It must be a truly horrible feeling to have the heart and soul you pour endlessly into your music summed up by thousands in one singular, horrendously monotone phrase: 'bath music.' No matter how many hours you bleed emotion into your chosen art form; to many that art will simply be regarded as something to stick in their stereo system … Read more
In my circle of friends, I am the only one who doesn't find anything remotely interesting about Bane. So what does that have to do with this review? A lot actually since two members of Silent Drive are in Bane. That really doesn't impress me, what did grab me is that two members were in Drowningman. I have been awaiting … Read more
What did I know about Silent Era coming into this review?Nothing.So I’m speaking based on first impressions and a lot of repeated listens instead of preconceived ideas from a previous release or live show. My general description of Rotate the Mirror is that the band plays driving DIY punk. It has influences from the genre’s origins in the ‘70s-early ‘80s … Read more
Hungarian musician Csarnogurszky István is quite prolific, helming Black Hill, musicformessier, Realm of Wolves, Stvannyr, and of course Silent Island. His most recent release is The Curse of Coleodeia under Silent Island. As it can be often witnessed with prolific bands and/or musicians, the output may tend to suffer in quality due to the quantity in which it comes about. … Read more
The Beatles and Silverchair have a lot more in common than one might initially think. But before any of you go and get your panties in a bunch, by no means am I saying that Silverchair and The Beatles are equals in influence or of the same league when it comes to songwriting. What I am saying is that their … Read more
They say if it ain't broke, don't fix it but I wish someone hadn't told Silverstein that. Rescue is the definition of a generic post hardcore album, which at this point in their career is a little disappointing. Though old fans will feel right at home with Rescue, those looking for more of the progress we heard on A Shipwreck … Read more
It didn't take long for Silversun Pickups to become a hit with listeners anywhere. Their debut album, Carnavas, spawned two top-ten singles and their 2009 release, Swoon has been one of the most anticipated albums of this year for good reasons. Their sound can be easily compared to alternative rock bands of the 90s such as The Smashing Pumpkins, but … Read more
Six years is a long time between a freshman and sophomore release. Granted, that length isn’t entirely accurate—Sims has been involved in a number of Doomtree records, from the False Hopes mixtape series to appearances on various crew records. Still, he has been patient as Doomtree has released solo records for nearly everyone else in the collective since 2005’s Lights … Read more
Lights Out Paris was one of my favorite releases of 2005, but as the Doomtree crew only has so much time and money on their hands, they rotate members' releases. Thus, it's taken Sims until 2009 to release a False Hopes (the Doomtree version of a mixtape). On #14, Sims has ten new songs to show his growth as an … Read more
Sims is something of a firebrand on his early work, spitting political vitriol and pointing fingers outward and in on records like Lights Out Paris and Bad Time Zoo. This time around, the Minneapolis rapper is looking even more inward on the new More Than Ever, a record that pushes expectation beyond the hard-hitting beats and spitfire lyricism with echo-y … Read more
Decent record. Just sounds like everything else. Not that that is a bad thing I just didn't see myself saying "Oh I like that," or "That is pretty cool" once during the record. Definite potential and hopefully they can mature with future releases. If you like hardcore in the vein of Between the Buried and Me then you will like … Read more
Originality and innovation are two things this record lacks, but if those two things are extremely important to you, you probably shouldn't be listening to hardcore. Sinai Beach is definitely one of the better new school hardcore bands around today. Plenty of the fast paced hardcore stuff that gets kids broken noses on the dance floors these days, some crunching … Read more
I first heard about this band from an associate that doesn't like metalcore, but for the most part, strictly hardcore. So here I am, expecting something new, something that doesn't sound like the rest of the metalcore! After the ten second intro sample in "Candice", I was quickly disappointed. This first song sums up the whole album pretty much. This … Read more
A seven year old band from Boston, comprised of three members, released their third full-length this year. After writing five songs two years ago for a split with friends Ampere, Sinaloa present Oceans of Islands, their first effort distributed by Level Plane Records. Their previous albums and splits were released on Ebullition, Clean Plate, and Waking Records, labels that boast … Read more
Was it really only two years ago that Since By Man unleashed their debut CD, We Sing the Body Electric? Granted, an EP in the form of A Love Hate Relationship was designed to tide over their salivating audience in between tours and writing sessions, but personally it feels like a great deal more time has passed in between. Enter … Read more
For a genre such as hardcore, it's hard for a band to sound different... or good, for that matter. I dislike hardcore music, but this sounded like an emo-core/hardcore hybrid. Since By Man is the best hardcore band I've ever listened to - they play fairly fast (or, at least, they CAN play fast if they choose to do so), … Read more
I think I have whiplash. An incredibly addictive hardcore album with infectious riffs and powerful, gut-wrenching vocals are the best random synonyms for "whoah-kick ass" that I can think of at the moment. The vocals play off the guitars beautifully, and everything in between are seemingly endless chances for innovation that Since By Man capitalize upon nearly every time. Much … Read more
Lately, it has been difficult to read a music magazine with out encountering the statement "(Band X) breaks/pushes the boundaries of typical (Genre Y)" I'm sure somebody has already filled in the variables for this one: X = Since by Man and Y = Hardcore. We Sing the Body Electric is Since by Man's first full-length release after a series … Read more
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