Aseitas hail from the wilds of Portland, Oregon and while many bands from that region tend to dabble in the blackened side of the extreme metal spectrum, this group aim to create sonic dissonance via the technical aspects of death metal. Their second full-length, False Peace, is a demanding listen, not least because of three long-form tracks (all over ten minutes) that require closer attention in order to truly grasp the features of the songs. Atonal riffs, heady screams, avant-garde guitars and a disturbing atmosphere could all coalesce into chaotic noise, yet Aseitas’s tight control never allows the songs to tumble fully into the abyss and while “Spite/Sermon” tops out at fourteen minutes, the song is interesting throughout and moments of peace are allowed to shine through the darkness. Of course, as promised, that peace is not real and cannot last and so the song soon negates the serenity and pushes through the light, trailing shadows in its wake and creating a sense a death.Where False Peace is aggressive, it also finds moments to breath and take respite from the turmoil and does so through the shimmering elements of “Crucible” and the gorgeous post-rock cascades of the introduction of “Blood … Read more
Writing about music is a bit like being an anthropologist. The kind who immerses themselves in a culture to better … Read more
Choose a year to view reviews of albums released in that year.
749 reviews
42 reviews
25 reviews
300 reviews
4881 reviews
19 reviews
This split 7" from Basement Records teams up two Los Angeles hardcore veterans for two tracks each: Bullet Treatment and It's Casual. Everything about this record, from the music and the lyrics down to the artwork, screams of the early years of hardcore. Bullet Treatment is back in action again, this time with a new vocalist, Jordan of Vultures United, as well as a new bassist and drummer. The band sets the tone with "The Bride and the Wolf" and "Law of Observation." Both tracks are high-octane punk/hardcore tunes that bring to mind the body of work of Black Flag, 7 Seconds, and all those bands documented in the book American Hardcore. It's Casual offers up two of their own, but with a little different twist. "Insane Terrain" and "Let … Read more
Back in the 1980s there were some intriguing new sounds developing. Post-punk was always arty and a bit noisier, but always so serious. New Wave was danceable and synthetic, but sometimes not serious enough. The commonality between the two, tonally, was an exploration of new soundscapes with inhuman tones: finding a balance between a detached dystopian environment and the nuance … Read more
You have to appreciate a concept that’s primarily focused on making you uncomfortable; where’s the fun without a healthy dose of shock and awe? Young Philadelphia-based label Wet Cassettes is built on those foundations, describing themselves as torchbearers of “weird dirty music for weird dirty people,” a concept that deserves to be saluted from where I’m sitting. Their latest project … Read more
Back when I was listening to everything with the stamp Horrorpunk on it I discovered a band called The Dead Next Door. I liked them, but never got round to buying a record of them. They have risen from the grave under the name Left Hand Black. So even if this self titled album is the debut album for this … Read more
Sad in the City doesn’t mince words. Opening with the lines of “If my country collapses/ can I crash on your couch…” in “Never Take Us Alive.” The band play super melodic pop-punk that focuses more on singalong harmonies than kick, punch and bite, but the lyrics give a little more attitude than you might guess just listening to the … Read more
It’s really tough for me to review this full-length. Why? Because I loved the band’s demo tape and it’s really hard to separate the two releases. The self-titled official debut here has several of the same songs and, probably due to familiarity, they jump out as favorites from the get-go.But I’ll do what I can to go all tabula rasa … Read more
Hyborian is balls to the wall raw sludge metal hailing from Kansas City, Missouri. Volume II is their third album and what feels like a overall continuation from their previous record, Volume I. From the very beginning of the 8 song, 40 minute masterpiece is the song Driven by Hunger which gives you a perfect taste of what the rest … Read more
When a band is releasing its third new record since 2006, you’d expect some inconsistency. The Lawrence Arms seem to be timeless though. With Skeleton Coast they pick right up where they left off Metropole (2014). Take the opening stanza of “Dead Man’s Coat” as an example. Beginning with Chris McCaughan’s soft and wanting melodies, it’s unmistakably The Lawrence Arms. … Read more
Simon and Garfunkel.Seals and Crofts.Hall and Oates.Captain and Tennille.Some artists just go together. Sure, they might make music on their own. But once they find their “other”, their “person” - you never want to hear them with anyone else.Such is the case the case with Buzz Osbourne and Trevor Dunn. So long Melvins and Fantômas. So long Mr. Bungle and … Read more
This is the kind of hardcore that makes my throat hurt just listening. It’s also the kind of hardcore where I can’t sit still while listening, even when tethered to headphones at work. It’s high energy, relentless and, somehow, it just never lets up. To keep coining silly phrases, this is sweaty, gasp-for-air hardcore. As each of the songs fade … Read more
These last few weeks I've started to notice that the creases in my forehead are deepening. It's a subtle change to my face, but it's progressively becoming more noticeable. My pores are becoming more visible as well, and my skin doesn't have the same spongey, moist quality to it that I remember it having in my early twenties. And of … Read more
Inject the Light is a time capsule, a one-person project from Chris Mason that’s about living in the moment of the COVID-19 lockdowns. Mason, who has also plays with Low Culture and Macho Boys, among others, takes a new approach here. This five-song digital release is a little on the lo-fi side, with elements of New Wave, No Wave, synth … Read more
Boy do The Raging Nathans know how to start a record on a down note. The band plays melodic DIY pop-punk that’s of the verse-chorus-verse variety with driving rhythm to give it that extra oomph. While I tend to think of this kind of music as a little more light-hearted, the band cuts through that veneer instantly with “Tragedy Ghouls: … Read more
Two years ago I reviewed Local Warming, the debut EP by Sun-0-Bathers. Two years have passed, but not much has changed for Sun-0-Bathers. I am not going to blame them for it. If you have a winning formula, why change it, right?That winning formula for Sun-0-Bathers is straightforward 90’s skatepunk. Summer is the best time for releases of this type … Read more
Most death metal bands exhibit a morbid quality to their sound but few would be believed if they said that their music was actually recorded in a catacomb. However, if the German death-thrash thrallers Sanctifying Ritual confessed as much to me, that their raw and cavernous debut was recorded in such an odious environment, it would be a sheer act … Read more
Looking for the SPB logo? You can download it in a range of styles and colours here:
Click anywhere outside this dialog to close it, or press escape.