Paint It Black
Amnesia
Bridge Nine (2009)
I hate to be that guy, but I got to admit that it's getting more and more difficult to find an impressive hardcore album these days. I'm not talking about that record you listen to several times, really rock out to during the first week, rag on your friends for having never heard of it, and then retire it to … Read more
Paint It Black
CVA
Jade Tree (2003)
Now this is how hardcore is supposed to be played: fast, loud, and pissed off. From beginning to end this disc is brutal. You'll find no sissy, emo bullshit here. This is 17 songs in well under 20 minutes, or "fuckin' quick" as some may like to call it. "But wait," you may ask, "Isn't this on Jade Tree?" Yes, … Read more
Paint It Black
Famine
Revelation (2023)
Paint It Black kind of burst back onto the scene the last two years. It had been 15 years since their last full-length, New Lexicon, and now we get Famine, which came out last fall. And “burst” was a word a chose purposely, because this record is fast and loud. Just as important, when it’s playing, you can’t ignore it. … Read more
Paint It Black
New Lexicon
Jade Tree (2008)
In the world of hardcore punk there is nary a person so forward thinking as Dan Yemin. This thought applies to all aspects of his band Paint it Black: presentation, politics, and, as highlighted on New Lexicon, production. During an interview I held with Yemin, he pointed to hip-hop as an inspiration to keep things fresh and inventive, stating "The … Read more
Paint It Black
Paradise
Jade Tree (2005)
CVA was fucking perfect. Naysayers beware: I am willing to defend that position. A hardcore supergroup of sorts (combining members of The Curse, Kid Dynamite, Lifetime, and Good Riddance), Paint It Black released one of the best melodic hardcore albums I've ever heard. I'm a sucker for melody and I'm a sucker for speed. They combined them with such precision … Read more
Pala
We Don't Exist
A389 (2011)
Pala are a band that went seemingly unnoticed upon release of their debut EP. While the band did have some growing to do they managed to have the pieces to make an interesting sound overall. This growth was embraced a little more on their follow up split with In The Hollows. While both releases did seem to drift under the … Read more
Pale Creation
Twilight Haunt
A389 (2011)
Twilight Haunt is an album that has been affecting me since before it was originally released in 1999 on CD by East Coast Empire (who I believe is now defunct), and when a demo of this was sent to the place that I worked at back then, I stole it from the owner’s “I am not paying attention to this … Read more
Palehorse
Amongst the Flock
Bridge Nine (2006)
During the late 90's there occurred a revival of the youth crew sound that had dominated the hardcore scene during the mid-80's up through the early 90's. Today, we are witnessing what I consider to be a revival of the mid-90's metallic hardcore scene. A significant number of bands are stating influence from the likes of Earth Crisis, Integrity, Undertow, … Read more
Palehorse
Secrets Within Secrets
Martyr (2005)
You find yourself strapped on a horse, galloping through a rampaged America. You don't know the year; you don't what the fuck happened. Skyscrapers point at empty skies. Civilization has been looted beyond repair. The outlook is bleak at best. For the purposes of this music review, you somehow find an iPod in your back pocket loaded with Palehorse's Secrets … Read more
Palehorse
Soft As Butter, Hard As Ice
Eyes Of Sound (2011)
London's Palehorse, a band so loud that after seeing them live recently my ears would not stop ringing for approximately two days. Was it worth it ? Completely.Palehorse take all that they established on previous full length, Gee, Ain't That Swell released way back in 2003 and firmly thrust it into the present. A line up change here, an addition … Read more
Pallbearer
Forgotten Days
Nuclear Blast (2020)
Pallbearer’s evolution from their early days as a dark, funeral doom leaning band into a prog-embracing emotive force is well documented in their back catalogue and as Forgotten Days expands the horizons of their sound, Pallbearer open up their hearts for all the world to see. This record is vulnerable and honest in its humanity and much like their previous … Read more
Pallbearer
Foundations of Burden
Profound Lore (2014)
When Pallbearer released their debut album, Sorrow and Extinction, I was stunned. No matter how good their 2010 demo was, there was no way you could be prepared for an album of the caliber of Sorrow and Extinction. And of course the expectations for the sophomore album of the doom metal act are now much higher, but they are still … Read more
Pallbearer
Heartless
Profound Lore Records/Nuclear Blast Records (2017)
Pallbearer’s evolution over the last seven or so years has been one that seems natural and organic, with each record building on what came before and giving the Arkansas based band a step forward on the ladder towards greatness. Their demo of 2010 introduced a band indebted to doom greats Black Sabbath, but the inclusion of a cover of Billie … Read more
Pallbearer
Sorrow And Extinction
Profound Lore (2012)
Arkansas residents Pallbearer have been a band to watch out for ever since the release of a fantastic three track demo in 2010. Featuring two original compositions ("Devoid of Redemption" and "The Legend" having been re-recorded for this release) and a cover track, this demo served to have many take note of this doom-laden quartet and the hopes for a … Read more
Palms
Self Titled
Ipecac (2013)
Isis may have disbanded in 2010, but that's far from the last we've heard from its members. Though many of them have joined other bands, they have mostly stayed separate from one another, with no more than two ever appearing in the same place. But of course, that's what makes Palms so intriguing--featuring three fifths of Isis (Jeff Caxide, Aaron … Read more
Pan & Me
Ocean Noise
Denovali (2014)
Christopher Mevel, one of the founding members of the Dale Cooper Quartet & The Dictaphones, set up his solo project, Pan & Me, in order to step outside of the jazz based sound of the main band and to explore other sonic domains. Ambient music and drone are the key aspects of Pan & Me and their main focus of … Read more
Pan American
The Patience Fader
Kranky (2022)
Sonic maturity is not always reached by further augmenting one’s sound. It can also arrive when the artist understands what is important. What it is at the core of the project that makes it unique. Mark Nelson has taken such a journey with his project, Pan•American. In the early days, Pan•American relished the experimentalism of drone music, the ethereal quality … Read more
Panda Bear
Person Pitch
Paw Tracks (2007)
Better known as one-fourth of indie darlings Animal Collective, Noah Lennox under the name Panda Bear has recently released his third record upon the world, aptly titled Person Pitch. Gone are the mostly acoustic-based songs found on his last album, Young Prayer. Person Pitch has taken elements of Brian Wilson's years of experimenting in the field of pop to an … Read more
