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Our latest album reviews, featuring the records we've most enjoyed (or not) over the past few weeks.

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Browse our album reviews according to score: Highest (9.5/10 or more) or Lowest (2/10 or less)

Sigh

In Somniphobia
Spinefarm Records (2012)

I don't know what it is about Japanese metal bands, but they seem to be some of the craziest of the crazy—and the most talented. Avant-thrashers Sigh are no exception, and their latest release, 2012's delightfully titled In Somniphobia, has some of their best work yet.From the first few seconds, you know that this is classic Sigh at their best: tons of fast, thrash metal riffage paired with their near-indescribable penchant for making music sound so...hilarious. The ridiculously over-the-top orchestration, the jocular riffs, the head-tiltingly confusing instruments, and the bright piano effects all serve to give you the distinct impression that you're listening to carnival music played at twenty times the speed with someone assaulting a carney over the PA instead of actual vocals. Trumpets, classical piano, accordion, even whistling are all mixed in with the traditional heavy metal set up, and the effect is unparalleled.The compositions are all very good, but some of the shorter tracks can be just a bit forgettable. They tend to be more straightforward thrashers--solid, but not very creative. The real highlight of the album is the 40-minute long centrepiece “Lucid Nightmares”, which is divided up into tracks three through nine on the album. Though … Read more

Satan's Wrath

Galloping Blasphemy
Metal Blade (2012)

As a disclaimer of sorts I tend to look at bands overplaying the "we're so evil, look at us" card … Read more

Cattle Decapitation

Monolith Of Inhumanity
Metal Blade (2012)

For the sake of this review i will make wild and sweeping generalizations regarding the death metal genre so be … Read more

Killing Joke

MMXII
Spinefarm Records (2012)

Think to yourself briefly and see if you can think of more than a handful of bands that have existed … Read more

Om

Advaitic Songs
Drag City (2012)

Om is one of those offshoot bands that wound up better than it had any right to be. Borne from … Read more

Drivin' N Cryin'

Songs about Cars, Space and The Ramones
New! (2012)

In keeping true to their word, the fabulous Atlanta band Drivin’ N’ Cryin’ has released their second EP in a … Read more

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One from the archives

Scissorfight

Victory Over Horseshit
Tortuga Recordings (2006)

I'm going to jump right to the point; if you don't like rock-n-roll music, you're not going to like Scissorfight. This New Hampshire outfit plays gritty rock music - this is music for the blue collar working man. So if that is you, grab a case of your favorite beer, crack one open, and turn up the volume. Victory Over Horseshit is a CD single to promote the band's upcoming full-length release. On this disc we get two songs from that album, two unreleased tracks, and a hard to find song. The disc opens with the title track, a rock-n-roll jam that is equal parts of influence from Clutch and Fu Manchu, but with a slight metal edge to it. Factor in a super catchy chorus, and it's hard not … Read more

More album reviews

Dave Hause

Pray For Tuscon
Bridge Nine (2012)

The second installment of Dave Hause's 7-inch series comes from Bridge Nine. Lots of interesting choices for Hause to choose songs to cover from. In the end, he settled on Strike Anywhere and The Trouble. We'll get to that in a bit. First, lets reflect on the renditions of his own, "Pray For Tucson" and "Years From Now." This new … Read more

HIM

XX: Two Decades of Love Metal
The End (2012)

Whatever you may think about HIM – joke band, has-beens, rip-off merchants and so on and so on – it’s hard to deny the very essence of their hard rocking joy. XX: Two Decades of Love Metal compiles nearly twenty (twenty!) years of the Fin’s self-branded love metal and it’s clear that their passion and whole-hearted belief in their woe-filled … Read more

Bison B.C.

