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Paradise Lost

Obsidian
Nuclear Blast (2020)

The darkest colours of our world are reflected in the glistening surface of Paradise Lost’s music; the shining pain of loss, the radiant horror of a God who has abandoned us or the bitter twist of hopelessness, Paradise Lost know our fears and they shine a light on who we are and what our deepest secrets reveal about us. Obsidian … Read more

Barren Womb

Lizard Lounge
Loyal Blood Records (2020)

Barren Womb can hardly be accused of stagnation. Lizard Lounge, the fourth album by this hard working two-man band is again an interesting step further down the road. The band once started with a heavy Refused influenced framework on which they added whatever came to mind. The albums that followed showed slightly more focus, but Barren Womb kept writing songs … Read more

Spells

Stimulants & Sedatives
Snappy Little Numbers Quality Audio Recordings/Rad Girlfriend Records (2020)

Spells are party punk, pure and simple. And I’m not talking songs about beer and friendship, a la early Pkew Pkew Pkew or Andrew WK. Spells are the life of the party, not just songs about what goes down when the lights dim low.Stimulants & Sedatives is sort of a concept record – it has two sides on the vinyl … Read more

Wake

Devouring Ruin
Translation Loss (2020)

Wake started out as a grindcore act with a lot of Nasum influences. Nasum being one of my favorite grind bands that was never a big issue for me. It did not take very long to find a voice of their own though. The band added more and more sludge influences on each release. An odd combination, but it worked … Read more

Worriers

You or Someone You Know
6131 (2020)

If it weren’t for playing in a certain scene, Worriers would likely be branded as a pop band instead of punk. The band is DIY all the way, with a growing discography, plus a back catalogue of previous bands dating into the early 2000s. As the project has grown since debut Cruel Optimist, it’s shifted more and more pop in … Read more

Drakulas

Terminal Amusements
Dine Alone (2020)

Pre-album press releases for the latest Drakulas album pushed the “art-punk” label. Based on Drakulas’ earlier work, I got it – but I also thought it was a little bit off. They’ve always had elements of some deeper conceptual stuff going on, but it always felt too straight-forward and rollicking to me. Right or wrong, I associate art-punk as being … Read more

200 Words Or Less

Saint Vitus

Saint Vitus
Season of Mist (2019)

On paper, it’s really a miracle Saint Vitus was able to last as long as they did. The forefathers of what became “doom” started out in Los Angeles just a couple of years before the sunset strip exploded in a hail of spandex and aquanet. Surviving numerous lineup changes, this self titled opus features original vocalist Scott Reagers, who has … Read more

Ulcerate

Stare Into Death and Be Still
Debemur Morti Productions (2020)

Writing this review has been a long time in the making. Usually, sitting down and pressing play is enough to get some words flowing, however, Ulcerate are a unique experience and apparently so is the process of trying to explain why Stare Into Death and Be Still is so, so good. Much time has been spent on consuming the New … Read more

Mark Lanegan

Straight Songs Of Sorrow
Heavenly Recordings (2020)

Mark Lanegan didn’t set out to write a new album, but after finishing writing his memoir, Sing Backwards and Weep (Out now from Hatchette Books), the waves of catharsis were so strong, he returned to the studio to create what’s possibly his finest work to date.To call Sing Backwards... a cautionary tale would be meiotic to an almost laughable degree. … Read more

Hoi-Poi Farplane Wind

Sain’t Adorable
Nasty Cut Records (2020)

Hoi-Poi Farplane Wind hails from Thessaloníki, Greece, and apparently splits their time between there and Copenhagen, which is an arrangement that sounds like a travel blogger’s wet dream. They play an evolving brand of post-hardcore that often has a Hot Water Music influence standing front and center. Their early sound is fuzzier, harsher, an offhand shot at their own interpretation … Read more

Dinosaur Pile-up

Celebrity Mansions
Parlophone (2019)

Celebrity Mansions, the fourth album by the UK’s Dinosaur Pile-Up, has been like finding a needle in a haystack for me. I’m not good at looking for new music and I feel that it gets harder as I find more grey in my beard, especially finding music that is actually good and/or listenable. Maybe my standards are getting too high? … Read more

Euglossine

Psaronius
Orange Milk Records (2020)

Created using a combination of physical instruments and various synthesized elements, it wasn’t particularly surprising for me to learn that one of the major concepts behind Gainsville, Florida-based musician Euglossine’s Psaronius (a name which could refer to either a type of prehistoric tree fern or a kind of precious stone) was recreating familiar objects through the use sound. This album … Read more

Rotting Out

Ronin
Pure Noise (2020)

Back in March, I attended a stop on the American Nightmare "reunion" tour, celebrating twenty years since they self-booked their first show at a church in Maine. While I still remain loyal to my wheelhouse of early- to mid-2000s hardcore, I hadn’t been to a show in nearly a decade. What I found there was somewhat expected yet still disheartening … Read more

Ditches

Ditches
Drunken Sailor (2020)

Am I going to be able to review this record without comparing Ditches to Marked Men? Clearly not, but I made it 14 words. This debut album from Stockholm’s Ditches bears a lot of similarity to that band. Given how good that band was, I’m not sure that’s a knock against them. Besides the sonic similarities, the record was also … Read more

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