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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)

Breakfast

Six Packs Classic
625 Thrashcore (2007)

Westerners tend to love Japanese pop culture almost as much as Japanese kids love western (read: American) pop culture - especially rock and roll. And punk is no exception to this phenomenon, as each side doesn't hesitate to make a fetish out of the other: American punks work themselves into a lather bidding on GISM LPs, while Japanese punks go to painstaking lengths to recreate the sound of records like Flex Your Head (Total Fury) and Hear Nothing, See Nothing, Say Nothing (three guesses; Kawakami R.I.P.). Breakfast pack a healthy amount of modern hardcore into their sound - dig the Born Against logo lift in the liner notes - but also turn hungry archaeologist's eyes towards the sound of vintage SST Records. Someday, America will recognize SST in its halcyon days as an epoch-defining institution on par with Motown or Sun Records, but until then we'll have to settle for hyper-caffeinated Far East punks incorporating the best of our musical heritage into a sound like a truck full of firecrackers crashing into a truck full of butane lighters. That Black Flag typeface on the cover is no joke, but only by proxy: Breakfast boasts more of a Minutemen streak than … Read more

Under Pressure

Come Clean
Escape Artist (2007)

Winnipeg's Under Pressure is a dirty 80's sounding hardcore band with a dude singing like he's trying to hold in … Read more

The Swede

And the Swede
Shoddy Merchandise (2006)

God bless Matthew William Kohnle. Kohnle is The Swede. While I'm not sure if the name is a reference to … Read more

Foo Fighters

The Colour and the Shape (Reissue)
RCA (2007)

The Colour and the Shape was the Foo Fighters second full-length release, though it was the first album in which … Read more

Year of No Light

Nord
Crucial Blast (2007)

As our global society is brought closer and closer as a result of the Internet and other lightning fast communicative … Read more

Happy Mondays

Uncle Dysfunktional
Sanctuary (2007)

This review is dedicated to Anthony H. Wilson. Fuck Keith and Mick, Fuck the Toxic Twins of Aerosmith, and fuck … Read more

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One from the archives

Murder By Death

In Bocca Al Lupo
East West/Tent Show (2006)

Music is an art, and oftentimes musicians will use their art to tell a story - concept albums have become increasingly popular in recent years. Murder by Death dabbled in this genre with their previous effort, Who Will Survive, And What Will Be Left of Them?. And while they have cast aside the extended storyline from their new full-length, In Bocca Al Lupo, the music and lyrics still tell picturesque stories. (It has been noted that this album is based loosely on Dante's Inferno, though I have no confirmation on this.) Each song on In Bocca Al Lupo contains an interesting narrative, all of which are told with vivid details, and yet sometimes with such few words. On the album opener, "Boy Decide," vocalist Adam Turla's recites a story in … Read more

More album reviews

Stalaggh

Projekt Misanthropia
Autopsy Kitchen (2007)

When John Zorn released his Kristallnacht album, it contained one track of sheer horror, anger, and sorrow all rolled into one. Entitled "Never Again," Zorn did his utmost to convey his interpretation of the "Night of Broken Glass." The track is essentially just that: over eleven minutes of the unbearable sound of glass shattering. Zorn even went so far, though … Read more

200 Words Or Less

J Church / Flamingo 50

Split
Los Diaper (2007)

Oh J Church how I love you and your noisy simple pop-punk brilliance. And thank-you for doing a good cover of The Car's "Just What I Need." Flamingo 50, you on the other hand and side, are completely new to me and are apparently from the UK. You remind of a Screeching Weasel mixed with early Discount for a decent … Read more

200 Words Or Less

I Rise / Soul Control

Split
Eightfold Path (2007)

This split 7" features two of the most exciting hardcore bands that have been hitting the fest circuit this Summer. Soul Control sounds like 108 mixed with Quicksand and it's all awesome. "Focus" is one of my favorite songs of 2007. This song just fucking jams in all its noisy post-hardcore brilliance. I Rise also play melodic post hardcore with … Read more

200 Words Or Less

The Ergs! / Lemuria

Split
Art of the Underground (2007)

