Recent reviews

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)

Giant Squid

Cenotes
Translation Loss (2011)

Well, that was a short album. At only thirty-five minutes long, doom/sludge metal group Giant Squid have almost halved the runtime of their previous album, The Ichthyologist, for the release of their third studio album, Cenotes.But what does brevity matter, when the music is top quality? This album is every bit as weighty as the giant squi--er, creatures on the cover look, and each song produces all the massive, cavernous feelings of music echoing in a large, acoustically forgiving sinkhole. The presence of Eastern-inspired instruments and melodies, in contrast with the generally more straightforward metal, give the album an otherworldly feeling. The opener "Tongue Stones" in particular makes good use of those influences, and the juxtaposition of the Eastern sounds with uncomfortable time signatures in the beginning only elevates the unusual sensation. This trick also works well on the closer "Cenotes," dragging the listener along on an incredibly awkward, yet still engrossing, dance. Those aren't the only strong moments, though. "Snakehead" features some interesting, jazzy, up-tempo dance rhythms that play well with the instrumentation; it's hard not to conjure up some traditional and ritualistic images from it. The vocals on the album range from the usual growling to the most … Read more

200 Words Or Less

Various Artists

Junius-Rosetta
Translation Loss (2011)

Junius and Rosetta are two odd bands to select for a split. It's hard to imagine the sonic distortion of … Read more

Cloudkicker

Loop
Independent (2011)

Following the release of Beacons in 2010, musician Ben Sharp began releasing a series of short, acoustic instrumental loops on … Read more

Brainkiller

The Infiltration
RareNoise (2011)

I was actually quite excited when I heard the trio Brainkiller's new album, The Inflitration, described as a mix between … Read more

Between the Buried and Me

The Parallax: Hypersleep Dialogues
Metal Blade (2011)

It's hard to describe the nature of Between the Buried and Me's new project, The Parallax. It is kind of … Read more

Beware Of Safety

Leaves/Scars
The Mylene Sheath (2011)

Beware Of Safety are a Post-Rock band. Sounds simple and plain enough. As they do reside in a genre known … Read more

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One from the archives

Scythia

...Of Exile
Independent (2011)

I admit, I sometimes forget folk metal actually exists. Sure, I toss around the term frequently when discussing Opeth, but rarely do I ever bring forth what the term actually means. I often forget the music of great bands such as Wuthering Heights or Skyclad. That's one reason listening to Canadian group Scythia's latest album ...Of Exile was so fascinating for me; it revived an interest in a genre I had almost entirely forgotten about.In general, the album sounds a lot like Ayreon circa The Human Equation, with strong overtones of Alestorm and Powerglove. You can also hear slight progressive and neoclassical influences; it's clear these guys have studied their Symphony X. Though Scythia's composition skills are relatively solid overall, the album does feel like it lacks inspiration. They are … Read more

More album reviews

Björk

Biophilia
Nonesuch (2011)

I have immense respect for Björk. She combines all of the showmanship and bombast of pop artists like Lady Gaga with the complex and intricate composition skills of electronic artists like Aphex Twin. She's one of the few pop artists that continue to push their own creativity with every release, and it is more than clear on her eighth studio … Read more

Crooked Necks

Alright Is Exactly What It Isn't
Handmade Birds (2011)

Going in to this album blind seems like a fun proposition for me (Handmade Birds has introduced me to a plethora of new bands this year) because discovering exciting new bands is one of my favorite activities, and let me tell you, Crooked Necks were another huge surprise that thankfully did not fly under my radar for me to regret … Read more

Timeshares

Bearable
Kind Of Like (2011)

When I first heard the NY band Timeshares, I knew they were going to be a punk band to lookout for. After excessively playing the few songs they had and their split with Captain, We’re Sinking, the guys finally released their first LP Bearable. I have to admit—it was definitely worth the wait. Each song off of Bearable varies in … Read more

Greys

Brightly Our Stars Did Shine As The Sea Reached Into The Sky
Music Ruins Lives (2011)

After being slowly consumed by the subtle graces of In Fades (the debut cassette from this project), the longing for another recording from Greys similarly began as a slow ache until thinking about it became a weird tic (ask certain people that I will not name and they can corroborate my incessant pestering over the next Greys project); and then … Read more

200 Words Or Less

Bayonet

Self Titled
Mightier Than Sword (2011)

Bayonet is a Jersey super group or sorts. taking members from such bands as Senses Fail, The Banner among others. In any situation like this it is hard to tell if the project is really a band in itself or merely something spat out for fun. One can hardly assume what this will sound like as each members prior (or … Read more

Tommy Stinson

One Man Mutiny
Done To Death Music (2011)

In the long-honored tradition of solo records from Guns N’ Roses members, Tommy Stinson delivers One Man Mutiny. Of course, Stinson has an intriguing back story—he joined the legendary Replacements at age 13, playing with them and even getting manager Peter Jesperson to sign off as a legal guardian for touring’s sake. But that was thirty years ago. The purpose … Read more

Scythia

...Of Exile
Independent (2011)

I admit, I sometimes forget folk metal actually exists. Sure, I toss around the term frequently when discussing Opeth, but rarely do I ever bring forth what the term actually means. I often forget the music of great bands such as Wuthering Heights or Skyclad. That's one reason listening to Canadian group Scythia's latest album ...Of Exile was so fascinating … Read more

Servile Sect

TRVTH
Handmade Birds (2011)

Do you ever cringe whenever a music critic or what have you precludes a genre of music (which sometimes makes me cringe... crunk-core... seriously?) with another term, which even more ridiculous word that is supposed to further clarify what exactly a piece of music sounds like while in reality the word means nothing? This happened to me when I first … Read more

Grouper

AIA: Alien Observer
Yellow Electric (2011)

Oh the dreamy sounds of Grouper, how is it that you so mellifluously consume my both my conscious and subconscious mind while your records turn on my turntable, and why can I not control my hand each time that it flips your vinyl platters in a near incessant buffeting of my weary mind? AIA: Alien Observer is the sister album … Read more

Grouper

AIA: Dream Loss
Yellow Electric (2011)

Where have you been all my life, and why in the name of hell have I missed out on you for these last several years? These two questions have been dominating my mind for the last four hours while exclusively listening to the latest two albums from Liz Harris, or more commonly known as Grouper; seriously, four hours of hazy … Read more

Ash Borer

Ash Borer
Pesanta Urfolk (2011)

YES! So this is without a doubt one of the five black metal releases that I can point to as my answer to the question regarding what black metal records (modern era only as I refuse to get into the nascent progenitors here) I like most because in my black metal dabbling journey, this is one of the better examples … Read more

Gnaw Their Tongues

Per Flagellum Sanguemque, Tenebras Veneramus
Crucial Blast (2011)

Nightmares are a hard thing to quantify. As they happen without any control or uniformity. The terror invoked can be quite real and seem silly later when described out loud. This is a problem many musicians have in trying to deal with dark, evil or, dare I say, nightmarish sounding music. Since the early days of metal (and possibly earlier) … Read more

Sutekh Hexen

Daemons
Dead Section (2011)

At this point, Sutekh Hexen is one of those groups that has reached full on obsession with me to the point where I could not say if there are days where I do not pop on something by them; Daemons (the second vinyl offering from the group) is a fine addition to the duo’s discography, which is quickly growing to … Read more

Boris

New Album
Sargent House (2011)

New Album is a bit of a misnomer, at least on this side of the pond. It was actually released all the way back in March in Japan, two months before Heavy Rocks and Attention Please were released globally. The rest of the world had to wait until November to get their paws on it. Somewhat frustratingly, there are actually … Read more

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