Recent reviews

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)

Mehkago N.T.

Mehkago N.T.
S.O.Y./Abort the World/To Live A Lie (2007)

Heavy music is back on the upswing in South Florida. Torche, forging on where Floor left off, has been making noise on both a national and European stage with their bomb-string-fueled stoner pop. Shitstorm has been wreaking havoc playing blastbeat-laden grindcore in the style of gems from the glory days of Slap-A-Ham and 625 Records. And Consular has been delivering sludgy jams that quickly clear the uninitiated out of rooms much like Cavity did years earlier. So it should be no surprise that Miami would soon produce a band championing the crusty d-beat sound that has been an underground staple for over two decades. Mehkago N.T., (formed by members of Torche, Shitstorm, DNME and Trust No One) delivers five tracks of blistering metal-tinged d-beat hardcore on their debut EP. While their songs are rooted in the crusty d-beat sound pioneered by Discharge, it is their ability to fuse this sound with their hardcore and metal influences that sets this EP apart. Tracks such as "Negative Outlook," "Siafu Attack," and "Holy Shit" have traditional-sounding hardcore breakdowns with "Negative Outlook" even featuring a breakdown that would fit in on any of the early Revelation youth crew classics. Conversely, "Programmed Society" has a … Read more

200 Words Or Less

Hostages

Legend in my Head, Failure to the World
Burn Bridges (2007)

Hailing from Philadelphia, Hostages play over-emotional guilt ridden hardcore in the version of American Nightmare, The Hope Conspiracy, Suicide File … Read more

200 Words Or Less

Everything Falls Apart

Escape
Independent (2006)

Everything Falls Apart gets big ups and putting this seven-inch out all on their own. Six songs of semi-melodic 80's … Read more

200 Words Or Less

Supreme Commander

120 Years in the Business!
A389 (2007)

Fast rocking hardcore that sounds like it wants to be on the late 80's Epitaph back catalog. Extremely catchy, it … Read more

200 Words Or Less

Kill Your Idols

Salmon Swim Upstream
Vicious Circle (2007)

I'm a little disappointed that this is the last release in the storied career of NY's Kill Your Idols. Maybe … Read more

200 Words Or Less

One Step Forward

Positive Thinking
Our Pride (2006)

Hey wow, great, albeit, generic 2000-era straightedge hardcore in the vein of Floorpunch, In My Eyes and Fastbreak before they … Read more

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One from the archives

Between the Wars

Death and the Sea
Think Fast! (2007)

Everyone has his or her favorite guitar virtuoso. For some it might be the finger-tapping charmer Eddie Van Halen or maybe they go way back and think of the blues inspired violin bow using wizardry of Jimmy Page. There are even some people out that really know their collective six-string shit and cite Yngwie Malmsteen as their favorite axe man. Whoever it may be there always seems to be that one fleet of finger fellow that rock lovers play air guitar tribute in their boxers whenever the mood strikes. Everyone has a preferred man or woman; Lita Ford is always the exception for the guitar god rule that knows her way around a Gibson Hollow Body or a Fender Strat. Everyone loves a guitar hero. That's everyone besides yours truly. … Read more

More album reviews

200 Words Or Less

The Endless Blockade

The Endless Blockade
Dada Drumming (2007)

The Endless Blockade are d-beat political hardcore from Toronto, Canada. They have one gruff singer and one yelper. It's heavy but generic as all hell. Their fast parts make no sense at all and it comes off as a complete violent blur, which I'm sure is the point. This really isn't my thing but if you haven't showered in a … Read more

200 Words Or Less

Get a Grip

Get a Grip
Strike 3 (2006)

Ah here we go, something a little more my style. Get a Grip play tough hardcore with a slight get-low feel coupled with the constant hammering of Integrity or maybe the Cro-Mags but not nearly as metal. There's a couple of guitar solos from time to time and tons of mosh parts. If you are into newer heavier hardcore bands … Read more

200 Words Or Less

Giant Haystacks

The Rebirth of Our City
Pizza Pizza (2007)

Giant Haystacks play really jangly indie rock. It's like a mix of Minutemen with The Jam trying to play early R.E.M. songs. This is probably nothing I will ever listen to again after this review but it's good for what it is. It's awesome they took their name from the legendary English wrestler. Read more

