Recent reviews

Our latest album reviews, featuring the records we've most enjoyed (or not) over the past few weeks.

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

The Hope Conspiracy

Hang Your Cross
Deathwish Inc. (2006)

Hang Your Cross is déjá vu; my ears relay the message to my head, "We've heard this before... we think." The Hope Conspiracy has made some steps since their last effort, Endnote. However, it's up to the listener to decide in which direction these steps were taken. Depending on how you feel about the band - or if you are clearly pessimistic or optimistic - this EP can be seen as either a step forward or a step back. First with the latter; after listening to Hang Your Cross about six times in a row, it came to me that this is quite possibly was the missing link between the band's two full-lengths. The vocals don't sound like they were recorded in a closet like on Endnote. There is a warmer tone in both the guitar and bass which was somewhat absent on Cold Blue, but used throughout on Endnote. Also, the riffs still have a bit of that metalcore sound that made up much of the Cold Blue, but they are used sparingly and replaced with overdriven riffs that are akin to something the Louisville hardcore scene (Black Cross, Coliseum, Breather Resist) might have written. If this comparison sounds … Read more

The Hope Conspiracy

Hang Your Cross
Deathwish Inc. (2006)

Okay, okay, yes The Hope Conspiracy is back and Hang Your Cross is the clarion call for their abrasive take … Read more

Envy

Insomniac Doze
Temporary Residence (2006)

"In such an ugly time the real protest is beauty," said some smart dude once. Right now, July 17 of … Read more

Envy

Insomniac Doze
Temporary Residence (2006)

Unless you haven't heard Envy before, which would be a tragic mistake, then you already know how incredible this Japan-based … Read more

Envy

Insomniac Doze
Temporary Residence (2006)

I came to Insomniac Doze with no prior knowledge of Envy, but with a strong interest in Japanese culture. As … Read more

Head Automatica

Popaganda
Warner Bros. (2006)

When searching Daryl Palumbo's name on Wikipedia - a great tool to prolong pointless Internet usage - an interesting passage … Read more

Browse our review archives

Review categories

200 Words Or Less

750 reviews

Book Review

42 reviews

Classic Album

25 reviews

Multiple Authors

300 reviews

Review

4938 reviews

Video/DVD Review

19 reviews

One from the archives

The First Step

Connection
Rivalry (2008)

My favorite revival band of the revival youth-crew bands is back with another four-song platter so I can mosh around my apartment, pointer fingers extended and with couch dives in full effect. If you have any love for fast, fun, old-school hardcore then you probably own this and your sofa has already paid the price. Seriously, go cut off some camo pants, get yourself a nice fade, some Air Max 90's and get to floorpunching. Even though, Connection doesn't have Walter Schreifels behind the knobs like their last album did, The First Step are still the best new school old school youth-crew band going. Read more

More album reviews

Force of Change

The Bond We Share
This Blessing, This Curse (2006)

Metallic hardcore is easily my favorite genre of not only hardcore, but of all musical genres. My fondness of this genre is a direct result of it being the first type of music I truly immersed myself in. Bands like Integrity, Strife, One King Down, Snapcase, and Indecision among others regularly dominated my Walkman. You know, those things like an … Read more

Soul She Said

As Templar Nites
Dim Mak (2006)

Putting their best foot forward from the off, Soul She Said's debut record opens with what is easily its strongest track, "Sunken City." Strongly influenced by My Bloody Valentine, early Primal Scream and probably a whole host of hallucinogens, it's the prefect balance to the Icarus Line's dark back alley, class A take on The Stooges. Soul She Said is … Read more

Yakuza

Samsara
Prosthetic (2006)

Chicago's Yakuza, despite two previous albums and a deal with Century Media, have not received much attention for their brand of chaotic metal. Bearing likeness to bands such as Naked City and Kylesa (a very strange combination indeed), Yakuza's third full-length Samsara has and will continue to garner well-deserved attention of metal fans looking for variety. Samsara begins with "Cancer … Read more

Attitude

We All Go Down Together
1917 (2006)

