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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)

Owls

Two
Polyvinyl (2014)

Post-hardcore merges the experimentation of noise rock with the energy of hardcore punk. During its first two decades, post-hardcore was pretty underground, but it produced notable acts like Shellac, Fugazi, and Big Black in the 80’s and Chavez, Slint, and Unwound in the 90’s.In the 2000’s, post-hardcore broke with The Used’s 2003 self-titled album and My Chemical Romance’s 2004 album Three Cheers for Sweet Revenge, achieving gold and platinum status respectively. By this point, the experimental edge and underground roots of post-hardcore had been eradicated for mainstream satisfaction.Today, bands like I See Stars, We Came As Romans, and Asking Alexandria are desecrating this beautiful genre: their production is too polished, they use generic song titles, and the lead singers sound like they’re on Radio Disney (see I See Stars’ video for “What This Means To Me” if you think I’m just joshing with you). Who will save post-hardcore?Fortunately, the band Owls retains that classic post-hardcore sound. Thirteen years after their self-titled debut (which happened to be produced by Big Black/Shellac’s Steve Albini), the Chicago quartet has released Two, a time machine that travels back to the golden age of post-hardcore.The album’s lead single “I’m Surprised...” crosses Built To Spill-like indie … Read more

Brain F≠

Empty Set
Grave Mistake / Sorry State (2014)

Apparently this band is called “Brain Flannel.” I don’t know what that means, but as somebody capable of reading the … Read more

200 Words Or Less

Fuck The Facts

Amer
Independent (2013)

Fuck The Facts have long been a bright spot in the canadian metal scene. The long running band have released … Read more

Kill Matilda

#Punk#Zombie#RocknRoll
Independent (2014)

Blood, decay, and darkness, that’s what I think of when I listen to Kill Matilda’s re-release EP #Punk#Zombie#RocknRoll which derived … Read more

The Estranged

Self Titled LP
Sabotage (2014)

Despite having been formed in 2006 and having released 3 LPs since, the Portland originated post punk band The Estranged … Read more

Stop Breathing

Santa Cruz EP
Independent (2014)

Raging, fast, poignant, and so on; any number of commonly used hardcore band descriptors would be apropos when talking about … Read more

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One from the archives

Comadre

A Wolf Ticket
Bloodtown (2009)

200 Words Or Less

Ever since their conception in 2004, Comadre has been a ridiculously prolific punk band. They tour constantly and release a new album or EP practically every year. You'd assume that it wouldn't give enough time for the band's sound to change and evolve, but I'm impressed with the growth in each of their releases. Their latest EP, A Wolf Ticket is no exception. It's an understandable follow up to their 2007 split with Trainwreck: more polished, stronger melodies, and really good drum work. It starts off with "Hamlets" that features Comadre's notorious love for feedback and dramatic screams. "Tannerisms" and "Suicides May Have Been Pact" are two traditionally raw and fast paced songs. "Viva Hate Pt. 1" starts off with lo-fi singing and explodes into the rapid and short "Viva … Read more

More album reviews

200 Words Or Less

Epic Problem

Lines
Rebellion / Longshot / Rebelsound (2014)

You’ve heard it before a hundred times. You’ve thought it yourself.Punk rock is a safe genre.While I generally hate on talk like this, promoting genre classification over substance and artistic focus, there is a certain argument that can be made (and has been, oh, let’s say a hundred times). When you hear of a “punk record” there are expectations when … Read more

Drawers

Self Titled
Katotoxin Records (2014)

When it comes to thinking about "heavy" music, it's virtually impossible to not immediately think of titans of the genre Sleep and their epic 63 minute long Dopesmoker and the opening lines "Drop out of life, bong in hand/Follow the smoke toward the riff-filled land." On their self-titled second album for Kaotoxin Records, French sludge outfit Drawers shoot for a … Read more

Skaters

Manhattan
Warner Bros. (2014)

Spawned from drunken promises at an LA house party to "jam together", soon-to-be Skaters vocalist Michael Ian Cummings and guitarist Josh Hubbard made a hazy pact. Fast forward a few months, and England-based (and ex-Dirty Pretty Thing) Hubbard informs Cummings that he'll be arriving in New York in a few hours. Not content with flying that far "just to jam", … Read more

Coathangers

Suck My Shirt
Suicide Squeeze (2014)

This Atlanta trio caught my attention with Larceny & Old Lace a couple of years ago, and Suck My Shirt is a continuation of that sound. It shifts into hypnotic, rhythmic patterns and eschews melodies at times, instead just shouting their fury over the beat while discordant guitars clash away. It’s not noise rock—there’s still a firm focus on structure … Read more

T.O.M.B.

