There are those records out there where people can point to them as a turning point in their musical taste or a shift in their musical aesthetic and say that the record really changed how they viewed entire swathes of music or entire genres, and I will never forget the day that I bought False Cathedrals from Elliott in part because the album did usher in a whole dramatic shift in my musical language and opened my eyes in some weird ways to how arresting pretty sounding music had the potential to be; but even with this type of hyperbole (which in reality it is not because the album definitely shifted my perceptions in a lot of ways), the one idea to not get lost is that False Cathedrals is just this great record. Allow me to explain just how False Cathedrals completely blew my mind because it has affected the way that I listen to the album even now after these almost twelve years after I initially brushed wings with it; I popped this album on my CD player just after the airplane flight staff indicated that we could now use our electronic devices and proceeded to enjoy the … Read more
Though not as revered as the final album from The Nerve Agents, Days Of The White Owl is certainly a … Read more
Though they're definitely much more accessible than some of their peers, the Diablo Swing Orchestra are without a doubt one … Read more
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For two veteran bands the split may seem like an odd option as it is generally used to introduce new bands to another bands audience. Well, Integrity and Gehenna have never been bands to stick to the norm in any facet or their careers. So we have a shared stopgap of sorts while both bands seem to work towards full length releases in the future. So we have what could be a taste of things to come.Gehenna starts side a with a moody guitar part slowly building a dark feeling over the proceedings. "Parallel Hells" does a great job of allowing the normally brutal band to step just outside of their norm by giving the song a more melodic feel before completely destroying everything for the final bit of the … Read more
North London four piece Fighting Kites started life in 2009, their brand of intimate instrumental rock immediately setting them apart from the arty crowd that usually inhabits the post-rock tag. Delicate structures of gentle and sweeping beauty permeate this debut record, opener “Chuck Close” a subtle composition of lightly struck notes and slow introductions to a range of noises. As … Read more
How do you rate bands, or maybe, how do you determine if you think a band is good or not; is it their longevity or their subjective impact on music or how their music speaks to you on emotional level, or does their live show or how they play live help make your ultimate decision? For my part, these questions … Read more
Mares Of Thrace are a band apart from the norm. Merely sound-wise they stick outside of the given genre parameters. Meanwhile, one look at their facebook page or the statement they make in a live setting will give any people wanting to pigeonhole them a whole new headache. Let's get this out of the way first, Mares are a two … Read more
I’m not going to lie. I’m reaching a bit out of my comfort zone on reviewing this one. And, yes, the rating system is a bit skewed toward albums that fit into my more typical listening genres. In other words, it would take Sharon Van Etten a hell of an album to secure a high score. Tramp, her third release, … Read more
As much as I love death metal, I always seem to have issues enjoying black metal. It's not that I have anything against the genre at all--the aesthetic is actually something I really enjoy. But it does seem as if every band that's been put forward from the genre to me has been lacklustre. Sadly, Oregonians Chasma fall into the … Read more
“Try to kill me / motherfucker!” That my friends, is how you kick a record into gear; without a doubt Drowningman laid down a gauntlet of sorts with How They Light Cigarettes In Prison, as other bands of the era struggled to remain relevant, this Vermont (what band comes from Vermont, seriously) band refine their approach and add some sickeningly … Read more
Is it the sound of a quarter life crisis? Is the sound of frustration and anger? In their short lived existence, Kiss It Goodbye released just this full length album (and two singles), but She Loves Me, She Loves Me Not... is nine bursts of concentrated aggression that more or less bludgeon listeners' ears with the viciousness of a mass … Read more
“I reach out my hand and you turn the other way!” The only officially recorded output by Inside Out is also a monster of a record that for many is one of the most impassioned sounding recorded works of all time (though this is not a completely universal sentiment by any stretch of the imagination), and, sure, sometimes the band … Read more
This EP was my introduction to the world of music business and contracts while also reiterating how wild the weirdo rumor mill that really can drive punk and hardcore (to an extant) can be, but more on that later because the aptly named Steal This was also my introduction to The Explosion albeit it brief; and while the record was … Read more
Simply put, Start Today is one of the greatest hardcore records that has ever been written; and there is no way that you can argue against that statement of fact, and if you try, you are not just fooling yourself but also robbing yourself of the experience of hearing one of the most innocent and pure odes to being young, … Read more
This record is way too long. Nah, with 16 songs in 17 minutes, it’s shorter than a heart attack. And, hopefully, that will be my only elderstateman reference in here. For those living under a rock since 2010, Off! is a new Keith Morris (Circle Jerks, Black Flag) fronted hardcore band where he is joined by Dimitri Coats (Burning Brides), … Read more
If there's anything movies have taught us, it's that sequels almost always suck in comparison to the original. While there aren't nearly as many sequels in the musical world, occasionally an artist will go back and revisit one of the ideas that made them famous in the first place. In almost all of these cases, such as with Mike Oldfield's … Read more
Spain's Looking For An Answer have been around long enough that to play grind is generally to be compared to those who have come before you and possibly just be forgotten by all but the people who are devout listeners. What tends to set the band apart is a defined addition of more tempo changes and death metal related parts. … Read more
“THEY PLAYED ‘ZOZOBRA’! THEY PLAYED ‘ZOZOBRA’!” Thank you for allowing me to get that out of my system as the shock of seeing Old Man Gloom resume the gloom only just recently is still fresh and firmly entrenched in my mind, and seeing as my wait to see the Old Man Gloom Institute for Simian Research has been much more … Read more
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