Marduk
Rom 5:12
Blooddawn Productions (2007)
Black metal and obscene, blasphemous imagery are like peanut butter and jelly"¦they were essentially made to go together. Of course in a sea of peanut butter as huge as the black metal scene is, it's usually hard for one band to spread on enough jelly to really stand out amongst the crowd. In 1991 Sweden's Marduk took this into account … Read more
Mare
Mare
Hydra Head (2004)
Maybe I am blinded by my love for Hydrahead Records, but it seems to me that as of late the label has been churning out spectacular album after spectacular album at a rapid rate. Whether it's the latest release from regular mainstay Harkonen or the debut release from the young phenoms of Mare, Hydrahead definitely has a knack for finding … Read more
Mares Of Thrace
The Pilgrimage
Sonic Unyon (2012)
Mares Of Thrace are a band apart from the norm. Merely sound-wise they stick outside of the given genre parameters. Meanwhile, one look at their facebook page or the statement they make in a live setting will give any people wanting to pigeonhole them a whole new headache. Let's get this out of the way first, Mares are a two … Read more
Maria Taylor
11:11
Saddle Creek (2005)
A spotlight can show a lot about a person. Over the course of her career Maria Taylor has been, arguably, the driving force behind both the bands Azure Ray and Now It's Overhead, as well as lending her talents to various other artists including Crooked Fingers and Moby. Despite gaining moderate recognition for her work with groups, Taylor's delicate style … Read more
Maria Taylor
Ladyluck
Nettwerk (2009)
Maria Taylor has developed a fanbase based on her quiet and soulful tunes, endearing and charming enough to cockle the heartstrings of nearly any cynic. She has a knack for capturing adult takes on both sentimentality and romance, a talent which has landed many of her songs in the background of numerous romantic comedies and sitcoms. Two solo albums removed … Read more
Maria Taylor
Lynn Teeter Flower
Saddle Creek (2007)
One of the first reviews I ever did for this website was for Maria Taylor's debut solo album, 11:11. It's been two years since our respective efforts and I think it's safe to say that we've both matured. On Lynn Teeter Flower, a record named for a family friend, Taylor succeeds in capturing her own sound, rather than borrowing from … Read more
Marillion
F.E.A.R.
Intact (2016)
For a Marillion fan, a new album isn’t just a release – it’s an event. And as far as events go, on an ascending scale from a co-workers 30 day alcohol-free chip celebration, to a close cousin’s Harry Potter themed wedding, to the birth of your new baby, FEAR is more of a birth. A birth of ideas in a … Read more
Marillion
Happiness is the Road Volume 1: The Essence
Racket (2008)
In their twenty-six-year or so history, Marillion have never released a shitty album. Think of other bands that have been around; can they make the same claim? I think not. Sure, there's been albums that are less memorable, but actually bad? Not a one. Writer's block has never been an issue with a couple of exceptions, the releases are usually … Read more
Marillion
Happiness is the Road Volume 2: The Hard Shoulder
Racket (2008)
...and with volume two in the "Happiness is the Road" series, Marillion has the ship back on course. Kicking open the door with "Thunder Fly," The Hard Shoulder will have you feeling bad that you ever doubted the band in the first place. Way back in the early days Marillion struggled to separate themselves from comparisons to Gabriel-era Genesis, which … Read more
Marillion
Somewhere Else
Intact (2007)
Throughout their over twenty-five year history, Marillion and their music have maintained what many thought impossible: prog without pretension. This has been a key component to their rabidly loyal fan base. It would appear that nobody jumped ship after the band's loss of their original frontman, Fish, way back in 1988. What would have signaled the death of many a … Read more
Marillion
Sounds That Can't Be Made
earMUSIC (2012)
All bands have an expiry date; some bands are just more aware of that fact than others. And when an act has been around as long as Marillion has, it's not uncommon for their age to begin to show. Whether or not that is a bad thing is uncertain--some classic rock acts have put out some of their best material … Read more
Marilyn Manson
Heaven Upside Down
Loma Vista Recordings (2017)
It's a different world than when Manson made his debut over two decades ago and scared the shit out of everyone. He scared us because things felt relatively safe and calm. He was like a monster scaring a child out of the peaceful tranquility of their bed. Now that things are fucking bananas and chaos reigns and we know exactly … Read more
Marissa Nadler
Strangers
Sacred Bones (2016)
Marissa Nadler has been releasing albums since 2004, and her meticulous constructions of dream states has been astonishing since the first notes of “Fifty Five Falls.” Through the years, Nadler has shown her aptitude in songwriting, not solely by awakening an emotional response with her music, but also with a sense of certainty that became more and more apparent in … Read more
Mark Lanegan
I Am the Wolf
Da Capo Press (2017)
I came late to the party when it comes to Mark Lanegan and his career. It was him opening for Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds in 2013 and I was instantly overcome with the feeling that I have missed out on an intriguing man and his works. Delving into his oeuvre and myriad of collaborations, among which the ones … Read more
Mark Lanegan
Sing Backwards and Weep
hachette Book Group (2020)
“If I was honest, there was nothing but shame in the way I lived my life. I was nothing if not an abject failure, a fucking shitbag liar, a junkie loser if ever there was one”.Sing Backwards and Weep, the memoir of musician Mark Lanegan is a raw, honest portrayal of addiction with not a hint of poetry or hyperbole … 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
Mark McCabe
A Good Way to Bury Bad News
Cats? Aye! Records (2014)
On one end of an (unscientific) scale of popular male singer-songwriters sits Ed Sheeran, perched comfortably at the top of the charts while still maintaining an air of authenticity, and at the other end is pop supremo Bruno Mars, master craftsman of insuppressible earworms. Somewhere between these two sits Mark McCabe's brand of insular emoting, not quite hooky enough to … Read more
Mark Mordue
Boy on Fire - The Young Nick Cave
Harper Collins (2020)
One cannot exactly claim that Nick Cave’s life and his oeuvre at large are being disregarded – au contraire, the interpretations and coverage of his emissions of the man, the myth, the legend is manifold. All the more interesting it is when a book emerges that tackles the life of Nick Cave through the deliberate effort of grinding a new … Read more
