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

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

Burial Hex

The Hierophant
Handmade Birds (2014)

Burial Hex, the project of multi-instrumentalist Clay Ruby has put out a plethora of releases, with their excellent debut, self-titled album and Book of Delusions really standing out. Now with his latest release, Ruby takes the project even further in terms of how dark his sound can get and how interestingly his music has evolved. Ruby is a great molder of different genres. Through Ruby’s intriguing kaleidoscope aspects of new wave, power electronics, techno, black metal and industrial music, among more, collide together resulting in the imposing sound of Burial Hex.The ceremonial vibe of The Hierophant is the strongest aspect of Ruby’s concept in this case. Starting things off in a very impressive way when “Winter Dawn” comes in and its expansive melodies begin to develop. Throughout the labyrinth of Ruby’s thoughts, many different features of Burial Hex are introduced, from the darker atmosphere of “Final Love” to the horrific ambiance of the title track. “Never Dying” features a more minimalistic side of the band, but that does not mean that Ruby is unable to make the sound appear grand and daunting, once more. In all that the percussion really steps up to the occasion. No matter what sounds Ruby … Read more

Nazoranai

The Most Painful Times Happens Only Once Has It Arrived Today?
Editions Mego (2014)

The guys participating in Nazoranai, do not really need much of an introduction. Stephen O’Malley of drone doom overlords Sunn … Read more

Schammasch

Contradiction
Prosthetic (2014)

Existence is a series of challenges – ones that force you to adapt, to change and to create sides of … Read more

Dream Police

Hypnotized
Sacred Bones (2014)

The Men has been one of the great acts of the past decade (at least.) The Brooklyn based group has … Read more

Noises We Make When No One Is Around

the black box contained nothing but our deaths
Independent (2014)

Recorded under the name of the noises we make when no one is around (a name that aside from being … Read more

The Copyrights

Report
Red Scare (2014)

I like most of my music to have a pop bent. Yes, I like it rough around the edges and … Read more

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One from the archives

Benefits

Nails
Invada (2023)

In December 2019, Benefits released their “Marlboro Hundreds” single. The UK act sourced all the fury and urgency of punk, wrapping it into a devastating noise facade and powerviolence demeanor. A prime example of weaponized music, and while through the years Benefits have morphed, their poignant messaging remains. Now, their debut record, Nails, sees them revisit some of their early single works, alongside a few new ones, and re-interpreting those through a further disfiguring lens. The ominous setting comes up, in an almost karmic sense, with the re-interpretation of “Marlboro Hundreds.” In place of the noise and brutality, there is a harrowing drone that makes the introductions. It showcases how, while the punk foundation remains, Benefits have taken on more abstract representations. The industrial backbone is prominent, while at the … Read more

More album reviews

Nothing

Guilty Of Everything
Relapse (2014)

it would be perfectly simple to couple Nothing into the wave of modern shoegaze and close the book. They carry certain trademarks that point towards them owing their guitar sound and then some to Slowdive. This would show an immense degree of short sightedness. While it is clear what band their pedal board choices could be attributed to Nothing have … Read more

Anatomy Of Habit

Ciphers + Axioms
Relapse (2014)

Put together great musicians from diverse backgrounds and you are bound to get something special. That is what happens with Anatomy of Habit and their debut album. With an impressing line up which includes guitarist Will Lindsay of Indian, drummer John McEntire of Tortoise, percussionist Theo Katsaounis of Joan of Arc, bassist Kenny Rasmussen (previously of Radar Eyes) and of … Read more

Terrence Hunnam

Via Negativa
Utech (2014)

Via Negativa marks the first solo album for Terrence Hunnam, visual artist and member of the incredible Locrian. The connection that Locrian have with ambient music is quite apparent in their music and that is the aspect that Hunnam is exploring in his solo attempt. Even though Via Negativa is not in the same style Locrian’s landmark albums Return to … Read more

Light Bearer

Silver Tongue
Halo of Flies (2013)

