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)

Wrong

Wrong
Relapse (2016)

Coming out of Miami, Wrong rose from the ashes of hardcore/punk band Capsule, who released a couple of great albums, including their self-titled record and Blue, before calling it quits. Well, Eric Hernandez (guitars and vocals) bounced back brilliantly, forming the new band, with the inclusion of Ryan Haft (previously of Torche) on guitars, Andres Ascanio on bass and Brian Hernandez on drums. Not long after, Wrong released their fist, self-released EP, Stop Giving introducing their sonic identity and then signing with Relapse Records to get their debut album released. Wrong follow a great tradition of hardcore bands, that are not contempt with staying rooted on the safe side of the genre. That is just releasing fast, aggressive tracks, with an old-school vibe. Of course that aspect is still there, and Wrong pay tribute to this movement, with the start of the opening tack oozing with this hostility, while the groove of “Tune In” and “Read” definitely have something of the East side groove. And sure, things can get even heavier, with Wrong stepping towards a more solid form, unleashing slower parts with gigantic riffs making the ground beneath shake. That couples great with the groove that the band transmits, … Read more

Cobalt

Slow Forever
Profound Lore (2016)

The future looked very dark for Cobalt, following the release of 2009's Gin. Wunder and McSorley seemed to have perfected … Read more

Tim Hecker

Love Streams
4AD (2016)

Since 2001 Tim Hecker has been exploring the more adventurous sides of electronic music. The experimental scope of the artist … Read more

Moñecho

Past Waters/Fever Lives
Self Released (2015)

In a past life – OK, like eight years ago - I found myself working at a furniture factory in … Read more

Endless Mike and the Beagle Club

St. Paul
A-F (2016)

Endless Mike and the Beagle Club are from Johnstown, PA (about an hour outside of my second home, Pittsburgh), and … Read more

Ignite

A War Against You
Century Media (2016)

Even after a decade, Ignite still managed to put out a record that was the logical step forward from Our … Read more

Browse our review archives

Review categories

200 Words Or Less

749 reviews

Book Review

42 reviews

Classic Album

25 reviews

Multiple Authors

300 reviews

Review

4865 reviews

Video/DVD Review

19 reviews

One from the archives

Marillion

F.E.A.R.
Intact (2016)

For a Marillion fan, a new album isn’t just a release – it’s an event. And as far as events go, on an ascending scale from a co-workers 30 day alcohol-free chip celebration, to a close cousin’s Harry Potter themed wedding, to the birth of your new baby, FEAR is more of a birth. A birth of ideas in a world run dry of original thought.Comprising of essentially 6 songs and clocking in at over an hour, FEAR, or Fuck Everyone and Run finds the band at first glance, at their most angry and cynical. But like all great art It’s not the artist’s emotions on the canvas, it’s the viewer’s – or in this case, the listener’s emotions reflected back like a mirror. In short, FEAR is a masterful … Read more

More album reviews

King Diamond

The Spider's Lullabye (reissue)
Metal Blade (2015)

When King Diamond's album The Spider's Lullabye, his sixth, was first released in 1995, it was a unique entry in the catalog as it was the first of Diamond's albums since his Fatal Portrait debut that was not a full concept album. It also marked the debut of a whole new band, with the exception of guitarist Andy La Roque, … Read more

Full Of Hell

Amber Mote in the Black Vault
Bad Teeth Recordings (2016)

Full of Hell remain successful in orbiting the broad domain of hardcore punk without becoming victims of convention or straying from ethic. With the release of Amber Mote in the Black Vault via John Hoffman’s (Weekend Nachos) Bad Teeth Recordings, “stagnation” simply does not appear to be a part of the Maryland/Pennsylvania outfit’s vocabulary. The group grows more and more … Read more

Graves At Sea

The Curse That Is
Relapse (2016)

During the early to mid '00s, Graves at Sea had acquired a legendary stature. Their first demo, Documents of Grief, revealed a band that had an exceptional handle on sludge, retaining the weight and extremity of the genre, combined with a sickening perspective. A single, Cirrhosis/Atavist Arise, was released the following year through Southern Lord, and the most revered release … Read more

Kaada & Patton

Bacteria Cult
Ipecac (2016)