More of The Ergs for you. More pop-punk. More songs about girls and this time a rather decent cover of the 90's rock staple "Hey Jealousy." Lemuria are on the poppy side but a tad inclined to the indie rock thing with male and female vocals. Both bands give that "Aw shucks" feeling when you listen to them and that's … Read more

200 Words Or Less

I Adapt

From Town to Town
Six Feet Under (2007)

When I think of Iceland I don't think of hardcore bands. Actually, I don't think I ever thought about Iceland for anything musically besides Björk and The Sugarcubes. I Adapt sounds nothing like that schizophrenic ageless midget but they do sound like The Hope Conspiracy and other Deathwish Inc. type hardcore bands. It's an emotional outpouring over pounding rhythms and … Read more

200 Words Or Less

Attitude

Turn into Stone
1917 (2007)

Turn into Stone is a new three-song platter from the upstate New York hardcore band. "Turn into Stone" has decent Supertouch type intro that busts into a manic throbbing piece of melodic hardcore gristle to gnaw on for a couple of minutes. "Somebody Up There Likes Me" is a rocking little tune with a huge skate rock riff, which seems … Read more

200 Words Or Less

Seasick

Awakenings
Brain Drain (2007)

Seasick play fast pissed off political hardcore with plenty of twists and turns to keep me interested. There are some nice little breakdowns and some Integrity-like guitar solos. It reminds me a little bit of the stuff that Ebullition was hawking in the mid 90's but a lot more fun and catchy. I could see kids that use their dogs … Read more

200 Words Or Less

Barbara

Peger
Heart & Crossbone (2007)

"Peger" is transliterated Hebrew for "corpse" or "carcass," so you know what you're getting into here. But Barbara, a bass/drum duo, compares themselves to everybody from Lightning Bolt to Today is the Day, and I'll confess that the idea of an Israeli Today is the Day had me curious. Peger is a bizarre record, alternating between blizzards of distortion and … Read more

200 Words Or Less

Tyvek

Fast Metabolism
Whats Your Rupture? (2007)

I got interested in Fast Metabolism after seeing it billed as "fast, loud and weird" punk rock from Detroit - three adjectives close to my own heart. Oddly enough, Tyvek isn't all that fast, loud, or weird, but they kick up a surprisingly enjoyable and inspired racket nonetheless. Tyvek play a simple, unaffected kind of garage punk, drawing comparisons to … Read more

200 Words Or Less

Reptoids

Park a Tiger
RRRecords (2005)

Chicago's Reptoids, signed to RRRecords, play a female brand of grunge/punk rock. This six-track EP, clocking in at sixteen minutes, shows a fairly wide-ranging sound, taking in early Nirvana, through to a more rock and roll/punk sound reminiscent of 70s acts mixed with grunge vocals. Singer Kay Oh often reminds me of Courtney Love, but musically the band provides a … Read more

200 Words Or Less

Skyscraper Frontier

Moonlit Behavior
Coming Home (2006)

If I told you that Skyscraper Frontier was another band out of L.A. playing an 'eclectic' mixture of songs, you'd probably get that glazed look in your eyes and change the subject. You've heard it all before. But what if I told you that this six-track EP really was eclectic? Beginning with "I Just Need You," we get ambient 80's … Read more

200 Words Or Less

The Last Car in Alaska

Comfort
Independent (2006)

South Carolina trio The Last Car in Alaska play a sort of melodic emo-core that must be pretty popular with the Warped Tour audience they've played to. Some of it sounds pretty amateur in parts (mixing on the first track, "I Like You Man... You're Crazy", features some strange contrasts in vocal volume, and the whole EP has vocals that … Read more

Down to Nothing

The Most
Revelation (2007)

Ryan Groat should be presented with some sort of award for the riffs he came up with on The Most, Down to Nothing's third full-length and first for Revelation Records. Seriously, not only are the riffs thundering and inventive, they get stuck in your head for weeks, even months on end. Mr. Groat I award with this Riffy for Most … Read more

Ruiner

Prepare to be Let Down
Bridge Nine (2007)

There was a time when I thought that Prepare to be Let Down was never going to be released. The album was slated to come out via 1917 Records before the band and label amicably agreed to go their separate ways. Well, after a brief stint without a label, Ruiner have finally brought Prepare to be Let Down to the … Read more

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