The hyper literate lads of Light Bearer have always kept a level of consistency within their records. whether through the content lyrically , or musically the band have always been nothing but themselves. So here the band return with their second official LP and delving deeper into stretched out structures. While the band have never written "short" songs on this … Read more

Neighborhood Brats

Recovery
Deranged (2014)

Reading Scene Point Blank can pay off. A year or so ago we streamed No Sun No Tan, which was the first I’d heard of LA’s Neighborhood Brats.And I dug it.September sees the release of Recovery, the band’s first proper LP, released on Deranged. It gets things off with the direct “Year of the Brat,” a song indicative of what … Read more

Svarta Stugan

Aspects of Our Future Selves
Independent (2014)

With their 2014 album Aspects of Our Future Selves, Swedish three piece Svarta Stugan (translated as “Black Cottage”) has come up with their third EP release in as many years. One might have thought given the post-rock labeling that this band would make the type of intricate and melodic, typically instrumental music that groups likeMogwai have perfected over the years, … Read more

Shallow Cuts

Storm Watch
No Idea Records (2014)

Shallow Cuts are a group of friends. Oh, they’re a group of musicians too. Some people call that a band. They’re a three piece, with members of Dan Padilla, Madison Bloodbath, and Dear Landlord/The Gateway District.Oftentimes saying a band features members of XYZ isn’t the greatest descriptor, more caught in comparison than in what the side project is doing. In … Read more

Keith Emerson and Greg Lake

Live at Manticore Hall
Manticore Records (2014)

After forming in 1970, the members of progressive rock group Emerson, Lake, and Palmer (i.e. keyboardist extraordinaire Keith Emerson, guitarist/bassist/vocalist Greg Lake, and drummer Carl Palmer, all highly experienced and extremely technically proficient players) crafted some incredibly influential music and perhaps were the only popular music group that performed classical music and classically-influenced pieces as part of their normal repertoire. … Read more

Various Artists

Low Culture-Needles//Pins - split 7"
Dirtnap (2014)

I’ve probably said this before for those 3 people who read all of my reviews, but I feel that the 7” is one of the hardest items to review. Not because they’re short, but because it takes a truly special 7” to jump from an 8 to a 10. It’s a hard format to nail, but it’s fairly easy to … Read more

Serpentine Path

Emanations
Relapse (2014)

When you have members of Unearthly Trance, actually the whole last known line-up of Unearthly Trance, alongside Tim Bagshaw, previously of Ramesses and Electric Wizard, and to top it all off Stephen Flam of fucking Winter participating in the same band, then you find yourself sailing in the seas of nirvana if you are a doom/death fan. This is the … Read more

Serpentine Path

Emanations
Relapse (2014)

For a band such as Serpentine Path it seems nigh impossible to seperate the members past from their current works. Being that the band is comprosed of the whole of Unearthly Trance coupled with members whose former bands include Electric Wizard and Winter. If that doesn't read like doom metal supergroup I have no idea how you would quantify such … Read more

Panopticon

Roads to the North
Bindrune Records (2014)

Panopticon has been around since 2007, releasing great albums, from their self-titled full-length to the 2012 Kentucky. And it was with Kentucky that the band really made many heads turn. Their folk infused black metal was a breath of fresh air for the scene, with A.Lunn making things more interesting, using unconventional tactics. The only worrying part of all this … Read more

Le Butcherettes

Cry Is For The Flies
Ipecac (2014)

When The Mars Volta went on hiatus and sequentially disbanded, I was interested to see what Omar Rodriguez-Lopez was going to get himself involved in. Soon his new band Bosnian Rainbows released their first, self-titled album and that was how I got introduced to Terri Gender Bender, the vocalist of Bosnian Rainbows and the leader of Le Butcherettes. I did … Read more

Quintron and Miss Pussycat

Spellcaster II: Death in Space
Pizza Burglar (2014)

Quintron and Miss Pussycat have never been known as a vocal group, but Spellcaster II: Death in Space takes that to a new level, waiting until the fourth song, “Do the Raid” for the first vocal utterings. That’s not a bad thing, but it is a slow start to the duo’s new record. In fact, it’s not until the third … 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)