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Stag

Stag
Independent (2007)

Stag is a two-piece sludge-metal outfit from Missouri. This self-released four-song EP is a definite homage to the likes of early Neurosis with doom metal experimentation here and there. The drumwork of Ash over the four songs is quite impressive as he unveils a wide variety of techniques. The guitars handled by Michael are thick as molasses, though he occasionally … Read more

200 Words Or Less

¡Apeshit!

¡Apeshit!
Independent (2007)

¡Apeshit! is a four-piece outfit hailing from New York City. They blast through thirteen songs on this, their debut effort, in less than eleven minutes. You don't have to be good at math to realize that means one thing: super short songs. With only three songs clocking in over a minute, the remainder of ¡Apeshit! is sub-one-minute cuts of traditional … Read more

The Unlovables

Heartsickle
Whoa Oh/Crafty (2007)

I first heard The Unlovables on Crafty Record's New York vs. New Jersey Punk Rock Battle Royal compilation. They were one of the bands that didn't blow me away on first listen, but after repeated spins their songs were among my favorite and I quickly picked up Heartsickle, their second full-length. The Unlovables play mid-90's style pop-punk, featuring powerful female … Read more

Caught in a Trap

Rats Get Fat
No Joke (2007)

Caught in a Trap are four, to a certain extent, hefty dudes with beards playing distinctive NYHC styled hardcore which really come as no surprise since they reside in both Brooklyn and Queens. If by some reason you don't know what NYHC sounds like, imagine tough metallic riffs placed over frenetic drumming where everyone in attendance tries to kill each … Read more

Allegiance

Desperation
Rivalry (2007)

Do you ever buy the new album from a band you like and after a couple listens you just think, "This is about what I expected"? Most of the time this means the album is good; just more songs of the sound you've become accustomed to. This happened to me when I got Champion's full-length. I liked it, but it … Read more

Declan de Barra

Song of a Thousand Birds
Translation Loss (2007)

Now, this is a pleasant surprise. I have not been previously introduced to Declan de Barra or previous outfits (Clann Zu and Non Intentional Lifeform). So, there are no expectations for Song of a Thousand Birds, his first solo effort. The promotional CD (which gives no real liner notes or in depth information or artwork that may or may not … Read more

Gallows

Orchestra of Wolves (Reissue)
Epitaph (2007)

The word "fucking" appears on Orchestra of Wolves forty-nine times. Let me break it down for you: there's thirty-nine "fucking"s on the full-length and ten on the two bonus tracks for a grand total of forty-nine. That's not including variants such as "fuck", "fucked", etc. I counted every time it appears in the lyrics (there's an extra in one song … Read more

Pig Destroyer

Phantom Limb
Relapse (2007)

I unabashedly love Pig Destroyer. And while they are out of vogue with the kvlt grindsters, I think they are infinitely more interesting than the million other death/grind bands with illegible logos. 2004's Terrifyer is one of the few albums I would consider a modern classic, naysayers be damned. So when I heard they added a fourth (non-bass playing) member, … Read more

Against Me!

New Wave
Sire (2007)

There have been a few instances that I've gotten pretty pissed off at bands. When Modern Life Is War told the audience that it was a privilege for our small college town to be able to see Converge, I was pretty pissed off, as in all actuality, it is always a privilege for a band to show up to a … Read more

The Number Twelve Looks Like You

Mongrel
Eyeball (2007)

The Number Twelve Looks Like You have always been that band that would come close to winning me over, but never impressed me enough for me to listen to their albums more than three or four times. With their previous release, Nuclear. Sad. Nuclear, there were songs I thought were innovative and worth making a fuss over and then there … Read more

200 Words Or Less

Hollywood Blondes

15 Minutes of Lame
Independent (2006)

I read an interview with Dan Yemin (Lifetime, Kid Dynamite, Paint it Black) where he noted that despite his appreciation of bands that combine a variety of influences and create a sound with depth, the odds remain strong that he will always enjoy a band that replicates Minor Threat's sound. I share a similar sentiment within the genre of pop-punk … Read more

Darkest Hour

Deliver Us
Victory (2007)

Explaining the particulars between different types of heavy music is a hard task. For most people, even the most educated music listeners, if it has a guy screaming his head off, then it all sounds the same. I only wish the whole world could hear it and enjoy it the same way I do. And no, I'm not a hippie. … Read more

A Swarm of the Sun

The King of Everything
Independent (2007)

A Swarm of the Sun delivers with The King of Everything a dark, brooding EP that sounds as if the chasms of hell have opened or, better said, are about to open. If one expects the chasms of hell to be filled with power metal and/or gay metal like Manowar; then one is wrong. The King of Everything is subtle, … Read more

King Diamond

Give Me Your Soul...Please
Metal Blade (2007)

When writing reviews, the job of the reviewer is to judge the album on its own merits. Only then and even this is in dispute amongst those who review music is it acceptable to compare it to other works by the same artist or to different artists altogether to assist in making your point and to give the reader an … Read more

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