200 Words Or Less

Issei Sagawa

All My Best Lovers Were Pre-Teens
Youth Attack (2006)

Issei Sagawa is Flipper-inspired annoying punk rock that tries to offend right down to the full sized poster of the members of the band peeing on each other in the insert. Issei Sagawa sounds like every misanthrope's first band right down to the shit recording in some dude's garage. I didn't even bother flipping this over and listen to their … Read more

200 Words Or Less

Korova

If There is a Future
Victimized (2007)

This 7" is a compilation of some demo tracks and live songs from this Birmingham, AL punk band that sounds like early hardcore/punk from California. If you are thinking Dead Kennedys, The Germs, and The Weirdos then you'd be right. The live stuff is a tough listen, the other songs are generic as all hell. Everything about this release stinks … Read more

200 Words Or Less

Pyramid Scheme

What Will We Do Next?
Art Fraud (2006)

Pyramid Scheme play spazzy hardcore in the vein of, well, Spazz or maybe What Happens Next?. Completely not my thing and the vocals are making the neighborhood dogs tremble in pain and fear. I'm sure there are fans of these type of over-the-top scream your head off play as fast as fuck type punk bands. I'm just not one of … Read more

Graf Orlock

Destination Time Tomorrow
Level Plane (2007)

First and foremost, I would just like to state that Graf Orlock, or as tourmates Comadre jokingly refer to them, Crap Orlock, kill it live. Their drummer is fucking on point, and vocalist Kalvin Kristoff is as humorous as he is intense. Plus, it doesn't hurt when you have a basement full of sweaty punks yelling out movie lines like, … Read more

Indian Summer

Hidden Arithmetic (Reissue)
Future (2007)

It just does not come anywhere near as enigmatic as this. Indian Summer was a very short-lived band from the early to mid 1990's that made music in an era when "emo" was not a dirty word (it was simply derided by uppity hardcore kids). The songs were and still are sloppy, emotional, powerful, and unnamed (their fans later gave … Read more

To the Lions

Baptism of Fire
Goodfellow (2007)

In 2005, former members of Grade and Confine, among others, resurfaced with a new project To the Lions. The band issued up a demo recording of metal-infused hardcore in the vein of 90's greats Unbroken and Integrity. Being just a demo there were the obvious flaws, but two years later the band is back with their debut full-length, Baptism of … Read more

We Insist!

Oh! Things are so Corruptible
Corruptible (2007)

Hailing from Paris, France, the bizarrely titled sextet We Insist! recently unveiled the fourth LP of a chronicled and equally reclusive catalogue. With a small following at home-base and even fewer listeners worldwide, new ears could be quick to assume that a moniker of implied force alludes to some kind of emblematic punk rock romp that's heavy on the garage … Read more

Strung Out

Blackhawks Over Los Angeles
Fat Wreck Chords (2007)

If you're like me, you grew up buying compilations from punk rock labels. It was like opening up a treasure box and finding jewels of new music to marvel at. As Fat Wreck Chords was putting out comps such as Survival of the Fattest and Physical Fatness, Strung Out always stood out to me as doing something unique, having a … Read more

Blackfield

Blackfield II
Atlantic (2007)

Blackfield is the collaboration between Steve Wilson of Porcupine Tree fame and Israeli rocker Aviv Geffen. Blackfield I was released in 2004 to much critical acclaim and now the men are back with the rather originally named Blackfield II. You can say much about these guys, but the titles of their albums are at least straight to the point. Like … Read more

Oxbow

The Narcotic Story
Hydra Head (2007)

It's impossible for me to give The Narcotic Story a fair review. As the liner notes state: "This does not mark the actual conclusion of THE NARCOTIC STORY but merely the first in a triptych that will later include a full-length film of the same name, as well as a soundtrack release for said film. We hope your level of … Read more

The Narrator

All that to the Wall
Flameshovel (2007)

It's safe to say that indie music is the new "pop" and bands like Bloc Party and Arcade Fire have gained a considerable amount of success taking advantage of the genre's newfound appeal. The irony of course is that the very definition of "indie" clashes with what the style means today, and its popularity created over saturation. Thus, less than … Read more

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