Recent reviews

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

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

Pellinore

Memento Mori & Hell Mouth
Strike 3 (2007)

Memento Mori & Hell Mouth is a compilation of this newish Northern Jersey hardcore band called Pellinore. I decided to take this CD on one of my many bus trips around the metropolitan areas the encompass Minneapolis/St. Paul and the surrounding suburbs. This time the trip was to the Mall of America. I hate going to the Mall of America. Okay, scratch that. If I truly loathed going to the Mall of America I would never go. There's nothing at The Mall that I can't find at any other mall in the Twin Cities. I always think going to the Mall of America is a good idea at first but the moment I walk onto the 54 bus I feel like stopping at the next stop and going back home. Going to the Mall of America is always a bad idea, even before it's in hindsight. The only time it's a good idea is the first moment it steps into your mind as, "Hey I should go to the mall and look at pants." I need to stop myself here from now on before I step on the bus and take the forty minute ride to whatever is the biggest … Read more

200 Words Or Less

Playmaker

Playmaker
Independent (2007)

Throwing their gauntlet down with their multitudes of contemporaries comes Playmaker, a straight up, and authentic, Brit-rock band by way … Read more

200 Words Or Less

Dusty Rhodes and The River Band

First You Live
Side One Dummy (2007)

With an Americana backbone, Dusty Rhodes and The River Band play a type of rock similar to CCR, The Nitty … Read more

Qui

Love's Miracle
Ipecac (2007)

Paul Christensen. Matt Cronk. David Yow. The former two names you have not heard before. The latter name you probably … Read more

High on Fire

Death is this Communion
Relapse (2007)

What else can you expect from High on Fire other than an album with a thick, punishing sound that just … Read more

Bitter End

Climate of Fear
Malfunction (2007)

There was a brief period in my life when I lived in Texas. During that time, I attended quite a … Read more

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One from the archives

Changing Face

Our Last Chance
Escapist (2006)

Changing Face's debut EP, Our Last Chance demonstrates a side of hardcore that is most commonly looked down upon. The side of hardcore that has been left in the frying pan for far too long, and flipped one too many times by tough guys in camo-gear. However, Changing Face keeps these seven songs nice and short, and put in more ingredients than your ordinary break down. Our Last Chance is as raw as hardcore gets, and if you don't like this band now you better bite your lip because Changing Face aren't going to stand down anytime soon. They're few hardcore records that come out with enough passion and intensity that catch my attention right off the bat and make me want to thrash it up, but Our Last Chance … Read more

More album reviews

Meneguar

Strangers in Our House
Troubleman Unlimited (2007)

Let's be completely honest, Meneguar is an overrated band. But what's wrong with being overrated? Refused, Converge, Nirvana, even The Beatles are overrated, and I don't think anyone would argue the impact and talent each band had or continue to have on their respective genres of music. I'm in no way trying to compare Meneguar to any of the bands … Read more

Animal Collective

Strawberry Jam
Domino (2007)

Strawberry Jam is so far the commercially successful album by Animal Collective to date. This album peaked at #72 on the Billboard Top 200 Charts even though it leaked in mid-July of this year. Animal Collective has had coverage in Rolling Stone Magazine, ring tones, the works. Beyond the mountain of success, popularity, and capitalism, Animal Collective delivered on this … Read more

Supreme Commander / Alive at Last

Split
Bishop 19 (2007)

The first six tracks on this split CD are from Supreme Commander whose 7" I reviewed and whole-heartily enjoyed a few months back. Supreme Commander play tuneful melodic quick paced punk that once ruled the roster of Epitaph Records in the mid-90's. If you wish to recall bands like Pennywise, NOFX, and Bad Religion and if you yearn for the … Read more

200 Words Or Less

Middle Distance Runner

Middle Distance Runner
Independent (2007)

Dabbling coolly with grit of the 'the' band sound while borrowing ruminants of Brit rock's pop sensibility, Middle Distance Runner offer up something with the potential for a real fan based success. Hinting at better things throughout the six-track effort, the five-piece uses the formulaic idea of songwriting based around guitar/synth hooks layered with a full and strong rhythm section. … Read more

