Recent reviews

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

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

Orphaned Land

Unsung Prophets & Dead Messiahs
Century Media (2018)

Music with a message has long been a starting point for many bands but for Orphaned Land that message is of the most extreme importance. Spreading the missive of peace and understanding has been at the root of the Israeli band and their output since the very beginning and over the last twenty six years. Addressing the turmoil that has long held their homeland in a state of flux, frontman Kobi Farhi uses his platform to bring the issues facing his country to a wider audience – helping many to overcome fears, to understand what is really happening in the world and to bring light into a land filled with darkness.On Unsung Prophets & Dead Messiahs the band are on fine form with an expansive sound that takes in both western ideas of metal but also incorporating more traditional elements within the songs. It’s an important factor in what makes Orphaned Land interesting; “Chains Fall to Gravity” weaves eastern flavours through its opening moments and Farhi’s vocals complement the tone with a beautiful, smooth and rich quality that speaks to the narrative sublimely. A backing choir bring a wonderfully cinematic scale to the fore while Steve Hackett (Genesis) contributes climbing … Read more

The Dwarves

Take Back the Night
Burger Records (2018)

Take Back The Night isn’t one of those experiment Dwarves records, like the industrio-tinge of Come Clean. On their latest … Read more

Baronen & Satan

Why Does The Blood Never Stick To Your Teeth/Satan Is A Lady
Dirty Water Records (2017)

Every now and then I find it entertaining to randomly pick something out of the promo-bin without overthinking what to … Read more

200 Words Or Less

Damon Eliza Palermo

Beacon of Maracaibo
Johnkôôl Records (2018)

Contemplative and calming, “Delacorta” kicks off Damon Eliza Palermo's Beacon of Maracaibo release with flowing piano and bubbling electronic tones … Read more

City Mouse

Get Right
It's Alive (2017)

The Fest is a pretty cool event. The first time or two I went, I went to see the headliners … Read more

200 Words Or Less

Daniel Ruiz

A Cup of Coffee with Two Sugar Cubes, Cream, and a Tiny Drop of Whiskey
Independent (2017)

Described aptly by its creator, Barcelona songwriter Daniel Ruiz, as an “ode to misery,” A Cup of Coffee with Two … Read more

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One from the archives

Iggy & The Stooges

Ready To Die
Fat Possum Records (2013)

The death of Ron Asheton in 2009 was a sad day in music. Considered by this critic and many others to be one of the best guitarists of all time, with his work on the first 2 Stooges album becoming the stuff of legend over the years. Having rejoined with Iggy and the Stooges a few years prior and appearing on 2007's The Weirdness seemed to signal the dawn of a new era for Asheton and crew. His work on The Weirdness was not his best, but his signature sound backed by Iggy's signature howls were a welcome racket, indeed. There has always been speculation on what Raw Power would have sounded like, had Asheton been playing guitars instead of being demoted, in a fashion, to bass guitars for the … Read more

More album reviews

Ann Beretta

Old Scars, New Blood
Say-10 (2017)

There’s a lot of analysis when listening to Old Scars, New Blood. When singer Rob Huddleston sings, “Nothing ever changes/ Nothing ever stays the same” in “Fairweather,” it seems to epitomize the experience of this record, a re-recording of 13 songs by the recently born again Ann Beretta.I can’t decide if this album is a great idea, modernizing a reformed … Read more

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Otoboke Beaver

Love is Short
Damnably Records (2017)

To put it mildly, Otoboke Beaver's Love is Short doesn't beat around the bush, though that phrase seems wildly inappropriate given the origin of the band's name. Following a churning title track that sets off immediately at breakneck speed and features aggressive foreign-language vocal shouts, shrieks, and howls, even -gasp- a bit of melody, the album transitions to the more … Read more

Book Review

Jesse Fink

Bon: The Last Highway: The Untold Story of Bon Scott and AC/DC's Back in Black
Random House Australia (2017)

Ronald Belford “Bon” Scott.Lyrics, the personality and presence – it is not merely because of his vocal range and the band he headed that he is considered to be one of the greatest frontmen and rock’n roll vocalist of all time.His life and untimely death is being revisited in the new biography Bon: The Last Highway: The Untold Story of … Read more

