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Wolves in the Throne Room

Two Hunters
Southern Lord (2007)

The terms "stripped-down," "raw," and "black metal" are certainly no strangers to each other. Musically speaking, some of the best known bands and albums feature less-than-lackluster production and songwriting, a standard set by older bands such as Darkthrone and Burzum, even if unintentionally. Visually and characteristically though, most black metal bands are infamous for being over-the-top, what with all the … Read more

Bracewar

Juggernaut
1917 (2007)

Is a band just as good if they don't have the hype? In today's hardcore scene, I feel like a lot of bands get passed over for lack of glorification and message board fame. Now, it's hard to tell if Bracewar is really one of those bands; I would say they are on the lower end of the fame spectrum, … Read more

Botch

Unifying Themes Redux / American Nervoso / We are the Romans (Reissues)
Hydra Head (2006)

How does one measure the influence and impact of a band on music? Sure, you could look at album sales, which in the case of The Beatles is a corollary that works, but then you could see how many albums a band like Godsmack or someone like Kenny Chesney has sold and just throw that idea out the window. Truly, … Read more

Oceansize

Frames
Superball (2007)

Staying certain to an unspoken pattern of two years between releases, Oceansize has returned to us with their third full-length album. Including the bonus track, "Voorhees," Frames clocks in at over a monstrous hour and fifteen minutes, a feat that similar, non-established progressive artists have little courage for testing on the streams of today's steadily decreasing attention spans. Brave you … Read more

Grizzly Bear

Friend
Warp (2007)

Having heard Grizzly Bear's Horn of Plenty when it was first released and liking it quite a lot, I was taken back a bit when I heard Yellow House for the first time and to tell you the truth, I didn't really like it. That was until I saw the entity that is Grizzly Bear live during their tour with … Read more

Nebelhexë

Essensual
Candlelight (2007)

For those who find Evanescence's Amy Lee too goth and Sarah Brightman not quite goth enough, we have Norway's Andrea Haugen a.k.a. Nebelhexë. Now, "Neb," as we'll call her, is, according to her bio, "a warrior with never-fading energy and she fights with passion for individual and spiritual freedom; animal rights, awareness for ecological food, recognition for ancient goddess worship … Read more

Trap Them

Seance Prime
Deathwish Inc. (2007)

Deathwish Inc. is definitely an interesting label. Their releases span the clearly generic (Damage's Final) to the very progressive (along with Converge's own releases on the label I'll cite The Power and The Glory's Call Me Armageddon). However, their more forward thinking releases tend to fall under the same category of super abrasive, showing a lot of noise rock/crust influence, … Read more

108

A New Beat from a Dead Heart
Deathwish Inc. (2007)

Eleven years! It has been roughly eleven years since 108 last released a studio effort discounting last year's one-oh-eight demo. That is a long time between albums; the really scary aspect of that factoid for me is that I remember purchasing that last record when I was in high school. So much has changed in the landscape of underground music … Read more

The Dirty Projectors

Rise Above
Dead Oceans (2007)

Last February, I went to the Blind Pig in Ann Arbor, MI to catch a set by Grizzly Bear, Brooklyn neo-folk indie band. The opener, The Dirty Projectors, I had never heard of and they opened up with a swirling guitar driven jam. Two minutes into the song, the singer/guitarist started belting out the beginning lyrics to Black Flag's "Six … Read more

Johnny Parry

Songs Without a Purpose
Lost Toy (2007)

Applying the finishing touches to a viola-and-recorder composition evocatively recreating the world of Sloppy Joe Riggs-Lattimer (a red-headed scientologist Jew known only to the residents of 1980's Pennsylvania) Sufjan Stevens decides to take a midnight stroll through the brisk fall air. Stopping to gaze lovingly at the moon, he is brutally murdered by a passing hobo who mistakes him for … Read more

Malignancy

Inhuman Grotesqueries
Willowtip (2007)

a) "Neglected Rejection" b) "Benign Reabsorption" c) "Predicated Malformations" d) "Embryological Teratomas" Okay, here's how it works - you guess which ones are actual titles of songs by the band Malignancy, and which songs were created by me, inebriated after a night of Jäger-bombs using a thesaurus opened randomly to two different pages. Give up? All the titles are songs … Read more

Cobalt

Eater of Birds
Profound Lore (2007)

Cobalt is a two-piece black metal band hailing from the United States. They have a surprisingly full and "polished" sound that sets them apart from other black metal bands that I have been privy to hear. Eater of Birds is the band's (from what I have gathered) second full-length and showcases a marked improvement from their first full-length (War Metal … Read more

These Days

Chained to the Lake
Twelve Gauge (2007)

Following the release of their debut full-length, one of my favorites of 2005, These Days went on indefinite hiatus. Needless to say, I was bummed out by the announcement. But after little more than a year off, the band decided to give it another go, and with a revamped lineup got to work on playing shows and writing new songs. … Read more

Pechblende

Collapse
Indianola (2007)

I very nearly saw this band, in a barn, no less. From the time I saw the flier I was stoked on the show; black and white crass styled font, touring international hardcore bands, and almost certainly couscous or lentils. The show was unfortunately cancelled. I think I had to work anyway. I'm glad I picked up this CD, though. … Read more

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