Recent reviews

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)

The Estranged

Self Titled LP
Sabotage (2014)

Despite having been formed in 2006 and having released 3 LPs since, the Portland originated post punk band The Estranged have mostly fallen under the radar and out of public awareness. I myself had never heard of the three man act until the release of their self titled LP this month. Since then, I feel I need to make up for lost time.The album is a bit of a period piece, evoking 80s Brit-Punk so well it could easily be placed in a lineup with the real deal and not seem out of place. Even though there’s an unmistakable high quality polish to it, the band's sound captures an ever so slight matte mutedness that might be heard on a live recording from another, not too distant past. The band has garnered many comparisons to The Smiths, The Cure, and Joy Division, which is true for them overall, but the album sports a surprisingly diverse sound with a nicely varied influence. The guitar riff in "Forever Been Erased", for example, brings to mind Metallica's ...And Justice for All, "Mark of Sin" goes "Miss Murder" for its first half, and "Play for Keeps"’s instrumentals even bring to mind a bit of … Read more

Stop Breathing

Santa Cruz EP
Independent (2014)

Raging, fast, poignant, and so on; any number of commonly used hardcore band descriptors would be apropos when talking about … Read more

Epic Problem

Lines
Rebellion / Longshot / Rebelsound (2014)

You’ve heard it before a hundred times. You’ve thought it yourself.Punk rock is a safe genre.While I generally hate on … Read more

Drawers

Self Titled
Katotoxin Records (2014)

When it comes to thinking about "heavy" music, it's virtually impossible to not immediately think of titans of the genre … Read more

Skaters

Manhattan
Warner Bros. (2014)

Spawned from drunken promises at an LA house party to "jam together", soon-to-be Skaters vocalist Michael Ian Cummings and guitarist … Read more

Coathangers

Suck My Shirt
Suicide Squeeze (2014)

This Atlanta trio caught my attention with Larceny & Old Lace a couple of years ago, and Suck My Shirt … Read more

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One from the archives

The Tallest Man on Earth

There's No Leaving Now
Dead Oceans (2012)

Sweden’s Kristian Matsson (more popularly known as the Tallest Man On Earth) first found himself atop a mountain of praise in 2010 following the release of The Wild Hunt, wheedling his way into the hearts of many with soothing melodies and uplifting energy. Relying almost entirely on just his guitar and commanding voice, Matsson’s brand of folk garnered more than a few comparisons to Bob Dylan, but at the end of the day was a niche he fit into seamlessly. It would be 2 years, padded by the Sometimes the Blues Is Just a Passing Bird EP and lengthy international touring, before he would follow up with There’s No Leaving Now, his third full-length and first since gaining drastically in popularity. There’s No Leaving Now begins warmly, ringing like a … Read more

More album reviews

T.O.M.B.

Third Wave Holocaust
Black Plague (2013)

T.O.M.B., the one man blackened noise project, has been running strong for many years. the is such a consistency within No One's (the nom de plum of the man behind the project) output that the growth from one release to the next may be decieving to many listeners. Now, with the projects' fourth official full length we as listeners can … Read more

Anathema

Universal
Kscope (2013)

Anathema's live performance had always been something special and their latter day music is built for an arena such as the roman theatre of Philippopolis and the accompaniment of the Plovdiv Philharmonic Orchestra. Outdoors, under the stars and note perfect, Universal showcases the Liverpudlian bands' incredible atmosphere with a heavenly precision.Directed by Lasse Hoile, who has also made concert films … Read more

Trouble

The Distortion Field
FRW Music (2013)

There are few bands that can boast ever having made one of the heaviest albums of all time.Trouble can make that claim not just once, but twice. Those albums being 1984’s Psalm 9 and 1985’s The Skull. Trouble had the market of doom cornered for quite a while. Due in large part to guitarist Rick Wartell’s down tuned riffs and … Read more

