Alkaline Trio
Agony & Irony
Epic (2008)
Dear Matt Skiba, I recently picked up your band's latest release in the cut out bin at my favorite used CD store. After your last official long player, Crimson, which by the way sucked, I have given up all hope that your Alkaline Trio would ever release anything worth my time. Now here we are, Matt, with your first major … Read more
Alkaline Trio
Remains
Vagrant (2007)
I haven't met anyone in my life that is affiliated with hardcore or punk that doesn't like at least a handful of Alkaline Trio songs. Alkaline Trio's gothic twists on weathered topics like being drunk, drugs, and being heartbroken ring all but universal to the ears of every kid that has every thought about wearing black for a week and … Read more
Alkaline Trio
This Addiction
Heart & Skull (2010)
So. The big question. A return to form? Quick answer yes. Less quick answer yes, but. A lot has been touted about the latest album from Skiba, Andriano, and Grant and some of it is even true. It's a definite move away from the ill-advised adult rock of 2008's Agony & Irony, but it falls far from being a primal … Read more
All for Nothing
Solitary
WTF (2008)
More hardcore from across the pond. This time it's The Netherlands. Neat. All for Nothing sound like they want to rewrite the first Comeback Kid album in five tracks. You know the sound - fast hardcore, silly breakdowns, and shouted vocals. Oh yeah this time the vocals are handled by a lady. She sort of reminds me of Mike Ski … Read more
All Hell Breaks Loose
All Hell Breaks Loose
Surprise Attack (2004)
South Florida must be a breeding ground for hardcore bands. It seems every three months I'm hearing about another band featuring members of past bands I enjoyed. This usually means that I'll be stoked as hell or extremely disappointed with what I hear. All Hell Breaks Loose, the latest culprit, features members of notable bands Until the End, Santa Sangre, … Read more
All Hits
Men And Their Work
Iron Lung (2020)
Back in the 1980s there were some intriguing new sounds developing. Post-punk was always arty and a bit noisier, but always so serious. New Wave was danceable and synthetic, but sometimes not serious enough. The commonality between the two, tonally, was an exploration of new soundscapes with inhuman tones: finding a balance between a detached dystopian environment and the nuance … Read more
All Hype
Response
Bus 125 (2008)
Michigan's All Hype had the unfortunate job of opening a six-band bill show that had no local openers and I believe only ten people paid. Gotta love MPLS hardcore showing their support for bands that don't come from their cul de sac in the burbs. Anyhow, All Hype were great and did an In My Eyes cover, so naturally I … Read more
All Leather
Hung Like a Horse
Dim Mak (2009)
With the demise of Some Girls and the considerable downtime of The Locust, Justin Pearson got the itch to do something new. He teamed up with fellow Some Girls cohort Nathan Joyner and Maniqui Lazer's Jung Sing to form All Leather All Leather ventures towards slightly different territory that previous Pearson projects, and yet there is still that distinct sound … Read more
All Night Radio
Spirit Stereo Frequency
Sub Pop (2004)
Imagine driving down an endless highway in a thunderstorm while listening to your favorite AOR station. Suddenly lightning strikes the antenna and the gaps between the songs are erased. The songs of the Beatles, the Doors, Pink Floyd, Three Dog Night and even the Gypsy Kings all begin to coincide with one another, creating intricate, lengthy tracks. Through some variety … Read more
All Teeth
I am Losing
High Fidelity (2009)
Every so often you hear a record and it instantaneously floors you. All Teeth's debut full-length I Am Losing is one of those records. The thirteen songs that make up this album are filled with such passion, aggression, and emotion - it is as though anger, frustration, resentment, and bitterness actually fuel the songs. The lyrics and music perfectly match … Read more
All Teeth
Young Love EP
Panic (2011)
All Teeth came out in 2009 with a full length that got mass praise amongst the hardcore press. Unfortunately it did not yield the fanbase they may deserve. So in the meantime they have moved to Panic Records, a label with a reputation for putting out solid releases. This label change seems to have done some good for them, allowing … Read more
All Teeth and Knuckles
Club Hits to Hit the Club With
Lujo (2007)
This is what happens when trust fund kids with expendable bank accounts get their hands on keyboards and samplers: an album of weak dance tracks with sing-speak vocalists telling bad jokes about people they despise. I'm sure this is supposed to be a joke, but then there's some truth to it. These gentlemen thrive on bar and club culture. Imagine, … Read more
All the Saints
Fire on Corridor X
Touch & Go (2009)
Fire on Corridor X, the debut full-length from this Atlanta, GA three-piece swirls up their influences in a Bass-O-Matic and shotguns the remains. I hear some Ride, some Swervedriver, even a little Jesus and Mary Chain. "Sheffield" starts this one off with a bang, and the band just let the tides flow. "Hornett" builds up the tension with some cool … Read more
All Them Witches
Sleeping Through The War
New West (2017)
All Them Witches is a rock band with a psychedelic blues tinge that reflects their southern-but-also-hip hometown of Nashville, Tennessee. Although All Them Witches can really deal in those druggy, heavy-hitting riffs that make you want to knock back a six pack in the desert, they also have a real musicianship that’s too often lacking in the dime-a-dozen bands that … Read more
All Through a Life
All Through a Life
Clue #2 (2008)
Unsolicited review materials are either one of two things: great surprises or extreme disappointments. Vancouver, British Columbia natives All Through a Life is of the first grouping. Prior to its arrival in the mail, I had never heard of All Though a Life. Over the course of this three-song 7" the Canadian four-piece experiments with a crossing of Dischord-esque punk … Read more
All Your Sisters
Uncomfortable Skin
Flenser (2016)
Starting out as the solo project of Jordan Morrison, All Your Sisters turned into an intriguing duo with the addition of Mario Armando Ruiz on bass and synths. The band draws influence from mainly from the '80s new wave scene, paying tribute to the post-punk and noise rock styles of the era, but with an industrial edge and an ambient … Read more
Allegiance
Desperation
Rivalry (2007)
Do you ever buy the new album from a band you like and after a couple listens you just think, "This is about what I expected"? Most of the time this means the album is good; just more songs of the sound you've become accustomed to. This happened to me when I got Champion's full-length. I liked it, but it … Read more
Alluvial
Sarcoma
Nuclear Blast (2021)
Last year was definitely a great year for metal. Probably the best year for metal in the past like ten or fifteen years. So great in fact, that I’m still trying to catch up with albums I didn’t get to either listen to or review. I actually had to make a spreadsheet for tracking purposes, imagine that, hahaha! Anyway, I … Read more
