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Various Artists

Moloch / Ensorcelor - Split LP
Psychic Assault (2013)

This is a record resembling Clash Of The Titans. Both Canada's Ensorcelor and England's Moloch have been lurching in the darkest reaches of the metal underground for a few years. While some bands err to the side or fluid hooks in their riffs and others slink towards creating the most noise possible, somewhere in between lie these two.On one side … Read more

Container

Adhesive
Liberation Technologies (2014)

Combining throbbing electronic music with scratchy and crackly noise elements, Providence, Rhode Island’s Container has been getting more and more notice in recent years. Perhaps one reason for this is the fact that musician/producer Ren Schofield (who essentially is Container) has continued to improve, pumping out almost industrial-oriented tracks using conventional techno beats even as many electronic artists have been … Read more

Ensemble Economique

Melt Into Nothing
Denovali (2014)

I became familiar with Ensemble Economique back in 2010 when they released their album Psychical, with Bryan Pyle (formerly of Starving Weirdos) combining world music with a very intriguing soundtrack type of feeling. Even though the original incarnation of the band with their fascinating influences was monumental, Ensemble Economique has crossed into darker territories. Pyle has reduced this act to … Read more

Jon McKiel

Jon McKiel
Independent (2014)

An old, black-and-white photo depicts five dilapidated homes slowly crumbling away on an island in the middle of a vast, dismal ocean; the sea's endlessness and archaicness adds a sense of sentimentality to the picture. With such a glum album cover, it’s a dazzling surprise once the effervescent, action-packed “New Tracy (I Will Learn To See)” - opening song on … Read more

Book Review

Mike "McBeardo" McPadden

Heavy Metal Movies
Independent (2014)

According to Mike "McBeardo" McPadden's Heavy Metal Movies, Stanley Kubrick's 1968 film 2001: A Space Odyssey"profoundly influenced" a yet-to-be-named Black Sabbath. Fifty pages later on in the book, and the reader learns about the night in 1969 in Birmingham, England when Ozzy Osbourne, Geezer Butler, Tony Iommi and Bill Ward were getting ready to take the stage as blues rock … Read more

Benjamin Shaw

Goodbye, Cagoule World
Audio Antihero (2014)

The UK is a miserable place at times, more often than not in fact, and artists such as Benjamin Shaw fully embrace that misery and spin it out in stories of hopelessness, rejection and the knowledge that pretty much everything is complete shit. Luckily, Goodbye, Cagoule World isn't complete shit and instead takes all the rubbish that life throws out … Read more

Pixies

Indie Cindy
Pixies Music (2014)

Indie Cindy is the first new Pixies full-length since 1991 (Trompe le Monde). After the band reunited a few years back for the tour circuit the rumors of new material started to flow, the band continued to tour, and nothing came out. Eventually, shortly after the departure of original bassist Kim Deal (The Breeders), the band put out three EPs … Read more

The Atlas Moth

The Old Believer
Profound Lore (2014)

I still remember when I first listened to the Atlas Moth debut album, A Glorified Piece of Blue Sky. Instantly I thought that this heavy psychedelic doom/sludge band was on to something really great. The sonic experimentation and the insane weight of the band combined with sick riffs and screaming vocals was an unbelievable record to process. And when their … Read more

†††

†††
Sumerian (2014)

The latest in a series of side projects from Deftones vocalist Chino Moreno, ††† (pronounced “crosses”) takes much of its somewhat spooky iconography from the weird world of witch house (ooo look – every ‘T’ is replaced with a †), yet probably has more in common with Nine Inch Nails than any of the here-today-gone-tomorrow genuine witch house groups. Formed … Read more

Death Grips

Niggas On The Moon
Harvest / Third Worlds (2014)

Death Grips have been making a strong and confrontational statement in music since their inception. Zach Hill (Former drummer extraordinaire for Hella), Stefan "MC Ride" Burnett, and Andy "Flatlander" Morin have been making caustic rap punk that always leaves first-time listeners at a loss for words. Their self-described "accelerated music" contains samples that range from "Up The Beach" by Jane's … Read more

Clad In Darkness

Decathect
Independent (2014)

Good things come to those who wait. It's a cliché, yes, but for Clad in Darkness that old adage rings wholly true. Having formed at least fifteen years ago, the band have taken their sweet, sweet time in releasing their debut record. A couple of EPs have seen the light but for this Chicago based band, a full length was … Read more

The People's Temple

Musical Garden
Hozac Records (2014)

It may be an antiquated notion, but there are just some names that you can trust. Names that were built by years of fostering goodwill and established by years of putting out the very best. If it's groovy rock and roll that you seek then Hozac Records is one of those names. It's one of those things where even if … Read more

Rabbit Holes

Rabbit Holes EP
Big Action (2014)

Big Action Records doesn’t pump out a ton of releases and, when they do, they run the geographical gamut. The label is based in St. Paul, MN but releases come from across the country. Still, within that, there’s a well defined style that tends to dominate: pop-tinged, melodic garage rock. The debut from Minnesota’s Rabbit Holes fits well within those … Read more

Street Eaters

Blood::Muscles::Bones
Nervous Intent (2014)

Bands are seemingly judged differently on their sophomore outings: where does it change, does it meet expectation, does it show growth, and the like. Well, writing about a band the second (or third) time is kind of the same thing. With Blood::Muscles::Bones, Street Eaters haven’t changed up their sound drastically or reworked their well-oiled machine. They’ve just written another bundle … Read more

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