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Our latest album reviews, featuring the records we've most enjoyed (or not) over the past few weeks.

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Browse our album reviews according to score: Highest (9.5/10 or more) or Lowest (2/10 or less)

Ladyfinger (ne)

Dusk
Saddle Creek (2009)

I thought rock was a dead scene. The radio repeatedly fed me the term since my early teens, pushing different versions of the same band on the airways. Everything sounded like a watered down rendition of some seventies ideal I never cared about. Nothing I'd ever heard described as rock had any heart, let alone any balls. Ladyfinger (ne) are not some kind of saviors to the genre, but their latest release Dusk embodies what a rock record should be: a direct and energetic sound with a fuck you attitude. Dusk is made up of ten tracks, and if somewhat brash, the album uses of the straight guitar/bass combo to an assaulting end. The record is devoid of bells and whistles, but rather sees Ladyfinger(ne) use their instruments to the fullest capacity, unapologetic rifting away catchy hooks backed up by a full sounding rhythm section. Dusk's opener "Over and Over" sets the mood for the album, thrusting forward a wailing guitar sound over an incredible bass tone before the sing/yell vocals kick in. The third track, and would be single, "Little Things" is the band at their best, showcasing the balance between a toe tapping catchiness and fist pumping rock … Read more

Static Radio (NJ)

An Evening of Bad Decisions...
Black Numbers (2008)

Here's another band that's right up my alley. I know.. I love fellow SPB writer Zach and how he pigeonholes … Read more

The Constellation Branch

The Dream Life, The Real Life, The Empty Glass
Independent (2008)

"To sleep, perchance to dream - ay, there's the rub." Hamlet (III, i, 65-68) Man's relationship to his dreams has … Read more

The Acacia Strain

Continent
Prosthetic (2008)

Oh, the wasted potential. Sweet, sweet potential, flushed away like nothing. The Acacia Strain has been building a name by … Read more

Protestant

The Hate. The Hollow.
Halo of Flies/Rust and Machine (2008)

Sometimes bands lose sight of what they originally set out to accomplish. They get whipped up in their popularity and … Read more

200 Words Or Less

Sakes Alive!!

Act I
Barrett (2008)

Rochester, NY hardcore/punk outfit follow-up their impressive debut EP/demo with a series of 7" releases. Act I is the first … Read more

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One from the archives

Hour of the Wolf

Waste Makes Waste
Think Fast! (2007)

Hour of the Wolf are one of the best punk bands in America-trust me. It's a familiar story, kind of a Zen thing (like the tree falling in a vacant forest), but The World Is Different Now: thanks to the Internet, the local band you always knew to be better than any national contenders can now play in the big leagues, gathering converts online as well as on tour. And they will; they already have. Hour of the Wolf has already begun to amass a following outside of their native Arizona - a following that can only grow, leaving us Arizonans to nod like proud parents at native sons who hit home runs. Born in Prescott, Hour of the Wolf - who may or may not be named after an … Read more

More album reviews

200 Words Or Less

Bitter End

Bitter End
Malfunction (2008)

Texas hardcore powerhouse Bitter End return with a brand new 7" EP. You get two brand new cuts of punishing New York-flavored hardcore on this limited vinyl release. Following a short intro track "Purgatory" slams you in face like an unexpected punch. You get clobbered with searing riffs and throaty yells. It's a slamming grove that doesn't stop, save for … Read more

200 Words Or Less

Like Wolves

Like Wolves
Independent (2008)

Like Wolves is the latest product from the upstate regions of New York - Rochester/Buffalo/Syracuse. This record is the band's demo recording pressed on a limited silk-screened 7". What you get from Like Wolves is fast and aggressive hardcore with metal-tinged accents. The music is somewhat gritty and the production is raw; this suits Like Wolves' sound perfectly. And then … Read more

200 Words Or Less

Eyes Averted

Eyes Averted
Independent (2009)

Eyes Averted return with a four-song EP that the band is once again self-releasing, something they're used to after self-releasing their debut album back in 2006. These four songs continue the band's display of technical abilities but with a slightly different approach than what was displayed on their debut. The four songs still boast a technical hardcore sound akin to … Read more

200 Words Or Less

Murder Practice

Prophecies of Doom
Independent (2008)