Ryan Adams

Prisoners B Sides
Blue Note (2017)

Ryan Adams is one of the 21st centuries most prolific songwriters. Like Springsteen on speed, he just can’t seem to stop, whether it’s country, blues, metal, or an assortment of other areas for which he has lent his voice, he is constantly pushing out something new. His drive to write and produce is a great thing and has provided an … Read more

Kid You Not

Never A Dull Movement
Deep Elm (2017)

Kid You Not has some pretty clear influences behind their melodic pop-punk sound. With semi-coarse vocals that lead to big sing-along choruses, Iron Chic and Red City Radio shine through. It’s not really shining music though. These are some cynical songs that wallow in an unpleasant world.As a whole, this is a solid record with some flaws. The overall sound … Read more

Weezer

Pacific Daydream
Atlantic (2017)

I think that sometimes it’s really hard to review a Weezer record… I mean.. Their first record, the self-titled Blue album, is firmly perched on the list of “best debut albums of all time”. It’s quick punch of pop-punk aesthetic, quirky songwriting, and heavy crunch guitar is only mirrored by the sensitivity and honest lurch of songs like “Say It … Read more

Watain

Trident Wolf Eclipse
Century Media (2018)

Spending any length of time with Watain will convince you of at least one thing: this is a band who means it. For this Swedish horde, black metal is life. It’s everything and for frontman Erik Danielsson it’s an integral part of his personality. Interviews with him always tend on the intense side and for Watain that passion spills through … Read more

Remedy

Cool
Laserlife Records (2017)

One thing I love about split albums is that there’s more often than not one band on it that is new to me. I’ve discovered some really great bands or albums because a band I love introduced me to another band through a split record. Case in point: Remedy. I just loved their split with ESC Life earlier this year. … Read more

Book Review

Daniel Miller and Terry Burrows

Mute: A visual document from 1978 – tomorrow
Thames & Hudson (2017)

For the uninitiated, and if you are, you might want to look at changing that immediately – shame on you: Mute Records (commonly known, referred to and stylized as “mute”) by and large is one of the most influential British independent platforms and record labels that helped launch the careers of acts that not only fundamentally changed the idea of … Read more

Book Review

NOFX

NOFX: The Hepatitis Bathtub and Other Stories
Da Capo Press (2017)

NOFX: The Hepatitis Bathtub and Other Stories is a comprehensive autobiography from one of the world’s most prominent punk bands that worked its way up. New aficionados as well as die-hard long time followers will discover new and interesting facts via the stories of counterfeiting, murder, terminal illness, suicide, addiction, riots, bondage, the Yakuza, and drinking urine and the other … Read more

Neil Young and The Promise of the Real

The Visitor
Reprise (2017)

Neil Young releases records at an alarming rate for a septuagenarian. It doesn’t matter, the guy gets a gold pass on whatever he releases. His recent health scare not slowing him down, yet showcasing the mortality we have seen in the recent past with Young’s friends and peers moving on at an alarming rate. Neil Young has walked a frantic … Read more

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Royal Blood

How Did We Get So Dark?
Warner Bros. (2017)

When English duo Royal Blood released their self-titled debut in 2014, i got into an argument with a friend of mine as to how many members were in the band - my friend insisting that there had to be “at least three - because just listen”. Of course we now know that this friend was very wrong and he has … Read more

Foret Endormie

Etire dans le ciel vide
Pretty Purgatory (2017)

Led by Falls of Rauros' Jordan Guerette, Foret Endormie takes quite a different route to what we can expect from the black metal guitarist. This chamber ensemble draws its influences from the past, be it the modern take on classical music implemented by the likes of Erik Satie or the poetry of the decadent movement, mainly Paul Verlaine. This is … Read more

200 Words Or Less

Living Colour

Shade
Megaforce (2017)

When Living Colour toured earlier this year performing their debut album Vivid for the almost 30 year anniversary, a lot of folks were ecstatic, thinking one of their favorite bands were back together again. Problem is, they hadn’t broken up. I mean they did for a few years in the '90s, but they’ve been touring and making music together since … Read more

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