and far more complex than your average 3-chord beentheredonethat. The music is driving but varied: guitar-driven with sing-shouted vocals and lots of surprising-but-not-jarring shifts along the … Read more
Gentlemen Rogues
Francy b/w I've Got A Match
Snappy Little Numbers (2022)
Apparently, Gentlemen Rogues don’t like stupid-looking hats. I am not sure what constitutes a stupid-looking hat, but I imagine a loud purple fedora adorned with a pink band around it and maybe a fake feather to compliment it. I have to point out that long-distance relationships rarely work when combined with international love connections. Didn’t you watch 90 Day Fiance!. … Read more
GGGOLDDD
This Shame Should Not Be Mine
Artoffact (2022)
GGGOLDDD (formerly known as Gold) have always resisted fitting into a single mold. While their vision has hovered around an alternative and indie rock foundation, they have freely explored adjacent spaces. Electronic components were introduced, metallic elements have been applied and a punk-ish fervor would now and then rear its head. And this has resulted in some excellent works with Optimist and Why … Read more
Ghost
Impera
Loma Vista Recordings (2022)
Swedish theatrical rock outfit Ghost unleashed their fifth studio album entitled Impera at the beginning of March this year and for a little while the rock/metal community was saturated with interviews from Tobias Forge not to mention everyone and their dog were posting reviews of this new album. Sorry to be the one that prolongs this but I'm here to add my … Read more
Goddamnit
All The Time Is Yours Now
Sell The Heart Records (2022)
With a plodding, building guitar line, a slow drum intro and the opening lyrics of “Light a candle / For the good times gone away,” Goddamnit isn’t subtle of where they’re going on All The Time Is Yours Now. Playing Hot Water Music-style punk, it’s a break-up record steeped in old school emo. While the lyrics are somewhat weighted in a single … Read more
Graduation Speech
Controlled Burn
Jetsam-Flotsam (2022)
I mostly enjoy acoustic albums during my cruising time to work by bike. I can't explain what makes the acoustic sounds special when you listen to it in the morning. Maybe I'm a typical kind of guy who is slow to wake up and acoustic tunes are perfect to build up my mood. Graduation Speech is a moniker project initiated … Read more
Grumpster
Fever Dream
Pure Noise (2022)
Grumpster are a relatively young band from Oakland. They released a debut on Asian Man and jumped to Pure Noise for its follow-up, Fever Dream. While 2019’s Underwhelmed caught attention, they’ve taken the leap on their second LP. The band play DIY punk with a wide range of melodic influences. It’s singalong punk, but the 10 songs on this record all mix it … Read more
Hakan
Hakan Manifesto
Striped Music (2022)
I was pretty into II, the last record by Hakan that I heard (apparently III slipped past me). And while I really dug it, Jeff Burke’s fingerprints were all over the production and it was impossible to listen without recalling The Marked Men. This time around, the Italian trio has enlisted Matt Bordin to record, mix and master, and the results keep that … Read more