Bay Area stalwarts Murder Practice return with their second full-length, this time they've abandoned the world of plastic and CD's for vinyl (each record comes with a free digital version of the album). Prophecies of Doom shows significant growth for the group as they've matured and left behind the more cliché mosh-forward sound they offered on their debut. Don't worry … Read more

200 Words Or Less

Gray Ghost

Gray Ghost
Copper Lung (2008)

Copper Lung Records strikes with another great find in Atlanta, GA's Gray Ghost. The five-some melds together atmospheric post-rock, meandering drone-metal, and dissonant hardcore on this, their debut offering. This 10" has five tracks that'll please fans of Isis and Cult of Luna but also will draw in some hardcore fans as well. And they've got a new record that … Read more

200 Words Or Less

Caestles

We Have Built a New God
Independent (2008)

Caestles is a six-person conglomeration of two bands that have fused together to form one entity. And when you listen to the band's self-released EP, We Have Built a New God, this makes perfect sense. The four songs that comprise this EP takes equal parts atmospheric and electronic-based indie/rock and devastating crushing metalcore. Points of this EP remind me of … Read more

200 Words Or Less

Timber

2008
Something Crucial (2008)

Hailing from Maryland, Timber is a hardcore outfit that plays an interesting style of the genre that reaches beyond the typical sounds associated with the genre. They've got the fast and aggressive riffs and the coarse screaming you'd expect. But they also incorporate melodic and post-hardcore elements into their songs thanks to some sweet guitar work. You've got this Embrace-esque … Read more

200 Words Or Less

Bad Lovers

Four Bad Lovers Sitting in a Tree
Independent (2008)

Bad Lovers is a new project from members of Restrained. This Los Angeles-based punk outfit offers four songs on their demo recording. Musically, I am reminded of The Jesus Lizard, Sonic Youth, late Black Flag, and other noise-punk outfits. You've got that down and dirty approach to punk with droney riffs and the little flairs of grunge and metal inserted … Read more

Tim Barry

Manchester
Suburban Home (2008)

Manchester is the latest album by Avail frontman Tim Barry. Barry has always had a very distinctive voice. Not just vocally, but lyrically and thematically. So as he offers up his second proper solo effort, Manchester, we are once again taken along for a ride with his slightly sweet and bitter, sometimes gravelly voice as he weaves tales of soldiers … Read more

Guapo

Elixirs
Neurot (2008)

Neurot Recordings has lately been putting out releases from some great and surprisingly diverse bands such as U.S. Christmas, A Storm of Light, and Grey Daturas. Prepare to chalk up another name on that list: Guapo. Guapo occupies an interesting place on the Neurot roster as the band has a spacey yet focused sound based in progressive rock, avant-garde jazz, … Read more

Unreal City

Ephemeral Subsistence
Double or Nothing (2008)

Cities like Boston, San Francisco, New York, and Los Angeles get a lot of attention when it comes to hardcore. And it's not that it isn't deserved, they turn out a ton of quality bands. But there are other cities to keep tabs on as well... Pittsburgh is one of those cities and it has finally unleashed the debut full-length … Read more

Dead Vows

Bad Blood
Refoundation (2008)

Bad Blood is the debut effort from Swedish hardcore outfit Dead Vows. This release is my first exposure to the band, though I am familiar with one member's other group - Anchor. Dead Vows serve up eleven tracks that whip by in just about a half-hour's time. "We're All Judas" leads the album off with a fast-paced hardcore sound reminiscent … Read more

Deathcycle

Prelude to Tyranny
Lifeline (2008)

Deathcycle brings hardcore laden with throwback influence and metal finishes. They're young, angry lads who have, within the past month, announced their breakup before I even got around to Prelude to Tyranny. The first thing to strike me upon listening is Ron Grimaldi's voice. It's especially powerful and carries well above the abrasive music. Normally, he is singing over the … Read more

iLiKETRAiNS

The Christmas Tree Ship
Fantastic Plastic (2008)

As I write this, Christmas 2008 is receding into days past the decorations hanging guiltily on to the ceiling, the cooking trays full of congealed fat and the gentle disappointment of a thousand ill-received gifts floating in the air. But I'm still feeling festive enough that a limited edition Christmas release from iLiKETRAiNS feels appropriate to review. Not that anything … Read more

Reviews by score
Browse our album reviews according to score: Highest (9.5/10 or more) or Lowest (2/10 or less)

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