John Erik Kaada and Mike Patton. Two great tastes that taste great together. It's been twelve long years since the pair released Romances - a sometimes lush sometimes harsh always beautiful collection of soundscapes.Bacteria Cult is the sum total of two artists that have grown into their own and are completely at ease with what they each can bring to … Read more

Tombs

All Empires Fall
Relapse (2016)

Since their inception back in 2007, Tombs have been in a phase of constant turmoil. Band members have been changed multiple times, with mainman Mike Hill the only original member still in the band. A similar sort of change has been undergoing along the works of the band, with their style. Starting out as a post-black metal act with the … Read more

Various Artists

Crab Legs/Not Half Bad - Dorks/Nerds
Ocelot Records (2015)

Spanning the country’s geography north and south, this split from Fargo, ND’s Crab Legs and Fort Worth, TX’s Not Half Bad is a snippet of the varied sounds of the current DIY pop-punk scene and everything that unifies yet separates bands within it. Crab Legs play a coarse shout it out style that’s gruff yet melodic while partners in vinyl … Read more

Nevermen

Nevermen
Ipecac (2016)

The list of people that Mike Patton has collaborated with over the years is as long as it is diverse. Not so diverse however, that any of the co-conspirators were a surprise, be they Dan the Automator, Melt Banana, Rahzel or untold others.So when the Nevermen album was announced, featuring Patton, Anticon founder Adam ‘Deosone’ Drucker and Tunde Adebimpe from … Read more

Magrudergrind

II
Relapse (2016)

Fucking finally. It’s been six long years since we’ve heard from the Brooklyn via D.C. grind-brigade. This month marks the release of II, the only Magrudergrind record since 2010’s Crusher EP and a welcome relief to those only moderately pacified by Avi Kulawy’s (vocals) doom project, Ruine. II presents some major changes from Magrudergrind without exhibiting a substantial departure from … Read more

Wolvserpent

Aporia: Kala: Ananta
Relapse (2016)

When it comes to mystical vibes, few can challenge the music of Wolvserpent. The duo consisting of Blake Green and Brittany McConnell in the past six years has been putting out a series excellent works. From their debut, Blood Seed, their drone/doom vision started coming into view, a concept that felt finalized with the release of their latest album, Perigaea … Read more

Various Artists

Radon/Worthwhile Way - split 7"
No Idea/Eager Beaver (2015)

Radon has never really done a lot for me. The melodies are nice but it really never strikes a chord one way or the other. In “Headaches and Bullshit,” it’s 2:29 of their traditional sound, melodic and emotional, delivered via Dave Rohm’s Greg Attonito-styled (Bouncing Souls) vocals over melodic hardcore with an emphasis on the melodic. It does feature a … Read more

Oranssi Pazuzu

Värähtelijä
Svart Records/20 Buck Spin (2016)

Värähtelijä marks Oranssi Pazuzu’s fourth foray into the outer reaches and the Finnish band pull no punches in creating a record that melds tripped out cosmic rhythms with the distinct aesthetics of modern black metal. Oranssi Pazuzu aren’t your typical Finnish black metal band and with their music they set out to push the boundaries of what the genre should … Read more

Bunnygrunt

Vol. 4
Happy Happy Birthday To Me (2015)

St. Louis indie pop band Bunnygrunt will probably always be stuck with the 90s cuddlecore label, as much as they may hate it. The lovable duo Matt Harnish (guitars/vocals) and Karen Ried (drums/vocals) specialize in fun, disposable - and dare I say cute - punk rock, Bunnygrunt reliably delivers the ephemeral sound of what their label Happy Happy Birthday to … Read more

Emmy The Great

Second Love
Bella Union (2016)

Finding an anchor in your life is one of those inevitabilities that is constantly chattering away in the back of your head; you're trying to figure out where you should be and where you should stay. If your 20s are there to discover what you're doing with your life and which space on this planet is most homely to you, … Read more

Iggy Pop

Post Pop Depression
Loma Vista Recordings (2016)

When Iggy pop parted ways with The Stooges in the mid-seventies, no one really knew what to expect from the man next. If they had been taking bets in Vegas, the highest odds would have gone to: Moving to Berlin to collaborate with David Bowie. Nevertheless, that's exactly what happened, and the result was his first solo release, The Idiot. … Read more

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