Lovelessness
Metal Blade (2012)

Every band reaches their peak at some point. Some blow their wads right out of the gate and spend the rest of their careers desperately trying to recreate an inexplicable combination of luck, talent, and inspiration. Some clumsily struggle through multiple albums worth of missteps before finally finding their collective voice. Others allow you to tag along on their journey … Read more

Title Fight

Floral Green
Side One Dummy (2012)

Title Fight is an intriguing band. While 2009’s The Last Thing You Forget caused many to pigeonhole them as another band heavily indebted stylistically to an array of bands from the pop-punk/hardcore genres, their 2010 effort, Shed, saw a significant maturation in sound and songwriting capabilities. After two years of solid touring with notable bands like Touchè Amorè, Title Fight … Read more

Six Feet Under

Undead
Metal Blade (2012)

Six Feet Under are certainly not new to this. The band formed by some of death metal's biggest names (at least in the ‘90s), seems to persist. Formed as a vehicle for Chris Barnes after leaving Cannibal Corpse, and also included members of Obituary and made their mark with what could be a considered a classic debut. Since then, the … Read more

Various Artists

Integrity/Gehenna - Integh Split
Holy Terror (2012)

For two veteran bands the split may seem like an odd option as it is generally used to introduce new bands to another bands audience. Well, Integrity and Gehenna have never been bands to stick to the norm in any facet or their careers. So we have a shared stopgap of sorts while both bands seem to work towards full … Read more

Ty Segall

Twins
Drag City (2012)

Ty Segall is in constant motion. This year alone, he’s released a collection LP, a collaboration with White Fence, and now a solo record—all while maintaining a steady string of tour dates. While he’s been releasing records since 2008, Twins is the first I’ve sat down and given listen. Billed as a garage rocker, Segall’s music pulls from varied sources. … Read more

Hot Water Music

Exister
Rise (2012)

In some ways, you have to seriously respect everything that Hot Water Music has accomplished over the course of their existence from their starting point circa 1993 despite what is now two break-ups, but the much lauded four piece drops their second comeback album with Exister, the band’s first studio album in since 2004’s The New What Next; and since … Read more

The Casket Lottery

Real Fear
No Sleep (2012)

When bands you adore get back together after breaking up or reconvene following a hiatus, there is both a sense of excitement and a feeling of trepidation as the band members become reacquainted with each other (moods, skills, shared synapses, seeming simpatico, etc) behind the scenes, and there is always this standard (whether fair or not) that the band’s previous … Read more

Dan Padilla

Sports Fans
Dirt Cult (2012)

Considering the amount of time it took for Dan Padilla to drop their second full-length, last year’s As the Ox Plows, it’s surprising they’re back already with another full-length in Sports Fans. The DIY San Diego, CA band hasn’t changed up their sound much here, offering a similar blend of pop-punk, gruff vocals, and a strong bent of work-sucks-let’s-get-drunk themes. … Read more

Mike Patton

From The Film and Inspired By the Book The Solitude of Prime Numbers (La Solitudine Dei Numeri Primi)
Ipecac (2012)

It's not much of a secret that Mike Patton is an odd fellow. Incredibly talented and carrying a relatively large fan base but, odd nonetheless. In the years since the demise of Faith No More and Mr. Bungle along with the extended downtime of his other bands (Tomahawk and Fantomas) he has managed to make a name for himself by … Read more

Lil Fame & Termanology

Fizzyology
Brick (2012)

Lil Fame of M.O.P., going by his producer moniker “Fizzy Womack,” has crafted soundscapes for a for the likes of Kool G Rap, Cam’Ron and the Wu-Tang Clan, as well as a number of songs in M.O.P.’s catalogue. So when Boston emcee Termanology set out to start work on another solo album he linked up with Fame to be his … Read more

Nadja & Picastro

Fool, Redeemer
Broken Spine (2011)

Hate me for it, but this release was the one that kind of soured me on Nadja and (in particular) all of their collaborations because, right from the word “go”, Fool, Redeemer was an absolute chore to sit through my first full listening “party” of the album; now, let me be up front and declare that given my obsession with … Read more

God Seed

I Begin
Indie Recordings (2012)

The inception of God Seed is a torturous tale and is one of many twists and turns and moments of vengeance. To understand the drive of this band is to go back to circa.2007. Vocalist Gaahl and bassist King ov Hell left Gorgoroth, the band they’d been a part of for quite some time, under acrimonious circumstances and claimed the … Read more

Reviews by score
Browse our album reviews according to score: Highest (9.5/10 or more) or Lowest (2/10 or less)