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Atavist

II: Ruined
Profound Lore (2008)

Minimalistic drone/doom is a hit-or-miss kind of genre. When you are relying on only one or two riffs to carry an entire song, the results can be either bone-chilling or yawn-inducing. With their second full-length, Atavist, hailing from Manchester, England, has once again proven it can achieve the former. Atavist's brand of tortured, bowel-loosening doom is not for the faint … Read more

Coalesce

0:12.2 Revolution in Just Listening (Reissue)
Relapse (2008)

So the inevitable is occurring as Relapse is reissuing this behemoth of an album (although at right around thirty minutes that is a stretch to call it such by today's standards). Recently awarded a spot in the Decibel album hall of fame, 0:12.2: Revolution in Just Listening is a supremely curious album as it is a document of a band … Read more

Tokyo Police Club

Elephant Shell
Saddle Creek (2008)

Tokyo Police Club's A Lesson In Crime put the band in an awkward position. The seven-song EP gained a substantial amount of praise/coverage for it's less than twenty-minute run time, showing a glimpse of energetic indie pop somewhere between a dance party and a rock out that, despite it's length, made it one of the best releases of 2006. In … Read more

Weezer

Weezer (The Red Album)
Geffen (2008)

Oh, Weezer. Here we are, album six for the band who've spent an entire career trying to figure out who they are. Are they The Pixies-aping geek rockers with a penchant for nerdery and romance? Are they riff-wielding guitar heroes rocking ironic stadiums? Are they misunderstood indie icons? Are they, um, white-boy rap? The band's third self-titled album - referred … Read more

El Chupa Cobras

El Chupa Cobras
Acerbic Noise (2008)

El Chupa Cobras belong to the breed of bands that, aside from having amusing names also have extremely short attention spans and exponentially spastic approach to creating music. This kind of music is never easy to pull of on record. Live, the sheer energy of each member immersing him/herself in the music on stage could be enough to provide for … Read more

Verse

Aggression
Bridge Nine (2008)

I think I've read more hyped up reviews of Verse's third album Aggression than I've actually listened to it. I keep seeing a reoccurring trend in these reviews on how Verse is a breath of fresh air in a rather stagnant scene when it comes to popular hardcore bands. There seems to be an influx of hardcore that would rather … Read more

Hostage Calm

Lens
Redscroll (2008)

Connecticut hardcore, no matter how great it is, always seems to get overshadowed by the nearby bustling Massachusetts (particularly Boston) hardcore scene. In fact, oftentimes people just consider them to be one in the same. This is unfortunate because over the years the state of Connecticut has churned out a plethora of stellar bands: Hatebreed, Dead Wrong, Sum of All … Read more

The Reds

Fugitives from the Laughing House
Tarock (2008)

Fugitives from the Laughing House comes twenty years after The Reds released their first single. Despite such a history, the band is not a household name and, with Fugitives from the Laughing House being only the band's second full-length since 1984 (sixth total) it's not that they've been overly prolific. While I am unfamiliar with most of the band's releases, … Read more

The Night Marchers

Scene Report
Swami (2008)

So I finally get to see the new band that has been consistently pumping through my stereo, MP3 player, computer, and car since the songs first appeared online; and yes, this is a familiar sound coming from John Reis and his compatriots, but there is something undeniably in The Night Marchers' music which compels repetitive listening of their album, See … Read more

U.S. Christmas

Eat the Low Dogs
Neurot (2008)

Eat the Low Dogs is a beautifully dark and medicating record that fewer ears will hear than it deserves. It rocks, laments and hollers from the mountainous region of Marion, North Carolina with an enduring gloom that feels archaic and steadfast throughout. The old-timer influences are vast, but U.S. Christmas' old/new merged sound is unified and deliberate: Hawkwind, Neil Young … Read more

Daturah

Reverie
Graveface (2008)

Hailing from Germany, the "post-rock" sounding Daturah offer Reverie, as their first full-length (following a self-titled EP which they self-released in 2005 and Graveface released in 2006) since their inception in 2003. This album, at five tracks long still clocks in with just about an hour's worth of music. The band focus more heavily on the ambient aspects of their … Read more

Fallen from the Sky

Tonight We Radiate
Eulogy (2008)

Florida's Fallen from the Sky have been on the upward trend since releasing their debut EP, Tune Out the World, in 2005. They were runner-ups in MTV2's Dew Circuit Breakout and this, their debut full-length, was highly anticipated by many publications. In spite of all the praise the band has remained grounded and true to their roots. The band's debut … Read more

Stove Bredsky

The Black Ribbon Award
Hydra Head (2008)

No, that is indeed the correct name for this latest album by one, Stephen Brodsky (Cave In, Pet Genius, Kid Kilowatt, Converge, etc). And while his sanity level might be questioned initially by the naming of the project his relationship to it is undeniable when compared to other material throughout his prolific career as a musician in bands and as … Read more

The Endless Blockade

Primitive
20 Buck Spin (2008)

I don't know how much of it has to do with the fluctuation of my own tastes, but I have found A LOT of really good power violence records this year - either ones that have come out recently or that I missed the boat on slightly. And at the top of that pile is The Endless Blockade. From Toronto, … Read more

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