Those who know, love, and used to love this genuinely cult Norwegian band will probably know what to expect from their latest disc. Darkthrone have decided to take further musical steps away from the genre they will always be considered legends of and deliberately make all the puritan black metal fans furious. I'm not going to say that they decided to follow their hearts or do what they please because that is what they always have done. Abandoning death metal for a more frostbitten, desolate, and minimalist black metal sound was a natural progression for them, just as the current incarnation is a result of their love of old school rock and punk. As drummer/vocalist Fenriz, the man to go to when you want a bundle of quotes to highlight in an article said, "Only Rain man doesn't change." Darkthrone of today, posing relaxed with washed out punk t-shirts are just being natural and have injected some much needed humor into the black metal scene, something it was in dire need of. I will however admit that I wasn't quite expecting men who claim to have worn corpse paint even at band practice to use piercing falsetto screams in one … Read more
The Absence hails from Tampa, Florida. Anyone with a sense of history knows that in the late eighties this meant … Read more
Have a Nice Life is a two-piece outfit from Connecticut that includes a member of the hardcore band, In Pieces; … Read more
Lakeland, Florida has given birth to spawn that has been attempted by many. Consisting of four members, Mouse Fire's debut … Read more
If you have heard of this band recently then chances are that it will be related to a certain "southern … Read more
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Toska Fall is a new Dutch band and It Falls Apart is their second EP. The band was started in 2017 for a shared love of '90s punk rock. Over these three lads added different influences to their mix. Think some melodic hardcore and some metal. I can appreciate it when bands mix more influences together into something quite their own.After listening to this EP a couple of times I have to conclude that although these different influences are indeed there, they are not really mixed together. This makes this EP a bit incoherent. Most songs here are decent enough, but they don’t really fit together and the EP lacks flow because of that.I’ll try to break it down for you. Opening song “It Falls Apart” is a catchy pop … Read more
The Huguenots were a band that existed at some point during the late 1990's, or at least that is what I can conclude based on the limited information available on the band's history and their wardrobe in the select pictures available of the band - no offense. Members of the band have spent time in several popular acts, including Converge, … Read more
For a while it seemed like people in hardcore bands would undergo this metamorphosis that changed them from raging balls of adolescent angst into sensitive young adults channeling that angst with more subtlety in their music. This initially spawned the post-hardcore movement where bands like Into Another and Quicksand came into existence. This cycle seems to continue on in one … Read more
If you were to listen to the latest offering from Miles Away, Rewind, Repeat , and yet knew nothing of the band, the last place that you would guess they were from would be Australia. If anything, you would have come up with either the Pacific Northwest or Boston. And while both are logical guesses based on the style of … Read more
Yesterday, I received my bi-monthly batch of promos. While sorting through the records an album named Angels with Uzis by the band Justice of the Unicorns caught my eye. If the image on your right is a bit too small let me take the liberty of describing what's going on with the album's cover. Above a burning skyline is what … Read more
If Disney were ever to make an animated movie that involved the protagonist turning Congress into an alcoholic shitshow, then taking his magic carpet over to Guantanamo Bay and seeing America's secret war on terror, and then completing his own personal heroic journey back in New York, Aaron Scott would provide the soundtrack, as well as most of the story. … Read more
Before taking my first listen to Life in Surveillance, as a stranger to the band I deemed it only polite to do my homework. So They Say is a rock band, a quartet, hailing from St. Louis, Missouri. They signed with Fearless in 2005, released their debut in 2006. They were met with much acclaim and toured with Atreyu. Huh. … Read more
In the rap world of 2007, is there a more polarizing MC than Jay-Z? Chances are you'd be hard pressed to find a rapper with more disparity between his supporters and critics. With that being said, perhaps it is extremely appropriate that his latest project would be in the form of the equally polarizing "concept album." When executed correctly, the … Read more
There are certain times when I enjoy championing bands, and Young Widows' cause is definitely one that I find myself really enjoying. This split, their latest recording and first since 2006's Settle Down City, is something that I have been waiting for since I last saw them play when the band performed some new material for the first time in … Read more
Perth Express is likely a band that you're unfamiliar with, but that's okay. Prior to being contacted by the label in regards to this discography release, I was totally oblivious to the band's existence. The world is a big place and you just can't be expected to know about every single band. Hailing from Germany, this discography encompasses the band's … Read more
Keep Singing! is another benefit compilation brought to you from the great folks at Exotic Fever Records; in this case the proceeds are going to the amazing organization Compassion Over Killing. Every band that contributed songs did so to raise awareness for veganism, vegetarianism, and animal rights and Compassion Over Killing. And each band does give their own recipe to … Read more
Metal, or all rock and roll for that matter, exists due to two necessary components: lies - fantasy a more fitting title if you're into prog rock - and boisterous showmanship. This truth then makes the next statement undeniable: Dethklok is the best metal band ever! How do I figure this? Let me analyze the grounds I set in the … Read more
The title of this compilation speaks volumes about our nation. While there is an ongoing argument about who invented punk music - not that it really matters - the origins of hardcore are no secret. The U.S. birthed it and we still do it best (though there are some bands from other nations that do it well too). So what … Read more
Tusk has long been a side project of the more and more highly esteemed band Pelican, but is much heavier and includes vocals at times. On The Resisting Dreamer, the normal members of Tusk are joined by Evan Patterson (Young Widows, Black Cross, Breather Resist, A National Acrobat) and Toby Driver (Kayo Dot). The Resisting Dreamer is meant to be … Read more
The Wilkes-Barre hardcore unit Cold World has a lot to answer for. First, they were the band that effectively shut down Posi Numbers Fest for good. They are also responsible for a new crop of fashion conscious hardcore kids outbidding each other on eBay over street wear influenced t-shirts... lots and lots of t-shirts. Cold World also likes to call … Read more
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