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Reviews by Michael

588 total search results — Page 19 of 30

Title Fight – Kingston

Review — April 21, 2008

Title Fight is the latest pop-punk/melodic hardcore outfit to emerge from the school of Saves the Day/Lifetime. The three songs that comprise this 7" are rooted in the sound of early Saves the Day, but they've also got a bit of a post-hardcore vibe going on as well. Musically I …

Radio War – The Rising of the Talentless

Review — April 21, 2008

Richmond has always had an impressive hardcore scene, so it's no surprise to hear good things from the city in Radio War. The Rising of the Talentless is the band's first label release and the second for upstart Copper Lung Records. This 7" comes packed with four tracks of gritty …

Culprits – Demo

Review — April 21, 2008

Culprits is a band that you've likely never heard. What the hell is wrong with you? This New Mexico four-piece serves up five tracks of fast-paced and in-your-face hardcore in less than six minutes. The music is intense and the words are penned with quite the chip on the shoulder. …

Skin Like Iron – Amalgamation II

Review — April 30, 2008

Amalgamation II compiles together the three self-released cassette recordings from Skin Like Iron. These recordings were originally released separate from each other beginning last year; they were ultimately brought together in a limited edition cassette box set before the good people at Free Cake Records saw fit to offer them …

Hoor-paar-Kraat – In Eros Veritas

Review — May 2, 2008

There is a fine line between noise and music. Notice that I didn't say art, because in all honesty, art is pretty much anything you want it to be. But music, well, music and noise and two totally different things. Case in point, Hoor-paar-Kraat. Hoor-paar-Kraat is the "brainchild" and "creation" …

Three Steps to the Ocean – Three Steps to the Ocean (Reissue)

Review — May 2, 2008

Three Steps to the Ocean is an Italian instrumental outfit. Like their counterparts in Vanessa Van Basten, Three Steps to the Ocean dabbles in the world of post-rock. The recording here is the band's debut EP reissued on vinyl format. Three Steps to the Ocean is a four-piece and together …

Bosch's With You – Dreams That Come a Thing Part II

Review — May 2, 2008

I believe that Bosch's With You is the first Russian band I've sat down and actually listened to. I can't help but make the excuse that Russia is half a world away from where I reside, but on the other hand, the Internet has made it so easy for us …

Vanessa Van Basten – Vanessa Van Basten (Reissue)

Review — May 2, 2008

Fortunately for all, Vanessa Van Basten is not the name of the latest female pop diva. Instead, they are a two-piece instrumental duo from Italy that draws heavily from the worlds of post-rock, metal, and shoegaze. This recording is the band's debut EP reissued on a stunning two-tone colored 12" …

Masato Tanaka / Pocket Gallows – Split

Review — May 2, 2008

Square of Opposition Records has teamed up two new bands, or at least two that are new to me team up for a split 12" LP. Masato Tanaka starts things off. Their side of the split contains nine tracks. Over the course of these songs the trio incorporate the worlds …

Antillectual – Waves

Review — May 2, 2008

Straightforward hardcore/punk. That is what The Netherlands' Antillectual offers up on Waves. This 7" features three new songs and three songs from their previous full-length. Antillectual serves up fast-paced hardcore punk with melody streamlined into the songs' structures. Musically I'd compare them to Strike Anywhere or Rise Against, but with …

Yo Man Go – Life Lessons

Review — May 2, 2008

Yo Man Go hail from the eastern part of Pennsylvania and they play melodic punk that'll please fans whose record collections boast releases from the No Idea and Fat Wreck catalogs. This two song 7" is the first issued recording from these punk rock upstarts. "Life Lessons" is a melodic …

Dynamite Arrows – Blowin' It

Review — May 2, 2008

Dynamite Arrows offers up four tracks on Blowin' It. The four-piece have concocted a fine mixture of melodic punk, hardcore, and traditional pop-punk. Musically I'm reminded of the likes of Kid Dynamite and Latterman. The vocals are a bit less coarse, delivered in a slightly nasal harmony. The pace of …

Zhenia Golov – Zhenia Golov

Review — May 2, 2008

Zhenia Golov hail from the hardcore factory that is New Brunswick, NJ. I won't bore you with a list of notables that have already made it big, just know that there are a lot of them. Zhenia Golov plays aggressive and raw hardcore punk with a bit of influence from …

Brain Dead / Rot in Hell – Millennial Psychosis

Review — May 2, 2008

Millennial Psychosis features two of the best up-and-coming hardcore bands that the U.K. has to offer. If you haven't picked up on these two yet, you're missing out. Brain Dead offer up four songs of punishing hardcore/powerviolence that would do the likes of Infest proud. This U.K. four-piece unleashes a …

Set Foot – Aging

Review — May 2, 2008

Set Foot is a fairly straightforward hardcore band from Vancouver, British Columbia. They may hail from the Pacific Northwest but they're far different from their brethren in the likes of Champion, Sinking Ships, Blue Monday, etc. Rather than draw influence from the worlds of youth crew and posi-revival hardcore, Set …

Capillary Action – So Embarrassing

Review — May 6, 2008

There is a small set of musicians that I would consider to be more than just your average artist. When it comes to composing music, the arrangement and execution of these pieces, as one is a feat that only the most talented of individuals can excel at. The most obvious …

Down and Outs – Friday Nights, Monday Mornings

Review — May 8, 2008

Down and Outs have been shaking things up for going on four years now. Unfortunately, I really didn't start paying attention to the band until last year when they offered up a split 7" with Death is No Glamorous. Despite my ignorance, Down and Outs have amassed a small discography …

Testament – The Formation of Damnation

Review — May 22, 2008

Since the mid 1980's Bay Area thrashers Testament have persevered in the world of heavy metal, undergoing numerous lineup changes and even a few medical scares. While their peers in Metallica, Anthrax, and Slayer consistently received glorious praise and popularity with metalheads, Testament instead maintained a mediocre level of success …

Tides / Giant – Split

Review — May 28, 2008

Level Plane Records and Teenage Disco Bloodbath Records have partnered together as they team up two extremely underrated artists, at least in my eyes. Originally released on vinyl format last year, this split release is finally available as a CD (from what I can only assume to be the success …

Muse – H.A.A.R.P.

Review — June 3, 2008

Muse is a band that has long had their music overshadowed by comparisons to the giants that are Radiohead, U2, and Queen. Rather than worry about dispelling said comparisons, Muse have taken the allegations of being a "rip-off" and "lacking originality" in stride and maintained its artistic credibility while continuing …