200 Words Or Less

Pink Razors

First Degree
Rorschach (2007)

Pink Razors is a pop-punk band from Richmond, Virginia that plays a fast and catchy form of music comparable to Latterman. The band has released a full-length and split with Environmental Youth Crunch, and now this three song seven inch. Each song features fast and snotty vocals and each song clocking in at less than three minutes, and are all … Read more

200 Words Or Less

The Midwestern

The Midwestern
Rorschach (2007)

This is what happens when a band has yet to find its style. What we have here is some decent songwriting that comes off as underdeveloped. The track "Molsen Golden" starts as a respectable jam with enough intricacy and tempo changes to call back memories of The Cancer Conspiracy and the forefathers of the style, King Crimson. Halfway through the … Read more

200 Words Or Less

Antelope

Reflector
Dischord (2007)

Sometimes simple repetition makes the biggest impact. Sometimes simple repetition makes the biggest impact. SOMETIMES SIMPLE REPETITION MAKES THE BIGGEST IMPACT. Obviously it isn't working for me, but D.C.'s Antelope make something seemingly annoying into a subtle art form. That is, if you're not easily annoyed. Most of the tracks on Reflector accentuate bare bones songwriting. Almost every track is … Read more

200 Words Or Less

Path to Misery

Demo
Independent (2007)

Path to Misery is a musical-collective from Pittsburgh, PA. The group of individuals involved focuses their attention of raising awareness of government actions, social issues, and other forward-thinking ideas through music. Musically, they set things to a soundtrack of abrasive hardcore with dashes of metal, d-beat, and grind thrown in for good measure. Their latest demo is comprised of three … Read more

200 Words Or Less

The Wonder Years

Get Stoked on it!
No Sleep (2007)

I love Set Your Goals, but the popularity of the band's amalgamation of pop-punk and melodic hardcore has brought forth a million and a half wannabes. Sure, New Found Glory started it all (though they pretty much stuck to pop-punk), but I'll be damned if I haven't heard ten new clones this week alone. Philadelphia's The Wonder Years are the … Read more

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Division Day

Beartrap Island
Eenie Meenie (2007)

Division Day are a fairly new band from Los Angeles and they are going to turn some heads with their debut full-length, Beartrap Island. The four-piece band plays a delicate mix of indie and post-rock music. The songs on Beartrap Island fall someplace between the soft indie rock numbers that I would liken to Sunny Day Real Estate, the post-rock … Read more

200 Words Or Less

The Honorary Title

Scream and Light Up the Sky
Reprise (2007)

Scream and Light Up the Sky has been a long long time coming. Three years have gone by since their last release. This album also has been in my hands for several months (I think I was mailed a copy like six months prior to its actual release). I liked it but let it slide to the wayside as I … Read more

200 Words Or Less

Motion City Soundtrack

Even if it Kills Me
Epitaph (2007)

If you're like me, the state of Minnesota is automatically associated with one of two things: 1) Mall of America and 2) Fargo. One is awesome because it has rollercoasters in it while the other single-handedly made me scared to ever visit the states of North Dakota and Minnesota for fear of ending up in a wood-chipper. Motion City Soundtrack … Read more

200 Words Or Less

Bulldoze

The Final Beatdown
Trip Machine Laboratories (2007)

The Final Beatdown is a complete discography of New York's kings of beatdown hardcore, thus the title. The release is comprised of a CD, which includes all the band's recorded material and a live set, and a DVD with over an hour of live footage. It's been over ten years since Bulldoze called it quits (they have reformed a number … Read more

200 Words Or Less

Badmouth

Strikes Again
Ghosthunt (2007)

Badmouth is the latest in the seemingly never-ending line of pissed off hardcore bands from Southern California. Strikes Again is their debut effort, which is actually their demo but in refurbished form via Ghosthunt Records. Over the course of these nine songs, Badmouth deliver fast-paced hardcore-punk with serious guitar whaling and bitter as hell lyrics. Musically, they remind me quite … Read more

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

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