Beneath the Ashes
Nailed To Your Ruins
State of Grace (2003)
First reactions as much as they shouldn't matter, really in fact do. For the most part, the first reaction with a band is hearing/reading their name, and from this name their sound can even sometimes be derived. Whereas post rock instrumental bands have names that contain at least four words, hardcore bands are usually only one. With a name like Beneath The Ashes, I cringed as I braced myself to hear a generic shitty metalcore band. And a few years ago Beneath The Ashes definitely fit into that genre nicely, there wasn't anything about them that really elevated them above the competition in this horny fuck filled breeding ground of a sound. But because first impressions and first albums can be unfair and misread, when Nailed To Your Ruins was released, I was excited to see in which direction Beneath The Ashes would head, as there is a lot of buzz about them in the bay area hardcore/metal scene. To my satisfaction, I was given the pleasure of an above average metalcore album. As oil and water separate, shitty whiny pop punk vocals recently have been infused with metal sounding "hardcore", and thank god, this record has none of that … Read more
Her Space Holiday
The Young Machines
Mush (2003)
Let's get this out of the way first, like always. Her Space Holiday is the name of Marc Bianchi's project. … Read more
Majority Rule
Emergency Numbers
Magic Bullet (2003)
Intensity and passion are two integral parts of music that can be very hard to convey in a recording. Live … Read more
The Darkness
Permission To Land
Atlantic (2003)
The Darkness couldn't have arrived at a more bizarre time in mainstream rock music. With scores of pedantic nü-metallers, insipid … Read more
All Night Radio
Spirit Stereo Frequency
Sub Pop (2004)
Imagine driving down an endless highway in a thunderstorm while listening to your favorite AOR station. Suddenly lightning strikes the … Read more
