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)

Brooke Bentham

This Rapture EP
All Points (2017)

Even though 21-year-old Brooke Bentham is firmly entrenched in the burgeoning South London music scene, her music sounds as though it has been dusted with sand from a Californian desert. With a sound that recalls Angel Olsen and First Aid Kit, her music soars and dips though the ravages of a shattered relationship with arresting lyrics and fluid guitars.These affairs of the heart plague Bentham on This Rapture, her second EP following last summer's The Room Swayed. Staggered drumming is slumped over the shoulder of Bentham's winding and impassioned vocals on this EP, where she desperately tries to make a relationship work on "Have to Be Around You", ending in a blitz of shimmering synths, before accepting resignation on the dejected "Why We Fall". Just when you feel like you've figured out Bentham's sound, closing track "Solo" throws a curve ball. Bathed in fuzzy, distorted guitars, this icy track sees Bentham declaring, "Take me out, and I won't talk to you", with the intense, grunge-inflected guitars marking the jagged edges of the the point of a break-up where everything ultimately becomes futile. This Rapture is an unflinching exploration of a failing relationship, that doesn't come up for air and bypasses … Read more

Trachimbrod

Leda
Dog Knight Records/Zegema Beach Records/Through Love Records (2017)

Would you have told me 20 years ago I would enjoy music like Trachimbrod I would have stared at you … Read more

Acephalix

Decreation
20 Buck Spin (2017)

Setting out with a retro vision of death metal glory alongside a punk sensitivity, Acephalix erupted into the scene with … Read more

Various Artists

ESC Life / Remedy - split EP
PDV Records/Laserlife Record/LastExit Music/Ill in the Head (2017)

This is a sweet and short three track 7’’ released by two befriended bands. This EP had me interested when … Read more

Various Artists

Sad Vacation: The Last Days of Sid And Nancy DVD
MVD Visual (2017)

Ah, Sid Vicious.The sung hero of my formative years and fashion sense of the time (including pad lock necklace and … Read more

Sciatic Nerve

Sciatic Nerve
Anxious And Angry/ Gunner Records (2017)

Sciatic Nerve is a band that doesn’t care what you think. They don’t have “band sound,” or so the press … Read more

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One from the archives

Black Altar/Vulture Lord

Deathiah Manifesto
Odium Records (2022)

I'll be completely honest with you I am a bit of an amateur when it comes to black and death metal. I am only really familiar with the more well known bands of the genre; Mayhem, Burzum, Darkthrone, Carcass, Entombed and so on. I'm slightly embarrassed to admit to knowing almost nothing about Black Altar or Vulture Lord until choosing this to review but something about this split EP caught my attention and I thought I'd give it a go. The thing for me with black metal is that I find it can sound too samey, the songs blend into one another and the overuse of the double bass drum pedal has a white noise effect on my ears. The main thing I noticed with Deathiah Manifesto is that these … Read more

More album reviews

The Capitalist Kids

Brand Damage
Eccentric Pop Records (2017)

Even with a name like Capitalist Kids, the Austin band has always been more about love songs in the vein of Mr. T Experience and Lookout Records before hitting the political sauce. Well, the Drumpf era has hit us all in undeniable ways. Brand Damage is the band’s fourth full-length and here, relationships fall apart and the rivers of political … Read more

Rallidae

Turned, And Was
Gold Bolus Recordings (2016)

The other week a friend and I went to a jazz club - the Lilypad in Cambridge, MA. We didn’t know who was playing there that night - we were mostly looking for a way to kill time after stuffing ourselves with Indian food - but it turned out to be pianist Burton Greene. I hadn’t heard of Greene - … Read more

Raymond Pettibon

A Pen of all Work
Phaidon (2017)

Chances are that if you are remotely into underground culture, you will have quite a few records, shirts or other things adorned with artwork by Raymond Pettibon.For nigh to thirty years, Raymond Pettibon has been creating art that not only comments but has become an integral part of American culture and its implications. With a view from a unique angle, … Read more

