Sitting here listening to the new Swans album, My Father Will Guide Us Up A Rope To The Sky, difficult thoughts ripple through my mind because of how I personally feel about this record and because of how this album is being viewed by the multitudes of people who have been waiting with baited breath to hear what many people have intimated: their excitement over the fact that this is indeed a new Swans album and their simultaneous trepidation for that exact same reason. You see, I have written two other reviews for this record (consider them torn to shreds and lost forever to the abyss) that did not quite capture any semblance of a human feeling regarding the actual reaction that I received while listening to this album the many times that I have so far; lost somewhere in the incessant ramblings was the hint of idea that yes, My Father Will Guide Us Up A Rope To The Sky is anything less than the resounding triumph that it certainly is. Allow me the briefest of moments to digress while I leave that last statement hanging in the air like the cliffhanger from your favorite TV show; when Michael … Read more
A Loss For Words are an above average pop punk band. That is a rather general statement but, noting that … Read more
Choose a year to view reviews of albums released in that year.
754 reviews
42 reviews
25 reviews
300 reviews
5010 reviews
19 reviews
"Presenting new sounds from the darkness"...welcome to the mind of Boogeyman! This Arizona three piece have a wonderful world of spooks, darkness, death and demons to show you with this eleven track self titled full length debut album. Predominantly horrorpunk in nature but incorporating many elements from other genres too. You will find that this is not your average bog standard debut album... it is a well thought out horror story that has a glossy illustrated 49 page storybook called 'The Devils Song' to accompany it! The band originally wanted to (and succeeded) in creating their very own horror story universe. The lyrics and music were written first and are about a young man named Ezekiel who feels a sinister presence he calls The Phantom. After an altercation at Ezekiel's … Read more
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
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
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
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
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 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
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
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
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
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
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
Three piece thrash outfit from New Jersey returns with this barnburner. In your face guitar riffage, pummeling drum beats, and punishing bass lines feature prominently on this record. These guys have been making audiences sweat it out since the 1980's-so you know they can deliver the goods. "Firewater" turns up the heat with a Black Sabbath type dirge that rocks … Read more
Laudanum are a 3 piece band. I opened with that sentiment solely because once you hear what they do it becomes hard to believe. What Laudanum do musically is act as a noisey power electronics group that decided to play doom metal or vice versa. Everything is grimey, filthy and painful in Laudanum's collective world. This almost acts as someone … Read more
Deep Elm has, over the past few years, been relying more on their internet presence rather than being a label that releases records in a physical manner. While this is not a bad thing it is kinda sad. This new dynamic means that less people will be hearing this EP. Ryan Mallot is best known as the frontman of alt … Read more
Looking for the SPB logo? You can download it in a range of styles and colours here:
Click anywhere outside this dialog to close it, or press escape.