I’ve reviewed a lot of records now from Lauren Denitzio’s bands. First, The Measure [SA], and then Cruel Optimist, her current band’s first release. Over those records the sound hasn’t changed so much as it’s grown. The songs are now fuller and deeper. With Worriers specifically, though still in a relatively small sample size, the songs also seem less chorus focused, built around recurring musical refrains but not so much when it comes to the lyrics, which are most always personal and political, inward reflecting externally.Imaginary Life is their debut LP and it’s a ripper. While it’s billed a debut, I used that intro because this band is so much more than just a first release. It feels fully realized here, ripping into an opening track “Jinx,” but it’s more of an intro with the true record starting on “Plans.” It’s a song with a direct tone, a big beat that starts up front along with the vocals, kicking straight into gear and moving the album along, later mixing up the vocal tempo over a guitar part that draws a new wave keyboard influence without the cheese, building up momentum and getting louder and more forceful as the song progresses. … Read more
Over the past two decades, Phil Elverum has established himself as one of the most consistently outstanding artists working in … Read more
Deafheaven’s Sunbather was the antithesis of a sophomore slump. The album produced armies of lovers and haters, who debated whether … Read more
Looking back at Sunbather, Deafheaven's sophomore release, it is very easy to understand how that album was able to become … Read more
Though the album might attract some of the same listeners that gravitate towards otherworldly new age music, Summer Homes’s 2015 … Read more
Twenty years ago today, Saturday September 26, 2015, the reincarnation of Chris Barnes’ death metal crusade known as Six Feet … Read more
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A while back I caught Oiltanker in the midst of the second day of Midwest Hell Fest—a one-off weekend crust punk festival that was happening in, of all places, a sports bar in Kimberly, Wisconsin. I was thoroughly enthralled by the outpouring of anger emanating from the stage while they were up there, yet I was simultaneously battling the inevitable tidal wave of fatigue that washes over even the most well-intended of weekend-long fest goers. Rather than join the growing population of dreadlocked and face-tatted folks passing out with their heads down on high tables, I begrudgingly headed out midway through their set for the comfort of cable TV in my hotel room and the guarantee of cold pizza left over from the previous night’s debauchery. On the way out … Read more
This is some metalpunx ouf of New Jersey. Superfast and snotty as all hell. Like some spikey-haired snot punk singing for a grind band or something. There’s sweet breakdowns too, which lend it a hardcore vibe. Maybe I’m way off-base, but that’s what I’m feeling. Not always my favorite thing, but I find this rather endearing. Guitars are sick. Especially … Read more
"worker bees can leaveeven drones can fly awaythe queen is their slave"- Chuck Palahniuk, Fight Club When people talk about music (assuming people actually do still talk about music), they'll typically begin by discussing the style or genre they like. If the other person then hasn't begun silently searching for Buzzfeed lists and the conversation continues, it can go in … Read more
It is quite difficult to follow a project as active as Theologian. The career of the dark industrial unit has spawned a large number of releases, with albums such as The Chasms of My Heart and Finding Comfort In Overwhelming Negativity standing out. Main man of Theologian, Lee M. Bartow (a.k.a Theologian Prime) works with David Castillo and Daniel Suffering, … Read more
Bird is the Bangers record I wanted in 2013. Crazy Fucking Dreams is a good record, it was just a little less direct than I wanted from the band, being a little more on the introspective and drawn out (in punk terms) side of things than an aggressive and, er, banging approach. It was good, but Bird is better.It gets … Read more
Before I heard this I didn’t know a lot about this band other than that they were definitely not the indie-pop trio of the same name. I picked this 7” up based strictly on the artwork, the title, and the fact that Katorga Works is a fairly trustworthy label. Visually-speaking it doesn’t exactly scream punk. And the title, well, who … Read more
Recording a live album isn’t a new concept, but for Skepticism, who don’t do anything by halves, recording their brand new album completely live, was certainly a new experience. The Finnish funeral doom band have been plying their gothic trade for longer than most of their fans have even been alive, but their timeless sound and gorgeous tone is enough … Read more
At the time of the release of their eponymous 2013 full-length album, the Geoff Tate storm had passed and cleanup efforts had begun.It was most definitely a return to form under the new stable guidance of Crimson Glory vocalist Todd LaTorre and Queensryche delivered their strongest album so far this century.With Condition Hüman, the band continues on with the same … Read more
Long considered the perennial sons of British 1980s post punk, Editors have never quite been able to shake off the Depeche Mode and Joy Division comparisons that are a near constant every time their name is mentioned. Embodying a haphazard approach in their output, such as on the simmering synth gloom of In This Light and on This Evening and … Read more
A storm has ostensibly been brewing in Long Island, New York beneath the surface of the hardcore outfit This Is Hell. For those in the know, This Is Hell has been an East Coast staple for the better part of the millennium. Interestingly, the band had been bearing the teeth of metal and thrash in their later records, moving off … Read more
So I’m a fan of The Hussy. People who read this site have (hopefully) picked up on that. Well, TIT is a two piece with Bobby Hussy and Shawn Foree of the more popular (but previously unheard by me) Digital Leather. Let’s just say that their 12” is an interesting record, and not what I expected.Where I expected ballsy and … Read more
Boasting precise mixing and near-flawless musical execution, Code Elektro’s 2015 Superstrings may be one of the best albums of cyberpunk-inspired electronica one would hope to come across. This shouldn’t come as much of a shock considering the album is the product of Danish musician Martin Ahm Nielsen, who makes a living composing music for commercials and television. What did strike … Read more
On March 31,1994, singer and guitarist Kurt Cobain, frontman for Nirvana and heralded as the spokesman for a generation, escaped from a drug treatment facility in Los Angeles. Eight days later, as rumors of Nirvana’s breakup spread after it was announced the band had pulled out of that year’s Lollapalooza Music Festival, Cobain was found dead in the greenhouse beside … Read more
In the interest of full disclosure, this reviewer would like to go on record as saying that he loves The Scorpions. They are exceptional musicians and have a catalog of hard rock classics that go far beyond the power-ballads they became synonymous for in the 80's and 90's. There's been the odd misstep over the years (see Eye II Eye) … Read more
Since the 1983 release of Slayer's debut album Show No Mercy, guitarists Jeff Hanneman, Kerry King bassist/vocalist Tom Araya and drummer Dave Lombardo have built a long and respectable career by maintaining the number two slot in the Big Four of thrash metal, second only to Metallica. But if the measure was the loyalty of their fan base, one would … Read more
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