Third Wave Holocaust
Black Plague (2013)

T.O.M.B., the one man blackened noise project, has been running strong for many years. the is such a consistency within No One's (the nom de plum of the man behind the project) output that the growth from one release to the next may be decieving to many listeners. Now, with the projects' fourth official full length we as listeners can … Read more

Video/DVD Review

Anathema

Universal
Kscope (2013)

Anathema's live performance had always been something special and their latter day music is built for an arena such as the roman theatre of Philippopolis and the accompaniment of the Plovdiv Philharmonic Orchestra. Outdoors, under the stars and note perfect, Universal showcases the Liverpudlian bands' incredible atmosphere with a heavenly precision.Directed by Lasse Hoile, who has also made concert films … Read more

Trouble

The Distortion Field
FRW Music (2013)

There are few bands that can boast ever having made one of the heaviest albums of all time.Trouble can make that claim not just once, but twice. Those albums being 1984’s Psalm 9 and 1985’s The Skull. Trouble had the market of doom cornered for quite a while. Due in large part to guitarist Rick Wartell’s down tuned riffs and … Read more

Avichi

Catharsis Absolute
Profound Lore (2014)

Third album for Avichi, the black metal project of Aamonael (also member of Lord Mantis and previously of Nachtmystium), and if you think that another one man black metal act is something you are not interested in then you better think again. With Catharsis Absolute, Aamonael manages to take his twisted concept of US black metal a step further, going … Read more

200 Words Or Less

Gazer

Phone Commercial EP
Independent (2013)

GAZER is a new band hailing from Cincinnati, Ohio. On their debut EP, Phone Commercial, they use a combination of noise and punk to rock the sound-waves. However, they could benefit from a reduction on the noise. The first track, "I Passed The BAR," has a good groove going on with screechy guitars that blend perfectly with distorted bass lines. … Read more

200 Words Or Less

Drivin' N Cryin'

Songs For The Turntable
New! (2014)

The newest release from Drivin N Cryin is the fourth EP of the series, each release showcases the progression of this fine Atlanta band from their Punk pedigree to current status as proud Southern Rockers. This record has the band in their element with some classic guitar work and fantastic songwriting, the beauty of a Drivin N Cryin song lies … Read more

Bad Sports

Bras
Dirtnap (2013)

Bad Sports want you to turn it up. They play loud rock, rooted in the elements, but not tied to rollicking times or anti-authority volume, but taking that foundation and blending it with a fundamental structure that pulls from The Ramones and draws melodic ideas from the genres forefathers in the 1960s. It’s got that Ramones-y repetition/simplicity (“Let Me In”), … Read more

Beck

Morning Phase
Capitol (2014)

Many musicians can write a sad song. But a sad song is just that. It’s one note - one emotion. Sad-verse-sad-chorus-sad-verse-end. Rare artists can take you on an emotional journey through the changing moods of an album. Even rarer artists can do so in the same song.It’s been six years since we last heard from the likes of Beck Hansen. … Read more

Bleeding Rainbow

Interrupt
Kanine (2014)

Bleeding Rainbow is a hard-working band. They don't live solely off of their music as evidenced by singer/bassist Sarah Everton's Twitter missives about pulling shifts at a coffee shop in Philadelphia. Catch the band on tour, and more than likely you'll find them in a basement or at a venue where the beers cost less than $3. They also don't … Read more

Tim Timebomb & Friends

Mixtape
Pirates Press (2013)

Tim Armstrong (Rancid) has spent over a year releasing a song a day on YouTube under the moniker Tim Timebomb. While astute fans can pull his work right off the internet these days, there’s just something about holding a record and being able to play it at your leisure. Pirate’s Press Records recently dropped three vinyl singles and, as they … Read more

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