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Amenra

VI
Neurot Recordings (2017)

I thought it a safe bet to listen to any album off Neurot Recordings with care and patience, and expect something great. Amenra is no fragile exception. Their essence taps a well of meaning seemingly endless on all levels of analysis, as much as it taps a particular sound thrust forward first by Black Sabbath, and most recently by Neurosis. … Read more

Paradise Lost

Medusa
Nuclear Blast (2018)

With the daring first notes of a church organ, Paradise Lost primes its listeners for a quasi-sermon on the mount in Medusa. A part description of suffering, part omen for eventual destruction, part heroic call to arms in the face of meaninglessness, Medusa glorifies godless bravery and turns those who cower from responsibility to stone. The album is predicated on … Read more

Dean Ween Group

Rock 2
Schnitzel Records (2018)

I generally shy away from track-by-track reviews, because they get long, boring and kind of miss the point of an album as a whole anyway. That said, whenever I write about Ween and related projects, the disparity from song to song is a little more difficult. There are 11 songs on this 38-minute record and they range from classic rock … Read more

Barren Womb

Old Money/New Lows
Spartan Records (2018)

Shortly after releasing their debut full length I had the opportunity to have a chat with Barren Womb. They then told me they liked playing in a two-man band as it gave them the opportunity to work really fast. The decision making process is so much easier without a lot of different opinions around. These words seemed to be true … Read more

Superchunk

What a Time to Be Alive
Merge (2018)

The world feels like it’s coming apart at the seams, some new scandal or piece of terrible news hits daily, or sometimes with even more frequency. It takes more effort to simply keep up than it does just to be able to digest the news. The result is mind numbing. Then you look to find respite from these things. There’s … Read more

Cloud

Plays With Fire
Audio Antihero (2018)

Following on from Zen Summer in 2015 and 2013s Comfort Songs, Cloud’s Plays With Fire moves Tyler Taormina’s sound firmly into the assured category. Where his debut was weighed down with a little too much padding, Plays With Fire takes a somewhat sprightlier turn into sadness, reducing the runtime by thirty minutes yet still packing a hefty emotional punch. Taormina’s … Read more

Stone Temple Pilots

Stone Temple Pilots
Atlantic (2018)

Jeff Gutt has a thankless task before him. Some might say impossible, even. He's replacing Scott Weiland, one of the most loved and recognizable frontmen of the last 30 years, who tragically died far too young.He's also replacing Chester Bennington, Weiland's replacement who, after leaving Stone Temple Pilots and returning to Linkin Park, also tragically died far too young.So what … Read more

Summoning

With Doom We Come
Napalm (2018)

Summoning have been at the forefront of Tolkien inspired metal for the twenty five years they’ve been a band. Formed in Austria in 1993, the duo take from the world of The Lord of the Rings – and its extended universe – to create music that is extraordinarily cinematic in scope while feeling rich and earthy at its core. Summoning … Read more

The Great Divide

Linger Over, Linger On
Useless Pride Records (2018)

The Great Divide came to my attention four years ago when they released their second release White Bird. At that time The Great Divide reminded me of bands like Stretch Arm Strong (Rituals Of Life era) and Counterparts. It’s been four years since that day. I’ve listened to White Bird a couple of times since and now also pick up … Read more

Aaron Turner & Daniel Menche

Nox
Sige (2017)

Aaron Turner and Daniel Menche, two prominent figures of experimental music, meet again after the Mamiffer collaboration with Menche back in 2015. Both have been active recently, with Turner participating in the Thalassa project releasing Bonds of Prosperity with William Fowler Collins, while Menche released his long, immersive Sleeper record earlier this year. With NOX the duo presents a 31-minute … Read more

Royal Brat

Eyesore
Moniker Records (2018)

Royal Brat follow an intriguing trend I see in a lot of queer punk: taking direct and heavy subject matter and addressing it with vitriol, then flipping a switch from anger to singsong and back. It’s fascinating that the two emotions, so different, can jump back and forth without feeling more jarring.Eyesore is the first full-length from Royal Brat, out … Read more

Chiller

Chiller
Dirt Cult (2018)

I’ll admit to coming into this one with a clean slate. I don’t know Feral Trash, who predate Chiller and share members Ilisha and Eric. The duo recruited Erin (Black Tower) and Tim (Mother’s Children) and, as the press release says, so began “what has rightly been deemed as a continuation of Feral Trash.”So that’s the history lesson. Because I … Read more

Mokumedori

Mokumedori
Dewfall Records (2017)

How do you tell a fairy tale using only sound? That's a question seemingly answered by Japanese artist Mokumedori's self-titled album. Utilizing an eclectic variety of instruments, many of the toy variety, this album appeals directly to the imagination of its listener, almost daring you to come up with a story to accompany the music. While some might be tempted … Read more

Wake

Misery Rites
Translation Loss (2018)

Wake is a Canadian grindcore act. One of those grindcore-acts that have taken care of me not growing tired of the genre. The unrelenting speed and anger are good fun, but can get a bit samey fast. This is where the great bands differentiate themselves from the mediocre ones: they know how to keep things interesting. Wake is one of … Read more

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