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)

Sun Worship

Pale Dawn
Golden Antenna (2016)

Sun Worship made a grand, and quite unexpected, appearance in the black metal scene with their debut full-length, Elder Giants. The album was supposed to be released just in digital format and on a limited tape release, but, the quality of this work saw an additional CD release coming later on through Translation Loss Records. The band's grasp on the black metal sound was astonishing, while their point of view seemed to encompass many diverse aspects of the genre. From the melodic elements to the brutal outbreaks, with an earthy, rural sense and then a cosmic perspective, Elder Giants managed to find a balance between all these motifs. The return today with Pale Dawn, their sophomore full-length, finds the band appearing with a mixture of their mystical sound and their accessible approach. The aggression of the album is astonishing, with the band appearing relentless across every drum hit, every guitar strum, never stopping their unforgiving rampage. “Lichtenberg Figures” appears as a war-like anthem, completely bitter in its progression, unleashing a terrible assault. The dissonant elements spawn through the record, and Sun Worship masterfully navigate through their various capabilities. The riffs of “Naiad” appear completely all-devouring, filling up the space with … Read more

Perturbator

The Uncanny Valley
Blood Music (2016)

James Kent, known as Perturbator, has been meticulously constructing whole worlds with his dark synthwave music, one album at a … Read more

Perturbator

The Uncanny Valley
Blood Music (2016)

The Uncanny Valley pulses in high concept waves and the mastermind behind it all, Perturbator (composer James Kent), creates visual … Read more

Sumac

What One Becomes
Thrill Jockey (2016)

The announcement on the newest band from Aaron Turner (Isis, Old Man Gloom) was one of the most intriguing news … Read more

Blaqk Audio

Material
BLQNOIS/Kobalt (2016)

Davey Havok and Jade Puget (you may recognize them from AFI) are back this year with a new Blaqk Audio … Read more

Dälek

Asphalt For Eden
Profound Lore (2016)

Dalek has long been a group for outsiders. Embracing noise, industrial and ambient genres while still holding a tenuous grip … Read more

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One from the archives

New Found Glory

From the Screen to Your Stereo Pt. 2
Drive-Thru (2007)

Last year I interviewed New Found Glory drummer Cyrus Bolooki about the possibility of another cover album in similar fashion to the band's From the Screen to Your Stereo. He stated that it was a possibility... Well here we are a year removed from said interview and sitting before me is From the Screen to Your Stereo Pt. 2 And while the rest of his bandmates didn't go along with his choice of covering "You're the Best" from The Karate Kid, they did choose a number of gems from films spanning the last couple of decades. From the Screen to Your Stereo Pt. 2 is comprised of eleven songs taken from quite a variance of films. The band take the originals and reinterpret them - for the most part - … Read more

More album reviews

The Dandy Warhols

Distortland
Dine Alone (2016)

The Dandy Warhols new release Distortland is a trippy foray into pop that should not only garner new fans but also satisfy their long term fans as well. The band has been putting out great records for 22 years now and this is their ninth release. The band continues to hone their sound and have put out some of their … Read more

Marissa Nadler

Strangers
Sacred Bones (2016)

Marissa Nadler has been releasing albums since 2004, and her meticulous constructions of dream states has been astonishing since the first notes of “Fifty Five Falls.” Through the years, Nadler has shown her aptitude in songwriting, not solely by awakening an emotional response with her music, but also with a sense of certainty that became more and more apparent in … Read more

Music Band

Wake Up Laughing
Infinity Cat (2016)

Music Band, along with JEFF the Brotherhood and Diarrhea Planet, forms the Infinity Cat triad, the latest representatives of the Nashville indie punk scene. I’ll readily admit to being a big DP fan - I’ve seen them four times, once with JEFF and once with Music Band. I knew these were DP’s buds, so I had high expectations. JEFF was … Read more

Explosions in the Sky

The Wilderness
Temporary Residence (2016)

It’s been five years since Texas post-rock outfit Explosions in the Sky released Take Care, Take Care, Take Care, which makes this the longest between-album gap for the band. Not that they’ve been sitting on their hands: They’ve been reliving their Friday Night Lights claim-to-fame years, writing three soundtracks for movies you’d probably only watch because Explosions scored them. There’s … Read more

Corrective Measure

Demo 2015
Independent (2015)

Five song ripper from this quartet out of Maine. If the cover art is any indication these guys wear a lot of Nike. A cartoonish drawing of a baldy wearing both a Nike tee shirt and Nike sneakers adorns the J-card. Anybody who’s seen my recent drawings knows I can get down with that. The artists name is Chris X, … Read more

Lord Mantis

NTW
New Density (2016)

Line-up changes are a scary thought. When it was first announced that vocalist Charlie Fell and guitarist Ken Sorceron were leaving Lord Mantis, it indeed felt like a devastating blow for the band. And the timing was just so depressing, just a little while after the band had released its most complete work in Death Mask? However, Lord Mantis seamlessly … Read more

The Falcon

Gather Up the Chaps
Red Scare Industries (2016)

The Falcon are a curious band: a collection of rogue Chicagoans (now with Dave Hause as well), lead vocalist Brendan Kelly (The Lawrence Arms) seems to get the most attention but teammates Dan Andriano (Alkaline Trio), Neil Hennessy (also The Lawrence Arms), and now Hause carry some impressive resumes on their own. It’s a loaded band, one that rips out … Read more

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 … 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 their recipe for the black metal outfit, following the release of their debut album, War Metal, and especially their sophomore full-length, Eater of Birds. The band seized activities, and time went by. McSorley left the band, re-joined and left again, … 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 has moved through dark territories, taking on elements of drone, noise, power electronics, constructing unique soundscapes of immense beauty. Haunt Me, Haunt Me Do It Again, Ravedeath, 1972 and 2013's Virgins are just some of the essential work of Hecker, … 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 small town Pennsylvania. While I've found worse methods of employment from time to time, this job was, to put it mildly, not an ideal use of my time and talents, revolving around strenuous manual labor and a generally mind-numbing work … 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 their album St. Paul (produced by Anti-Flag's Chris Baker, adding some Pittsburgh history) embodies the DIY PA punk aesthetic that I’ve come to love over the years. Around since 2003, the band is more or less lead-singer Mike Miller’s solo … 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 Darkest Days. While it's not a "reunion" album, it certainly feels like it. Up until the last couple years, Ignite have pretty much been on and off when it came to performing. Front-man, Zoli Teglas, went on to join Pennywise … Read more

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

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