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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)

The Secret

Solve Et Coagula
Southern Lord (2010)

This four-piece crust/grind band hails from Trieste, Italy and formed in 2003. The Secret released their first record Luce on Goodfellow Records. After various line-up changes the band finally released their second record Disintoxication in 2008. Since then Goodfellow Records is no longer a functioning label. The Secret found a home in Southern Lord Recordings after an impressive demo was released online. In April of 2010, The Secret recorded Solve Et Coagula at Godcity Studio in Salem, MA with none other than Kurt Ballou of Converge. The album was released on September 28th 2010.The Secret play a brand of crusty grind that is similar to Cursed and Trap Them. However, you do not want to make the mistake of clumping them with all of the d-beat/hardcore clones out there. While The Secret will remind you of the disbanded Cursed, they still retain a quality of originality that most Cursed or Entombed worship bands are missing. The album begins with “Cross Builder,” a haunting, blackened, sludgy, 5 minute intro song, which features an eerie mood setting guitar lead that will have you shivering while you head bang. The record then blasts through dark crusty grind and doesn’t let up until midway … Read more

Let Me Run

Broken Strings EP
Paper + Plastick (2010)

Let Me Run managed to get alot of recognition in 2009 very quickly. This maybe be because of their jersey … Read more

A Wilhelm Scream

Self Titled
Paper + Plastick (2010)

A Wilhelm Scream are back. After a period of absence the mighty punks from the northeast are back. The band … Read more

Swans

My Father Will Guide Us Up A Rope To The Sky
Young God (2010)

Sitting here listening to the new Swans album, My Father Will Guide Us Up A Rope To The Sky, difficult … Read more

Nadja

Autopergamene
Essence Music (2010)

Nadja has certainly outdone themselves on this one; Autopergamene is an absolute artistic triumph in every way imaginable (the deluxe … Read more

Autopsy

The Tomb Within EP
Peaceville (2010)

Autopsy are a band of legacy as one of the original death metal bands. Sure they had left for awhile … Read more

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One from the archives

Bane

The Note
Equal Vision (2005)

Remember in high school when big ass dudes would ask you if you knew where the beach was, just so they could flex their muscles and say "that way"? I don't know if that made your underpants moist, but The Note is Bane flexing, and I am currently sitting in a puddle. Has Bane ever done anything bad? Ever disappointed you? Ever left you in front of the elementary school in the rain, having forgotten to pick you up and take you to ballet? No, and that's because Bane is not your mom. Bane is two Aarons, a Zachary, a Bob, and a Pete - five guys who have come together to make your life better, more enjoyable, and full of shit to be stoked about - things your mother … Read more

More album reviews

A Loss For Words

Motown Classics
Paper + Plastick (2010)

A Loss For Words are an above average pop punk band. That is a rather general statement but, noting that i have listened to their previous work i can say alot of things. Going into this cover album i was somewhat excited yet skeptical. Very rarely does a cover album come out to be more than a fun yet passable … Read more

Zu

Carboniferous
Ipecac (2009)

Zu are a strange band. They are the type of band that could almost only fit on Ipecac because they love the abnormal. They are discordant and noisy and beautiful and also Italian. Noted, that last one doesn't have much bearing on the music just a nice note. The band has a long history of upsetting audiences throughout Europe and … Read more

Afgrund

Vid Helvetets Grindar
Willowtip (2009)

Grindcore is tough genre to single most bands out of. There are standouts like Napalm Death and heirs to the throne like Misery Index (I know not just a grind band). Still beyond the few acts that truly stick themselves out above the scum there is little definition within the ranks. So in a way this makes any band doing … Read more

Cococoma

Things Are Not Alright
Goner (2009)

Goner records has a certain sound to everything on their label. Part Ramones, part garage band record it lo-fi and or subtract piano and organs as you see fit. There is something absolutely great about the simplicity and childlike love of classic 60's garage rock that is contained in each release. So I can't be faulted for having some vague … Read more

Twilight

Monument To Time End
Southern Lord (2010)

Supergroups tend to be either spectacular successes or spectacular failures. Either the musicians work well together, or they don't. Creative differences, personal drama or overgrown egos can easily get in the way when we are dealing with already-established artists. Twilight is an American black metal supergroup I have had my eye on for some time, but I honestly expected to … Read more

Various Artists

Caustic Defiance/Negative Element-Split CD
Akashic (2009)

Just when you thought all the early 1980's output from Chicago bands had been put out there, along comes this release. Negative Element was a young, loud, and snotty hardcore band from the Chicago suburbs. Although they played many a show with such heavyweights as Big Black and Articles of Faith, they remained largely unknown outside their hometown. This CD … Read more

Volcano Choir

Unmap
Jagjaguar (2009)

In the last two years Justin Vernon became a household name of sorts. Firstly it was under the pseudonym Bon Iver. Secondly it was indie rock stardom, which is similar to being Brian Dennehy. Who while a great actor in his own right is generally left to do cameos and if you were to quote him at the dinner table … Read more

Ian McNabb

Great Things
Fairfield Records (2009)

New solo record from the ex-Icicle Works frontman finds him stretching his wings creatively with spectacular results. Songwriting is the focus here, with guitar leads taking a back seat to the overall atmosphere of each song. For the most part, each song is given room to breathe (there's only one song under the 4-minute mark) and time to draw the … Read more

Tiltwheel

The Hiatus AKA The High Hate Us
ADD Records (2010)

Tiltwheel have firmly established themselves as one of the least prolific bands out there. Formed in 1991, the band had released only two proper full-lengths up until The Hiatus (alternately listed as The High Hate us)—maybe three if you count re-recording old EPs and putting them together as a collection. Was The Hiatus years in the making, or did life … Read more

Wrnlrd

Myrmidon
FSS (2009)

Following the strange intriguing experience of Oneirmantical War, I felt that I had to check out Myrmidon from WRNLRD once it arrived; but instead of diving right into Myrmidon, I avoided it like the album was some dark door that I just did not want to open. Myrmidon sat for months on my desk as it sat, always visible out … Read more

Stone Roses

Self Titled-Deluxe Edition
Silvertone (2009)

3 disc release of their debut, which was 20 years old last year. Remastered by original producer John Leckie and Ian Brown, the original record sounds fantastic. The close to 10 minute "Fools Gold" is tacked on as a bonus track at the end of the first disc. The 2nd CD is demos, with one song-"Pearl Bastard" being the only … Read more

KK Null

Oxygen Flash
Neurot (2009)

You might not know who or what KK Null is (or his band Zeni Geva), but rest assured his twenty plus years of activity in music has given him the opportunity to play all over the world and collaborate with a variety of musicians and bands from Sonic Youth, Mike Patton (Faith No More, MR. Bungle, Tomahawk, etc), Steve Albini … Read more

Hayaino Daisuki

The Invisible Gate Mind Of The Infernal Fire Hell, Or Do You Mean Hawaii Daisuki?
Hydra Head (2010)

Now this is a shock, another Hayaino Daisuki release by which to have all of our brains melted in short order following this hitting our stereos. The band, made of most of the members of Gridlink (featuring former members of Discordance Axis, Human Remains, Burnt By The Sun, and others), plays a thrash inspired metal that constantly goes on all … Read more

Iroha & Fragment

Bittersweet
Denovali (2010)

One of the biggest thrills that I still get from music and writing about music is being smacked up side the head by some new band or (in this case bands) with a release out of nowhere or with their debut, and this release actually knocks it down with both bands on the record. Each outfit brings their own take … Read more

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