When all else is said and done, I like my metal like I like my coffee: black, bottomless, and smelling like the inside of a cave. It doesn't need to be fancy. No cream, no sugar no artificial flavors to make it more palatable. Sparse arrangements with sparser production that sounds like it was recorded amongst the smoldering remnants of a church under a full moon with one microphone to capture both the music and the ambient crackle of the embersââ¬Â¦ or it could be tape hiss. In any case, if you agree with any of the above statements, you'll love Striborg. Upon first listen, you'd swear the group was from Norway but you'd be dead wrong, poser. Striborg is neither from Norway nor is it a group. It is but one man, one Tasmanian man with corpsepaint. Okay, that last statement isn't much of a shocker, but the fact that founder and sole member Sin Nanna - named after the Sumerian Crescent Moon God (Look it up at your local library!) - comes from the land of the mighty platypus and Steve Irwin can throw you for a loop. Because Striborg is the real deal and Nefaria is just … Read more
Andy LaPlegua is a man of many talents. He's tried his hand at everything from hip-hop to metal, from industrial … Read more
It wasn't long ago that a bushy eyebrowed, full-sleeved tattoo sportin' Christian by the name of Chris Carrabba left his … Read more
Choose a year to view reviews of albums released in that year.
750 reviews
42 reviews
25 reviews
300 reviews
4935 reviews
19 reviews
Snarling, savage, sneering rabid dog on a thick chain lunging towards your soft neck in the area of your throbbing jugular. Spittle flies from the mouth of Mad Brother Ward as he foams and drools his venomous proclamation of an Ugly Life/I Just Wanna Die. For fans of Antiseen (Mad Brother Ward is the current guitarist), Confederacy of Scum, and GG Allin without the poop will find solace in this one-sided etched blue single. However, let's not pigeonhole Mad Brother into a stereotypical label because he certainly is not a one-trick pony. This is a blistering two-song single that once the needle is pushed into the groove it comes ripping out of your speakers like a three-headed Cerberus guarding the underworld; allowing your pencil necked whiney ass to enter Lucifers … Read more
Khlyst, being comprised of James Plotkin (formerly of Khanate and involved in a multitude of other projects) and Runhild Gammelsaeter (formerly of Thorr's Hammer), could easily be expected to produce some of the most unsettling music out there. But Chaos is My Name is almost too avant-garde for its own good. Chaos is My Name has an ebb and flow … Read more
Reasoning with Time is the follow-up offering to Protagonist's debut effort, Hope and Rage, which was put out by Blackout! Records back in 2003. It's been sometime since we last heard from these boys, but I'm glad to hear new material. Oftentimes promising acts wait too long to write, record, and release new material and end up being forgotten. So … Read more
I can think of very few albums I have ever purchased, listened to once, and sold back to the store. Generally, I am a pretty forgiving guy and I can find something worth listening to on a disc. However, YOB just was not my cup of tea. I don't know what it was, but after I listened to the latest … Read more
Nevermind the seeming monopoly that John Pettibone has on vocals for metal and hardcore bands in the Seattle area. The band, dubbed iamthethorn, that began as a project between he and friend Aaron "Edge" Connell (former member of Himsa, Genuine, Harkonen, The Horde, Grievous, Hellephant, Christ, Autumn, Grip Inc, and probably countless others) lays down its debut EP You are … Read more
Tech-metal reached perfection with The Dillinger Escape Plan's Calculating Infinity. That is my opinion, and you may argue that it is wrong or that my definition of tech metal is incorrect. But I don't care; I will argue right back that you're the one that is, in fact, wrong. I do not see any album in the realm of technical … Read more
Most of the materials I get in for review usually goes on at least one bus ride with me. It's the perfect time for me to take a more in depth listen without being interrupted by work, phone calls, roommates, Josh IMing me about Fastbreak lyrics, or any other hinderances that deviate from the task of giving a CD a … Read more
My first impression of Cassius is "Oh no, not another metalcore band." As time wears on, I hope that a lot of the kids in these bands wake up and stop perpetuating a mostly tired genre. Cassius at least does a solid job of playing in the genre. They also bring refreshing brevity to their songwriting and arrangements. I must … Read more
How many Swedish bands do you listen to? Wouldn't your friends think you're way indie if you told them you're diggin' on this sick Swedish band that produced their album on a laptop? You guessed it, my obscure band-loving friends, Tar...Feathers is straight out of Göteborg, Sweden and yes, they recorded Make Way for the Ocean Floor to Fall to … Read more
Two years ago when reviewing Time for Change's debut EP, Profound, I made it known that while the band delivered some quality music, they hadn't yet found their own voice. Well, it seems as though time was all they needed. Wasting Away is a brand new 7" with four new tracks from the Southern California hardcore outfit. Time for Change … Read more
I remember this band; a few years ago I picked up Live Forever or Die Trying with false promises of sweet melodic hardcore. We all know how much I love sweet melodic hardcore. Unfortunately, I was rewarded with another bland disc of substandard metallic somewhat fast hardcore. The only redeeming factor on Live Forever or Die Trying was a good … Read more
I guess I'm really spoiled living in New England and all. Being so close to Massachusetts, and not a far cry from New York City, it's almost impossible not to catch any up and coming hardcore act. Hell I don't even have to leave my home state of Connecticut to see a fair number of the heavy weights that reside … Read more
As seems to be common in the electronic scene, Assemblage 23 (A23) is the product of one man - Tom Shear. According to the bands official biography, the embryo of A23 was conceived on one fateful night in 1988, when Shear heard an industrial-dance DJ open for Depeche Mode. Staying true to this conception, Shear has made his name by … Read more
When Cave In went on hiatus, who would have thought that the principal players would all decide to throw down "solo" records? Steve Brodsky had been doing it for a while, but with Caleb Scofield's Zozobra and now Adam McGrath's Clouds, they are turning out a bunch of material apart from each other. Clouds is completely confounding. If you ever … Read more
It's quite an interesting experience to hear the whole of Cave In broken down into its different parts, in a manner of speaking that is. Since the band has gone on hiatus, the members of Cave In have continued their musical outfit through a variety of sources. Vocalist Stephen Brodsky has been continuing to release material under his solo name … Read more
Looking for the SPB logo? You can download it in a range of styles and colours here:
Click anywhere outside this dialog to close it, or press escape.