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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 Narrows

Benjamin
Wantage (2007)

The Narrows have been a band for nearly nine years and yet this is my first exposure to them. And its not like they haven't been trying; the three-piece outfit from Bellingham, WA have released an EP or LP for nearly every year they've been a band. Benjamin is the band's fifth full-length and clocks in at just under fifty minutes, even though it only contains four songs. Musically, the band draws influence from an interesting range of artists. Their sound is the sonic clashing of The Melvins, Neurosis, and Low, which for a more modern comparison falls somewhat close to what Pelican is doing, but with soft-spoken vocals added to the formula. "The Sasquatch" opens the album with nearly nine minutes of sludgy metal and grunge dirge. "Last of the Norseman" is much more subdued and slows the pace. "Quellish" is a return to form of the opening number, while "Over and Out" fluctuates back and forth between slower and more aggressive sequences. These guys have good chemistry as a band; and have a good sense of songwriting. Some of the songs do drag on a tad - "The Last of the Norseman" - but Benjamin definitely peaked my … Read more

New Atlantic

The Streets, the Sounds, and the Love
Eyeball (2007)

Hmmmmmm. That's the sound inside my head when I popped in New Atlantic's The Streets, the Sounds, and the Love. … Read more

Fall of Serenity

Bloodred Salvation
Lifeforce (2006)

There seems to be an unhealthy amount of metalcore originating from the usually respectable country of Germany. And they all … Read more

Deadsoil

Sacrifice
Lifeforce (2006)

Deadsoil is another one of those by the numbers German metalcore acts that I have come to expect from Lifeforce … Read more

Look Mexico

This is Animal Music
Lujo (2007)

With the exception of Gainesville, nothing good ever comes out of Florida. Or so I thought until I had the … Read more

Under Pressure

Black Bile
Escape Artist (2007)

Apparently, Under Pressure hails from Winnipeg, Canada - former home of the Jets hockey team before they became the Phoenix … Read more

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One from the archives

The Storm

Relentless
Innerstrength (2007)

"I see the hate / It's coming down / Down like the rain." Thus begins the greatest song about rain and hate that has ever been pressed to vinyl. Of course I'm talking about the Judge masterpiece "The Storm" a song so amazing that it got a sequel, "The Storm II". Yes I said, "amazing" and to anyone that knows me I only say amazing when it's something that I would consider on the same level as seeing a virgin birth or maybe a really great stage dive. So how could I not swoop down a promo from a band called The Storm? How could a band that named themselves after the greatest song about rain and hate be nothing but the greatest band that has ever lived? Silly fucking … Read more

More album reviews

Said Radio

Tidal Waves and Teeth
Mankind (2007)

The initial rumblings of Said Radio caused a lot of excitement in the punk/hardcore community, and for good reason. Rumors of Said Radio - though different names have been tossed around - began to circulate the Internet early in the year, but by mid-Summer Said Radio was officially unveiled. Eric Ozenne, formerly of Redemption 87 and The Nerve Agents, is … Read more

Ozma

Pasadena
About a Girl (2007)

After splitting in 2004, it seemed initially unlikely that California's Ozma would ever resurface with their brand of power pop / new wave rock. After an unofficial reunion show (minus former drummer Patrick Edwards) in 2005, though, the band decided to reform, and Pasadena, named for their hometown, is the result, featuring new member Kenn Shane on the drums. Opener … Read more

Ambitions

Stranger
Bridge Nine (2007)

I've been a dedicated follower of Ambitions since their introduction as a side project band that featured three-fifths of With Honor and occasionally Matt Fox from Shai Hulud fame. There was a demo, a vinyl version of that demo, two other EPs and now the full-length, Stranger. There could be a couple of other compilation appearances here and there but … Read more

Eskimo Joe

Black Fingernails, Red Wine
Rykodisc (2007)

"No one in our band is in it for their ego. It's all about the songs" The above is a quote from guitarist Stuart MacLeod and it summarizes Eskimo Joe in a nutshell. No pretension. No bullshit. No ridiculous grandiose prose-filled promo sheet. Just an album that that lets the music do the talking and speaks volumes in the process. … Read more

Angel Eyes

...and for a Roof a Sky Full of Stars
Underground Communiqué (2007)

Let me get to this straight away; I love the movie, The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly, so naming yourself after Lee Van Cleef's character in that movie, makes you a-okay in my book. and for a Roof a Sky Full of Stars is the third record from Angel Eyes, following 2005's Something to Do with Death and their … Read more

My Flea Circus

Fancy Feast
Independent (2006)

I've come across some weird avant-garde bands, but it's a rare occurrence that I hear a band as bizarre and creepy as My Flea Circus. I usually find a way to pin down even the most out-there bands, but this is kind of a first for me. I'm at a total loss for words. So I'm going to have to … Read more

Nirvana

Unplugged in New York
Geffen (2007)

At the risk of sounding like a filthy hippie droning on about the sixties and how you had to be there to understand it, the same could pretty much be said for the early nineties. The eighties were discovered to be an insanely vacuous era that by the turn of the decade had started to smell like anything but teen … Read more

Kaada & Patton

Live
Ipecac (2007)

Has it really been three, almost four, years now since Mike Patton and John Kaada released Romances? Apparently so! Live chronicles the first and only live performance of Patton and Kaada's music of Romances at the Roskilde Festival in 2005 on DVD format. The two constructed a band that contains members of Kaada's band Cloroform to perform the album, and … Read more

Make Do and Mend

We're All Just Living
Restless Minds (2007)

Don't you just hate it when an album, or in this case an EP, is marred by one or two horrible tracks? Connecticut's Make Do and Mend almost created a flawless melodic post-hardcore short player if it weren't for the second and third tracks. The latter of these two tracks, entitled "Interlewd," is a keyboard/piano driven sap fest that tries … Read more

Pusher

Pusher
Auxiliary (2007)

Pusher hails from Louisville and features an impressive cast of ex-members as Steve Sindoni (vocals) comes to the band after handling vocals in Breather Resist and Matt Jaha (drums) comes from his former drumming duties in Black Cross and Coliseum. Unfortunately this release is a posthumous document of a short-lived group that just could not keep it together, but at … Read more

Strangers

Weight
Action Man (2007)

Earlier this year Strangers really grabbed my interest with their four-song EP, Holding. On that release, five individuals from New Zealand delivered a devastating aural assault. So here we are a couple of months down the road and Strangers have unleashed their debut full-length, Weight, upon the masses. The album begins with "Expositions," a two-minute number that picks up exactly … Read more

Chosen

Promo 2007
Independent (2007)

HEY YOU! Metal Blade! Century Media! Lifeforce! Earache! All you record labels down with the metal: LISTEN UP! Chosen is an independent metal band hailing from Ireland and I can say with all sincerity that the fact that none of you have stepped up and signed these guys is a Goddamn travesty. Granted, this might be due to the fact … Read more

Air

Pocket Symphony
Astralwerks (2007)

You know those bands that everyone talks about but you never get the chance to check them out? This is one of those cases. I never knew anyone who listened to Air on any regular basis, and bands that have extremely simple names never really seem to stick in my mind. Plus, when I hear the word electronica, it doesn't … Read more

Alkaline Trio

Remains
Vagrant (2007)

I haven't met anyone in my life that is affiliated with hardcore or punk that doesn't like at least a handful of Alkaline Trio songs. Alkaline Trio's gothic twists on weathered topics like being drunk, drugs, and being heartbroken ring all but universal to the ears of every kid that has every thought about wearing black for a week and … Read more

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