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 based supergroup. Then in 2001 they came out with Origin of Symmetry and it seemed like a completely different band, gone were the slow miserable songs and in came this adventurous bombastic sound full of OTT headfuck guitar riffs and an almost gleeful will to be as big as they could. Absolution seemed to refine that sound and all of a sudden they were everywhere. So when details started to emerge about this, their fourth studio album (fifth album overall if you include the b-side collection Hullabaloo Soundtrack) and everyone was talking about it you knew it was going to be special. Black Holes and Revelations is probably going to be the silliest album title of the year, but then Muse have never been a band to deal in subtlety. The album kicks off with "Take a Bow," which sounds … Read more
The enigmatic metal behemoth that is Starkweather has been erratically dropping musical bombs sporadically for well over a decade. An … Read more
Remember that kid in middle and high school you pushed around, called him a fag, and turned his great day … Read more
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Mothlite's Daniel O'Sullivan has spent his time away from his personal project collaborating with some of the world's most well known post-progressive acts. Ulver, Æthenor, Guapo and Grumbling Fur are but a few of the groups O'Sullivan has somehow found time to participate in but Mothlite is his completely and as such the second record from this project, Dark Age, is a journey of sweeping sadness and is imbued with a tender touch of familiarity. O'Sullivan's bandmates add to the grandiose electrobeat pop with flourishes of disarming melody and Dark Age soars and falls with a majestic and blossoming wonder. Dark Age is a slow-burning album that takes time to build yet it draws you in with harmonies that call to mind latter day Ulver (not surprising given O'Sullivan's input … Read more
The debut full-length from Set Your Goals has been one of the most anticipated releases for myself and countless others for the year of 2006. It's been a long time coming since they first popped up on the hardcore/punk scene two years ago, though it seems like it has been so much longer. Well after a patient wait, which saw … Read more
For me, The Drama Summer was always one of those bands that I heard the name of every few months, but never sat down and listened to. In the oversaturated genre that is melodic rock, a band must really stand out to get heard and receive respect. Upon listening to The Drama Summer's debut EP on Eulogy Recordings, I can … Read more
United States are back, following up their Fuck It Tapes cassette release with an pseudo-urgent catcall of angular and somewhat disjointed full-length tunes on an album entitled Divorce Songs. The band is from Brooklyn and these songs, according to the one sheet, are about "surviving the city, struggling in the city and learning in the city." The lyrical content definitely … Read more
I have decided that a review for End of a Year's Sincerely should mimic the album's defining characteristics. So this review will be written quickly with an abundance of energy and a smattering of thought. Sincerely is an album that is so engulfed by its own influences that it almost seems like it doesn't even exist. But it does. End … Read more
A couple months ago I was sitting next to a window at Inn-N-Out, pissed about my cheeseburger (they put nothing I wanted on it and everything I didn't.) My friend James is telling me a story about his band, Guns of Autumn, playing a show with the Arrogant Sons of Bitches. I'd never heard Arrogant Songs of Bitches and I … Read more
There are few bands that had as much of an impact on my youth as Celtic Frost. Rising from the ashes of Hellhammer, Thomas Gabriel Fischer and Martin Eric Ain released the seminal album Morbid Tales. The year was 1984 and to say this album fascinated me was an understatement. Even though I had been listening to the heavier side … Read more
When no one's chomping at the bit, hardcore can easily turn into comfort food. Sing-alongs, breakdowns and carefully placed "go!"s can become a security blanket. This has its place, but hardcore is often best when bands eschew the easy outs of well-worn forms and stake out fresh ground. Bands like Crime Desire are what keep the wheels turning by breaking … Read more
The cover of Last Minute Fix's debut effort, Revenge of the Syringe, depicts a bald eagle sitting in an alley totally strung out. Sitting next to the eagle is a pile of pills, there are syringes stuck into each wing, a cigar (or possibly a joint) in its beak, and a noose around its neck. If one were to guess … Read more
It's always nice when a band that exhibited incredible promise coming up through indie labels continues to show evolution without distancing themselves from their roots once they've hit major label status. Rise Against continues to prove that a major label doesn't mean shit when it comes to writing their music, which is one of the small reasons I like them … Read more
The opening of My Republic could easily be mistaken for the opening to just about any guitar based album from the past 30 years, with quietly plucked single notes pushing along for a moment or two. It is only as "Out of Mind" explodes into the best Bad Religion song since Mr. Brett left the band for the first time … Read more
My roommate likes to call early 90's hardcore "The Dark Ages of Hardcore" with its metal influences, all the way to the left neo-hippie politics, poetic non-sense, and mosh parts. In many way he's right, but the beginning part of the 90's wasn't all bad and we got some great bands like Undertow, Unbroken, Integrity, Indecision, and others that start … Read more
Honestly, Tragedy has to be considered one of the best punk bands going right now. Their music is super tight and just awesome. Their lyrics are poignant. The vocals are down right devastating to hear (coming from both of the vocalists). A few weeks ago, I was commenting how it had been too long of a gap between their last … Read more
In 2004, Defiance, Ohio released Share What Ya' Got. While I really enjoyed the record, I often found that the production quality was very weak and it definitely hampered the appeal of the record for many more potential fans. Two years later, the bands' latest effort and second full-length, The Great Depression, seems to have erased the slight complaints I … Read more
This is a pleasant surprise. This is a hardcore record, a good hardcore record. The vocals are just the right fit for the music. I heard these guys before on the Generations record that Revelation released semi recently. These guys have a good hardcore sound with dashes of melody that makes Disconnecting so distinct. "Give Up" leads off Disconnecting with … Read more
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