Any band that has a song called "Gets **** Started" and has not one or two, but three pictures of their guitar player doing posi-jumps you just know I'm going to automatically fall in love with even before I listen to the CD. Luckily I didn't go and make myself look like an ass by gushing over Attitude before I … Read more

Landmine Marathon

Wounded
Level Plane (2006)

All the musically discontent who seek great screamo bands and other various awesome musical projects, surrender your soul to the beacon of light that is Level Plane Records. After four years of being a die hard fan of this label, it has introduced me to such awesome bands such as Hot Cross, Envy, A Day In Black and White, Coliseum, … Read more

Landmine Marathon

Wounded
Level Plane (2006)

I'm from Arizona and I can attest that our local music scene sucks. There are occasionally a few decent bands but they never go anywhere. The exception to this would be Suicide Nation releasing 2 LPs and a split with Yaphet Kotto (who now play in the slaytanic Saviours). Unruh comes ahead with 2 LPs and a few more splits. … Read more

The Raconteurs

Broken Boy Soldiers
XL Recordings (2006)

A raconteur is defined as "one who tells stories and anecdotes with skill." A skillful storyteller draws in his audience with an introduction that makes them want more. "Steady, as She Goes," the first single from The Raconteurs debut album Broken Boy Soldiers, is this introduction. At first listen to "Steady, as She Goes," you may think, "Oh, it's The … Read more

Mass Movement of the Moth / The Catalyst

Two Thousand And Six Six Six
The Perpetual Motion Machine/Electric Human Project (2006)

Released by two stellar labels, Perpetual Motion Machine and Electric Human Project, Two Thousand and Six Six Six is a split between two up and coming Virginian bands, Northern Virginia's Mass Movement of the Moth and Richmond's The Catalyst. Two Thousand and Six Six Six is a very collective effort, with the bands switching from song to song instead of … Read more

My Dad Vs. Yours

After Winter Must Come Spring
Independent (2006)

I don't know when it happened, although I think it might have been around the time the movie Friday Night Lights came out and word got out that Explosions in the Sky was doing the soundtrack. That may have been the point but I'm not really sure. Anyways, at one time or another post-rock got popular. Now, after kids everywhere … Read more

Graf Orlock

Destination Time Yesterday
Level Plane (2006)

The connection between abrasive, warp speed music and film samples isn't new - for a whole wave of turn of the century hardcore bands, the familiar samples punctuating minute long tantrums were usually the most memorable part of the entire enterprise. But Graf Orlock takes this connection to an entirely new level. Named after the vampiric villain in Nosferatu, Graf … Read more

Scanners

Violence is Golden
Dim Mak (2006)

You, faithful SPB readers as I, listen and tend to prefer music that can best be described as "heavy". This is quite possibly the music you exclusively listen to. Perhaps you put on The Locust and Gorgoroth when you want to get pumped and juiced and rocked and whatever proactive analogy you can think of and then, when you're done, … Read more

Rhymefest

Blue Collar
J Records (2006)

Honestly, Blue Collar could have been one of the best hip-hop albums of the year. A few months ago, when he first caught my attention, around two-dozen Rhymefest songs were already circulating the Internet. More than half of these are undeniably some of the best mainstream hip-hop tracks in recent history. Rhymefest, who is already a Grammy winner as co-writer … Read more

Muse

Black Holes and Revelations
Warner Bros. (2006)

If you asked me six years ago to name a band that at this time would seem about to take over the world I really don't think Muse would have even been in my top 50 choices. Then they had just released the very Radiohead sounding Showbiz and seemed almost destined to spend their career being compared to the Oxford … Read more

Starkweather

Croatoan
Candlelight (2006)

The enigmatic metal behemoth that is Starkweather has been erratically dropping musical bombs sporadically for well over a decade. An uncompromising band of musicians that set out to artistically satisfy their own predilections rather than satisfy any kind of musical "market", Starkweather has been lauded in the underground metal and hardcore community for quite a long time. They have been … Read more

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