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Tilman Hartley

To Basics
Orthogonal (2013)

Guitars guitars guitars. When did you last hear a new band who's main focus is on guitars? Londoner Tilman Hartley's debut album To Basics is all about the guitars, teeming with frazzled barre chords and captivating riffs.Among all the near-faultless guitar playing Hartley's vocals have a tendency to veer all over the place. On "Belle de Jour" it's difficult to … Read more

From Oceans to Autumn

Pareto Analysis II: The Vital Few
Independent (2013)

From Oceans to Autumn is a band that I was surprised was not on my post-metal radar. They have a surprisingly prolific (and notably high-quality) output for a band that was just formed in 2006, and with the release of the second volume in their Pareto Analysis series, The Vital Few, they are showing no signs of slowing down.What I … Read more

The Body

Master, We Perish
At A Loss (2013)

The Body are, for want of a better phrase, absolutely fucking bonkers. From the trippy All the Waters of the Earth Shall Turn to Blood to the disturbing video for the track “The Ebb and Flow of Tides in a Sea of Ash” (don’t click that link if you’re of a nervous disposition) that’s featured on this new EP, The … Read more

Grey Storia

Martonic
14 Tower Records (2013)

With their humble roots set in friendly jam sessions, American post-rock band theLakeSuperior recorded their first three demos back in the spring of 2011. Just a year later, bolstered by their warm reception, the band took a new name, Grey Storia, and was ready to cut their first release. Those recordings later became their 2013 EP and debut, Martonic.From the … Read more

Arsis

Unwelcome
Nuclear Blast (2013)

Arsis have gotten a lot of flack recently--many folks haven't liked their turn away from the frantically technical towards the heavily melodic. And while I personally liked Starve for the Devil, there's no denying that substantial change has occurred in Arsis's sound, and despite a few bright moments here and there, it has generally been for the worse. Unfortunately, their … Read more

Gaytheist

Hold Me...But Not So Tight
Good to Die Records (2013)

Gaytheist are nothing if not a eye-catching band. Their name - a portmanteau of 'gay' and 'atheist' - will undoubtedly set perceptions of the trio before the needle has even dropped. Hold Me… But Not So Tight's artwork portrays two stylised, embracing reptiles, the band's name superimposed in strong capitals. Song titles such as 'Poocano' or 'Wisdom of the Asshole' … Read more

The Fifth Alliance

Unrevealed Secrets Of Ruin
Demons Run Amok (2013)

The Fifth Alliance were formed in late 2006 in Bruda, Netherlands. Their sound is a mixture of doom, sludge and hardcore. The members include Silvia on vocals, Niels and Ivo on guitars, Rudd on bass and Ashwin on drums.Although the band was conceived back in 2006, their full length Unrevealed Secrets Of Ruin came out only 7 seven years later, … Read more

James LaBrie

Impermanent Resonance
Inside Out (2013)

Apparently, James LaBrie (vocalist for progressive metal gods Dream Theater) has a pretty satisfying solo career. I wasn't aware of this until doing some research, but he already has two solo releases under his belt--three, counting his newest release, Elements of Persuasion. (We'll leave the issues of whether or not his work with Mullmuzzler counts as "solo" releases until another … Read more

Pretty & Nice

Golden Rules For Golden People
Equal Vision (2013)

Quirky indie pop rockers Pretty & Nice have resurfaced again, this time with a new album full of energetic pop gems that prove this band is worth the buzz around it. The Boston quartet generated a lot of interest off of their first release Get Young and gigs at SXSW but after their second LP release the love faded. While … Read more

Nick Jaina

Primary Perception
Fluff & Gravy Records (2013)

Nick Jaina added a full length album to an already impressive and diverse portfolio of sound in April of this year. Primary Perception joined a repertoire of 8 albums (available on bandcamp), multiple scores for theater, dance, and film, and a collection of prose and poetry. Taking into account his many diverse talents and works,Primary Perception is surprisingly focused and … Read more

Mixtapes

Ordinary Silence
No Sleep (2013)

It’s still a bit hard to grasp what grabs me about Even on the Worst Nights. It finally clicked, though, as I drove through rural Minnesota prairie towns, stopping at the varied towns’ lone stoplights and taking in the familiar quiet downtowns and the fading paintjobs. Thematically the record reminisces on the longing of a small town youth trying to … Read more

Dave Hause

Heavy Heart
Jade Tree (2012)

Of all of Dave Hause’s 7-inch’s for this series, this was the one I was most excited about. Jade Tree is one of my favorite labels with an amazing catalog., including The Loved Ones’, “Keep Your Heart.” There’s no surprise Hause went with this one. I was stoked to see he’d be covering The Promise Ring and Jets to Brazil … Read more

Sundowners

The Larger Half of Wisdom
Dirt Cult (2013)

It’s been a couple years of seeing Sundowners’ name pop up on show listings around town. Still, I’ve missed them every time. Well, the band has now popped up on Dirt Cult Records’ roster too, so I figured I was beyond due to see what the Minneapolis band (not to be confused with Lawrence Arms side project Sundowner) is all … Read more

Černá

Restoring Life
Domestic Genocide (2013)

It's rapidly becoming clear to me that "post-black metal" just isn't a great name for a genre. In addition to the obvious clunkiness and how little "post-" actually means, a strong argument can be made that the genre doesn't have any legitimate claim to the black metal mantle in the first place. And it's hard to disagree, especially with acts … Read more

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