Morne
Shadows
Profound Lore (2013)
Since their split with Warprayer and their debut album Untold Wait there were no illusions that the band from Boston was onto something truly great. Now, two years after the release of their sophomore full-length, Asylum, Morne strike back with their latest sonic compilation with the band’s only purpose being to drag us into the depths of sorrow and misery … Read more
Muse
Black Holes and Revelations
Warner Bros. (2006)
If you asked me six years ago to name a band that at this time would seem about to take over the world I really don't think Muse would have even been in my top 50 choices. Then they had just released the very Radiohead sounding Showbiz and seemed almost destined to spend their career being compared to the Oxford … Read more
Nachtmystium
Addicts: Black Meddle Pt. 2
Century Media (2010)
Blake Judd has had a rough last couple years, missing two of Nachtmystium's biggest breaks as a result of a strange coincidence and outright misinformation. First, getting thrown off of the first annual Scion Fest for supposedly being a National Socialist band (they are not). The second occurred shortly thereafter losing out on a spot in direct support of The … Read more
Neil Young
Hitchhiker
Warner Bros. (2017)
Neil Young is cool as shit... there I got that out of the way. He has been an inspiration to numerous bands over his 50+ year career working with Buffalo Springfield, CSNY, and his solo work. Young has played with musicians as diverse as Rick James in their first band together in the 60s dubbed The Mynah Birds, to Pearl … Read more
Neon Christ
1984
Southern Lord (2021)
Power Power of Power of Neon Power of Christ Power of Neon Christ Compels You! I cast you out! Your mother darns socks in Hell! Your mother is here. Would you like to leave a message? I’ll see that she gets it! I adorn my Crucifix on my horsehair and lath wall and point the saviors head north but inevitably … Read more
Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds
Ghosteen
Bad Seed LTD. (2019)
There’s nothing more personal than grief. It affects us all in different ways, but the one commonality often tends to be the insular. We retreat into ourselves, finding little comfort in the company of others. It’s selfish, in a way. But it’s also a necessary part of the grieving process.It’s this truism that makes Ghosteen such a remarkable and selfless … Read more
Nine Inch Nails
Year Zero
Interscope (2007)
Let me bring you up to speed on the world of Nine Inch Nails. 2005 saw the release of With Teeth, an album which boasted three number-one singles, a Grammy award nomination, and respectable position on many 'top albums of the year' lists. Like the widely acclaimed The Downward Spiral before it, With Teeth showcased distinct pop-sensibilities in frontman Trent … Read more
None More Black
This is Satire
Fat Wreck Chords (2006)
Have you ever heard a record for the first time and immediately received a feeling of comfort that you would normally get from an album you've been listening to for years? Every so often, you find an album that just "clicks" with you so well that you cannot deny it, and you know you will still be listening to it … Read more
Nonhorse
Haraam, Circle of Flame
Release the Bats (2006)
Someone beats on sheet metal. A phone rings? White noise and feedback. Sounds from a long lost sci-fi B movie I think. Someone recorded the sounds from an alien spaceship's motherboard. A saxophone goes completely fucking berserk. An eerie, unrelenting din pervades everything. This is what I hear as I sit down to review Nonhorse's compact disc. Enter Haraam, Circle … Read more
Oceansize
Effloresce
Beggars Banquet (2004)
A lot of my friends feel they have a duty to recommend me music. I don't mean to sound conceited, but I'm quite an educated individual when it comes to music of multiple genres. So when a friend suggests something to me, it's more often than not something I've already heard. But if I do have a weak spot in … Read more
Off!
Free LSD
Fat Possum Records (2022)
Blistering fast-paced Punk Rock energy proton pills shoved down your esophagus. Gobble Gobble. Glug Glug Glug, Rallllph... Let’s Get It On and not like the Ed Sheeran Remake ha ha ha. Everyone's loveable favourite punk that seemingly appears in every Punk Rock documentary…Keith Morris continues to pulverize, perpetuate, pontificate and ponder life, death and all that other gobbly gook in … Read more
Old Canes
Early Morning Hymns
Second Nature Recordings (2004)
Imagine waking up and stepping outside of a small cabin. The sun is just rising over the trees on a cool autumn day, the dew on the grass is still there and the sun is reflecting off of it. The leaves are catching a breeze and calmly whispering. Small songbirds are singing back and forth to each other and the … Read more
Om
Pilgrimage
Southern Lord (2007)
Sleep was great. High on Fire is pretty good. But Om consistently impresses me, and seems to gain momentum with every album. Om seems to be getting closer than ever to carving out its own unique corner in the psychedelic genre that I could simply call "zen doom." These days "hypnotic" is a much-overused word in review writing, especially since … Read more
Omega Massif
Karpatia
Denovali (2011)
Holy shit.Let me put the rest of this review in context. The day I discovered post-metal was the day I was told to listen to Isis' seminal album Oceanic. For an hour I could do nothing but sit still and listen in awe to such beauty. It started my long-standing interest in the genre, though to this day no album … Read more
Oranssi Pazuzu
Valonielu
Svart Records/20 Buck Spin (2013)
Oranssi Pazuzu are claiming to be coming from Finland… truth is that a more likely point of origin for this band is outer space. Even their name has an intriguing story behind it, with the band taking the word “Oranssi”, which means orange, as a reference to the first light rays in the big bang, and following with the name … Read more
Pallbearer
Foundations of Burden
Profound Lore (2014)
When Pallbearer released their debut album, Sorrow and Extinction, I was stunned. No matter how good their 2010 demo was, there was no way you could be prepared for an album of the caliber of Sorrow and Extinction. And of course the expectations for the sophomore album of the doom metal act are now much higher, but they are still … Read more
Pallbearer
Heartless
Profound Lore Records/Nuclear Blast Records (2017)
Pallbearer’s evolution over the last seven or so years has been one that seems natural and organic, with each record building on what came before and giving the Arkansas based band a step forward on the ladder towards greatness. Their demo of 2010 introduced a band indebted to doom greats Black Sabbath, but the inclusion of a cover of Billie … Read more
Pallbearer
Sorrow And Extinction
Profound Lore (2012)
Arkansas residents Pallbearer have been a band to watch out for ever since the release of a fantastic three track demo in 2010. Featuring two original compositions ("Devoid of Redemption" and "The Legend" having been re-recorded for this release) and a cover track, this demo served to have many take note of this doom-laden quartet and the hopes for a … Read more
