One-man black metal projects certainly have become overabundant in the past couple of years. I'm not exactly sure what brought on their increased presence in music, but nevertheless, their popularity has grown exponentially in recent years. Xasthur, which is the project of Malefic, has been releasing material under this moniker since 1995. Defective Epitaph is his sixth full-length release and the first to not feature a drum machine, rather opting for acoustic drumming - something that helps evoke a more somber mood. These twelve songs blur the line between classic black metal and atmospheric drone, oftentimes leaning more towards the latter, but also defying classification. Since the lyrics of this album have been withheld, its hard to guess what Malefic is screaming about, but the titles of the songs should clue you into his feelings: "Purgatory Spiral," "Funerals Drenched in Apathy," and "A Memorial to the Waste of Life." I'm not a huge connoisseur of black metal, but I definitely find Defective Epitaph to be a dark, depressing, and scathing metal album, one certainly worth listening to. I would liken Malefic to the Justin Broadrick of black metal: prolific and oftentimes unclassifiable. Read more
Don't Mess with Texas is my first exposure to any artist from the country of Croatia. Despite reading through their … Read more
The Flatliners hail from Toronto, Canada and The Great Awake is their second full-length. By the Fat Wreck Chords connection, … Read more
This split 7" features two up-and-comers from the hardcore punk scene of Richmond, VA: The Catalyst and Brainworms. Brianworms is … Read more
I know I've said this before, but sometimes a randomly received album can be a pleasant surprise. The Flash Attacks … Read more
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If I have to give the elevator pitch, I’ll call The Anomalys garage rock with an ear for surf and psyche rock -- turned up to 11 and blasted through blown out speakers in an old 1980s sedan. It’s high-energy, no-frills rock ‘n’ roll with attitude. While it’s short, loud and fast, there’s also quite a bit of nuance and musical influence that oozes through the gritty first layer. The album is a mix of instrumental and vocal tracks, and the mood sometimes shifts from bite-your-thumb nihilism to pedal-to-the-metal intensity. It’s against the grain music and, while it’s anti-authority, it’s also a little low key, if that makes any sense. At times The Anomalys sound like a strobe light. All of the photos I see of the band are black … Read more
This Louisiana/Tennessee metal conglomerate has a fairly funny yet juvenile name that is likely a huge hit with the faux-hardcore kids. But rather than live off of namesake alone, The Tony Danza Tapdance Extravaganza can actually write a good song or two. Danza II: The Electric Boogaloo is the band's second full-length and third overall release. Since releasing their self-titled … Read more
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 … Read more
Hmmmmmm. That's the sound inside my head when I popped in New Atlantic's The Streets, the Sounds, and the Love. That is the sound of deep contemplation on what exactly New Atlantic is trying to accomplish with their first full-length. Hmmmmmm. The sound continues as I make my way through the ten songs that comprise this album. I hear pop-driven … Read more
There seems to be an unhealthy amount of metalcore originating from the usually respectable country of Germany. And they all seem to be on Lifeforce. Out of these bands, Fall of Serenity is one of the better ones, or at least one of the least annoying of the bunch. The worldwide metalcore herd needs some serious thinning out, but Fall … Read more
Deadsoil is another one of those by the numbers German metalcore acts that I have come to expect from Lifeforce Records. But instead of being a Heaven Shall Burn ripoff, Deadsoil is more of a Hatebreed/Bury Your Dead ripoff, except with obnoxious singing parts and typical guitar harmonies. To their credit, the band does have considerably more musical chops than … Read more
With the exception of Gainesville, nothing good ever comes out of Florida. Or so I thought until I had the distinct pleasure of witnessing Look Mexico. Astonishing, entrancing, downright entertaining: all proper verbs to describe their performance. The next day I couldn't remember what they sounded like due to circumstances I needn't get into, but I remembered I hadn't felt … Read more
Apparently, Under Pressure hails from Winnipeg, Canada - former home of the Jets hockey team before they became the Phoenix Coyotes. Black Bile is the latest release for the band following several seven inches, compilation appearances, splits, and full-lengths; an impressive amount of work since their formation in 2003. Still, this is my first exposure to Under Pressure, and it … Read more
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
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
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
"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
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
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
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
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