Bell Witch

Mirror Reaper
Profound Lore (2017)

Beginning the dissection of a record is often the most difficult thing to do when it comes to writing a review. Knowing how to start, to draw in your reader and keep them interested is tough; you know what you want to say, how the record makes you feel and you may even have an insight into the intentions of … Read more

Succumb

Succumb
Flenser (2017)

Established in 2014 as Cloak, this California-based extreme metal act produced an interesting hybrid take on black/death metal. Changing the name of the band in 2017, after their debut demo as Cloak, and bringing on board drummer Harry Cantwell, known from his work with Slough Feg and Bosse-de-Nage, the quartet left behind its black metal affinity in order to focus … Read more

Spinifex Gum

Spinifex Gum
My Shore Productions (2017)

Spinifex resin is a gum coating of some species of Spinifex grasses. The resin was traditionally used in tool making by Australian Aborigines. To produce the gum, the spinifex is threshed until the resin particles fall free. These particles are heated until they fuse together to form a moldable black tar, which is worked, while warm. When set, this gum … Read more

Myteri

Myteri
Alerta Antifascista (2017)

How do you keep up to date with new music? I have the luxury of being a reviewer. I’m informed on a constant basis (and get to cherry pick the releases I wish to review. Seriously, I love this job!), but next to that I keep an eye out for certain labels. There’s a couple of labels that are very … Read more

Worriers

Survival Pop
Side One Dummy (2017)

It seems like Worriers nailed down their sound on day one, when they rose from the ashes of The Measure S.A.. The Lauren Denitzio-fronted group plays a melodic and quirky style of indie-poppish-punk. On Survival Pop, that sound takes a stronger pop turn, with ear-pleasing hooks paired to politically-charged and empowering lyricism. In many ways, this record is a call … Read more

Grit

Diamond EP
Distro-y Records (2017)

These past few weeks have been very busy weeks for me. My girlfriend moved in. Happy news for me and her of course. Moving her stuff, renovating my home, vivid discussions on what to keep and what to get rid off all took their time. Most of the work is done now and all the effort we put in it … Read more

Black Anvil

As Was
Relapse (2017)

Black Metal as a musical genre is not known for it's subtlety. The pendulum will usually swing between low-fi heavily distorted guitar and blast-beats or overwrought, overproduced operatic epics. But Black Anvil is a band of a different color. Hailing from NYC, they've managed to make a more accessible Black Metal sound without sacrificing any of the chief tenets that … Read more

Liam Gallagher

As You Were
Warner Bros. (2017)

Beady Eye was not a bad band. Au contraire. If you harbour a weak spot for Oasis, aim at an objective viewpoint and take a break from you loyalty to the Chief Noel, it proves to be difficult to not like their two albums, however, a lot of Oasis aficionados managed exactly that.As You Were is Liam Gallagher’s new album. … Read more

Monolord

Rust
Riding Easy (2017)

Sweden’s Monolord worship at the altar of the riff and on third effort Rust that riff comes downtuned, weighty and driven by bass. Vocals are hazy at best, which only adds to the ceremonial vibrations that Monolord deliver on a record that delves into darkness on its way to the end. Predecessor Vænir from 2015 was found to be lacking … Read more

Botanist

Collective: The Shape of He To Come
Avantgarde Music (2017)

Botanist belongs in this new generation of black metal bands, of acts attempting to reinvigorate the genre by expanding its scope. Post-rock influences and avantgarde notions find their way into Botanist's music, leading to a very successful series of releases, with 2014's VI: Flora standing out in particular. At the same time, stylistically the band departed from not only the … Read more

The Mons

Trust No One
Triple Eye Industries (2017)

Trust No One, The Mons’ second album isn’t subtle. But what do you expect of a band using that name? This is aggressive, 1980s-inspired hardcore with a penchant for fast songs and straight shooting ‘tude. The opening ripper “This Is Why” is a declaration statement with a minute-long intro before it rages for a whopping 17 seconds. To pull a … Read more

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

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