Avichi

Catharsis Absolute
Profound Lore (2014)

Third album for Avichi, the black metal project of Aamonael (also member of Lord Mantis and previously of Nachtmystium), and if you think that another one man black metal act is something you are not interested in then you better think again. With Catharsis Absolute, Aamonael manages to take his twisted concept of US black metal a step further, going … Read more

Gazer

Phone Commercial EP
Independent (2013)

GAZER is a new band hailing from Cincinnati, Ohio. On their debut EP, Phone Commercial, they use a combination of noise and punk to rock the sound-waves. However, they could benefit from a reduction on the noise. The first track, "I Passed The BAR," has a good groove going on with screechy guitars that blend perfectly with distorted bass lines. … Read more

Drivin' N Cryin'

Songs For The Turntable
New! (2014)

The newest release from Drivin N Cryin is the fourth EP of the series, each release showcases the progression of this fine Atlanta band from their Punk pedigree to current status as proud Southern Rockers. This record has the band in their element with some classic guitar work and fantastic songwriting, the beauty of a Drivin N Cryin song lies … Read more

Bad Sports

Bras
Dirtnap (2013)

Bad Sports want you to turn it up. They play loud rock, rooted in the elements, but not tied to rollicking times or anti-authority volume, but taking that foundation and blending it with a fundamental structure that pulls from The Ramones and draws melodic ideas from the genres forefathers in the 1960s. It’s got that Ramones-y repetition/simplicity (“Let Me In”), … Read more

Beck

Morning Phase
Capitol (2014)

Many musicians can write a sad song. But a sad song is just that. It’s one note - one emotion. Sad-verse-sad-chorus-sad-verse-end. Rare artists can take you on an emotional journey through the changing moods of an album. Even rarer artists can do so in the same song.It’s been six years since we last heard from the likes of Beck Hansen. … Read more

Bleeding Rainbow

Interrupt
Kanine (2014)

Bleeding Rainbow is a hard-working band. They don't live solely off of their music as evidenced by singer/bassist Sarah Everton's Twitter missives about pulling shifts at a coffee shop in Philadelphia. Catch the band on tour, and more than likely you'll find them in a basement or at a venue where the beers cost less than $3. They also don't … Read more

Tim Timebomb & Friends

Mixtape
Pirates Press (2013)

Tim Armstrong (Rancid) has spent over a year releasing a song a day on YouTube under the moniker Tim Timebomb. While astute fans can pull his work right off the internet these days, there’s just something about holding a record and being able to play it at your leisure. Pirate’s Press Records recently dropped three vinyl singles and, as they … Read more

Lvcifyre

Svn Eater
Dark Descent Records (2014)

London’s Lvcifyre have been slowly, murkily climbing towards the top of the local death metal scene for a number of years now and while their inception occurred sometime in 2007, the band didn’t release their debut – The Calling Depths – until 2011. It’s surprising then, that they took much less time to create Svn Eater but when you have … Read more

Modern Baseball

You're Gonna Miss it All
Run for Cover (2014)

If I were to label the music of Modern Baseball, genre would not be the most adequate descriptor. It fits with some difficulty into the category of pop punk or emo, but even that requires a bit of beating them into a mold. As pretentious as it sounds, a better characterization of the four man band from Philadelphia would probably … Read more

Wild Beasts

Present Tense
Domino (2014)

Wild Beasts are a curious entity and their singular approach to “indie” is one that has seem them take on more electronic feel as their career has progressed and with Present Tense those elements come to the fore while allowing the band to retain their unique sound and emotion. Present Tense is the British bands’ fourth full length and for … Read more

Self Defense Family

You Are Beneath Her
Iron Pier (2013)

Surely there has been a band (not just a group of musicians) that is as forward thinking about what the concept of being a “band” is as Self Defense Family (the band formerly known as End Of A Year), but none that I can think of other than say SunnO))) in the way that collaborators shape the music; You Are … 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)

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