It is roughly 5:30 AM at the time of my finally getting down to writing this and the sun is just breaking over the horizon outside my window, and the Jodis song “Red Bough” from their album Black Curtain is just starting to hit its stride providing an apt soundtrack to my bleary eyed state (I have been up all night long due to my latest bout with insomnia); if I could turn a phrase that would adequately describe the sensation, I might be inclined to dub this work as just the perfect music for such a state because Black Curtain sounds absolutely perfect right now. The chiming guitars echo the early morning bird chirping and the vocals sounding like a monk or abbot announcing or intoning the morning prayers with reddened eyes to welcome the new day following a fervent late night devotional, and the other instrumentation brings the added effect of the increasing brightness or a warming heat on the skin; the manner in which “Red Bough” is arranged alternately reminds me of a gentle rainstorm, but in either case, the song is powerfully affecting. Once Black Curtain finished that run through, I start it again paying close … Read more
Hidden Hospitals, based in Chicago, IL, have released their new EP titled simply EP02 and it is an amazing release … Read more
There was definitely a time a few years back (or ten if you are keeping score) where I followed (along … Read more
Murder by Death are back with their sixth studio album, and it's their moodiest album yet. It's a stark contrast … Read more
Sutcliffe Jugend started as an offshoot of British power electronics specialists Whitehouse, using this project to reveal the outer reaches … Read more
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Third album for Avichi, the black metal project of Aamonael (also member of Lord Mantis and previously of Nachtmystium), and if you think that another one man black metal act is something you are not interested in then you better think again. With Catharsis Absolute, Aamonael manages to take his twisted concept of US black metal a step further, going down the same path as with The Devil’s Fractal.The twisted piano intro of “Repercussion” leads to a brutal onslaught of black metal riffology as “Flames in My Eyes” raises its ugly head. The dissonant vibe of the track is always present making the experience of Catharsis Absolute completely sickening. Aamonael brilliantly uses clean vocals in parts over this sea of disharmony and violence to create a vivid contrast, with the … Read more
Lymbyc Systym's third studio-album was released September 18th via Western Vinyl. This effort comes three years after the band's Shutter Release (Mush Records) and their split Field Studies with This Will Destroy You on Magic Bullet Records. So what were the Bell brothers up to during this three-year span? Traveling, living on separate continents, studying, and adding personnel to their … Read more
Alberta-based four-piece Fist City continue to make a name for themselves with the genre-blending It’s 1983 Grow Up!, their second full-length record. The album marks the band’s first release since being signed to Black Tent Press and is reflective of their signature sound while presenting more cohesively as a whole than their previous effort (2010’s Hunting You). Producer Paul Lawton … Read more
Fire & Ice is a groove infused hardcore band out of Richmond, Virginia. Their newest release, Not of This Earth has been put out on Reaper Records. Opening for legendary acts and touring consistently with some of the best in the game, these guys are quickly going to the top of everyone’s lists as far as newer hardcore bands go. … Read more
This is not a review but more a lament, and I am not sure exactly who or what this lament is meant because there is a definite sense of utter confusion while listening to the latest album, All We Love We Leave Behind, from the almighty Converge on my part; let us get this out of the way since I … Read more
If first impressions are what make or break an artist, Cadette is a whole bunch of angry. The Minneapolis, MN trio’s debut release Flesh Without Hunting rips through eight songs, drawing a heavy 1990s influence but maintaining their own identity, rooted in the present, throughout. The easiest point of reference comes with vocalist and primary songwriter Laura Larson’s previous band, … Read more
This French band may have one of the longer band names in recent memory. Let us gloss over this even though through the ever accurate Wikipedia it may refer to a Julian Schnabel record. This band focuses on a slight version of the general post rock template. While most bands tend to forgo vocals and play the line by making … Read more
Enabler managed to make some big noise for themselves very quickly. after 2 eps and numerous splits the band got snatched up by the newly crust leaning Southern Lord. The question is after making such a big splash with these eps could the band manage to make nearly as big of a splash in the full length medium? The band … Read more
8MM has been around for a while now and their sound is maturing with every release from their first EP 2004's Opener to the new album Between The Devil and Two Black Hearts they just keep getting better. Lead by multi-instrumentalist / producer Sean Beavan (Nine Inch Nails, Marilyn Manson, No Doubt) the band was able to raise $40K via … Read more
Masters of the Dark Arts marks the return of La Coka Nostra, a rap supergroup who were last heard from in ’09 on their then long-awaited debut album A Brand You Can Trust. LCN had originally assembled sometime in ’05 as a much larger entity than they are today. With a large contingent of Caucasian members in tow, the original … Read more
So, here we have Split Cranium an interesting project band formed by some of the people behind the acclaimed Circle with the addition of Aaron Turner (of Old Man Gloom, House Of Low Culture, Mamiffer, Jodis and formerly of Isis amongst others); and this band is nothing like anything else that these gentlemen are all known for churning out in … Read more
Oh Behexen....what the hell (pun intended) happened? It was all going so well. My Soul for His Glory was a definite career high....those classic Finnish riffs, the evil sound, demonic undertones and the sense of something quite frightening occurring. Skip forward four years and we have Nightside Emanations – a record so mediocre that even the cover art looks second … Read more
With a name like Ace High Cutthroats, it doesn’t take a lot of imagination to determine what the band is about. On their debut Black Fire, the group delivers rollicking rock with big guitars and a lot of swagger—keeping their rock’n’roll lifestyle close at heart underneath their black leather jackets. The band includes members of Nightgaun and Prosthetics, and the … Read more
I don't really know where to begin with this EP. Its groovy rock sensibilities throw back to 70's glam rock, but without the theatrics and clever satire. I don't think I get it. Part of me thinks it's intentionally a joke, while the other half of me believes it's to be taken seriously. I'm inclined to lean towards the former … Read more
I really wish I had the chance to review more classical music. While I don't consider myself an expert on the genre, I always find that listening to classical gives me musical experiences I truly could not get anywhere else, and when you've been listening to metal all day long, you can find it to be a welcome reprieve. That's … Read more
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