Skin Like Iron
Skin Like Iron
Independent (2008)
I can't help but wonder what the music world would be like without experimentation. Sure, the first to try something different is often shunned, but their willingness to try something different is what makes them so great. While perhaps not a genre-defining move, the direction that Skin Like Iron have taken with their music is one breath of fresh air … Read more
Skindraft
Demos
Independent (2007)
Skindraft's compilation of previous and new demos oddly titled Demos is a very telling slice of a young, new band finding their way in the world. Hailing from Ireland, these four lads have shown growth since the release of their first demo in 2004. Two and a half years later, they still wear their influences on their sleeve as evidenced … Read more
Skrillex
Recess
Atlantic (2014)
Electronic musician Skrillex’s 2014 debut full length album Recess (released on the Atlantic label) starts with a track called “All’s Fair in Love and Brostep.” That says almost everything one needs to know about the album, prompting a WTF reaction from all except those people already firmly in the pro-Skrillex camp. The song title also hints at the juvenile mentality … Read more
Skullflower
IIIrd Gatekeeper (Reissue)
Crucial Blast (2008)
Skullflower is the long running project of Matthew Bower, but in its initial incarnation the band did have other members and was a bit more "rock oriented" than the cacophonous oppression of sound and noise that Skullflower is today with Bower as the (pretty much) sole member and driving force. IIIrd Gatekeeper is a re-release of the extremely difficult to … Read more
Skullflower
Tribulation
Crucial Blast (2006)
Most people can't handle the devastating beauty that Skullflower has been known for since its inception in 1987. This latest offering, Tribulation, shows Skullflower in mind blowing form, and I mean that in the most literal sense. This record is loud and thick with ambient noise, feedback, and fuzzed out droning that weighs heavy on the listener's mind and soul. … Read more
Skyharbor
Blinding White Noise: Illusion & Chaos
Basick (2012)
There aren't many ways that I can describe the emotions I get from Indian djentlemen Skyharbor's debut album, and part of the reason is that the cumbersomely titled Blinding White Noise: Illusion & Chaos brings with it some incredibly polarizing feelings. On the one hand, it's one of the most pleasurable aural experiences I've had the pleasure to receive. On … Read more
Skyzoo
A Dream Deferred
Duck Down (2012)
After a few years of releasing mixtapes and collaborative projects, Brooklyn emcee Skyzoo returns with his second official solo effort, A Dream Deferred. The album pairs the rapper’s ever-improving lyricism and flow alongside bubbly and lavish jazz and R&B-tinged soundscapes. Production heavyweights like Jahlil Beats, Black Milk,9th Wonder, and DJ Khalil all contributed beats but it’s the live instrumentation—including violinists, … Read more
Slant
1집
Iron Lung (2021)
The pandemic has taken its toll on everyone. Even though I’ve stayed healthy, it’s stressful and that inevitably seeps into daily life. One interesting takeaway is that I think I appreciate hardcore more in 2020-21 than I have in the past decade. It’s a good time to be screaming from the bottom of your lungs.Slant is a 5-piece from South … Read more
Slapshot
Make America Hate Again
Bridge Nine (2018)
What pisses the supremely tolerant off? Intolerance. What pisses Slapshot off? Edgebreakers, trainwrecks, narcissists, whiners, whingers, hypocrites, the mentally weak, and quitters! Slapshot lists, tackles, hip checks, and pins this notion of kindness to the boards, praying for full on donnybrook. They are Brad Marchand staring at one of theSedin’s, asking for a tilly; they are Sean Avery screening Martin … Read more
Slayer
Christ Illusion
American (2006)
During one of his spoken word performances, Henry Rollins once noted that it is as if someone freezes Slayer in a block of ice in-between tours and recording; they are completely unaware of the fact it's not 1983 anymore but still continue to make music as if it was. In their twenty-something year career, they haven't really "progressed" (began sucking) … Read more
Slayer
Eternal Pyre
American (2006)
It's been a quite wait for Slayer fans, who are as rabid as music fans come. We last heard new music from the metal masters on 2001's God Hates Us All. Well here in 2006 we have been graced - an ironic choice of words I know - with Eternal Pyre featuring a brand new Slayer song, "Cult." On "Cult" … Read more
Slayer
Repentless
Nuclear Blast (2015)
Since the 1983 release of Slayer's debut album Show No Mercy, guitarists Jeff Hanneman, Kerry King bassist/vocalist Tom Araya and drummer Dave Lombardo have built a long and respectable career by maintaining the number two slot in the Big Four of thrash metal, second only to Metallica. But if the measure was the loyalty of their fan base, one would … Read more
Sleaford Mods
Key Markets
Harbinger Sound (2015)
"worker bees can leaveeven drones can fly awaythe queen is their slave"- Chuck Palahniuk, Fight Club When people talk about music (assuming people actually do still talk about music), they'll typically begin by discussing the style or genre they like. If the other person then hasn't begun silently searching for Buzzfeed lists and the conversation continues, it can go in … Read more
Sleep
Dopesmoker (Reissue)
Southern Lord (2012)
Imagine, if you will, that doom rock band Om and a still-young drone metal band Boris got together in a hallucinogen-induced haze one night. Their inevitable pothead lovechild would undoubtedly be doom/stoner outfit Sleep, as evidenced by their final album, Dopesmoker.Having been released at least four different times (with four different running times, not to mention two different names), this … Read more
Sleep
The Sciences
Third Man (2018)
Hendrix takes the stage with his band—right-handed guitar upside down, LSD stashed in his headband, visions of blue baize fields and purple skies are immanent. The experience is underway. "Voodoo Child" ends, bongos rip, drums roll, Jimi feedbacks and chaos continues behind him. “Oh say can you see, by the dawn’s early light” Jimi’s acid wash jeans match his acid … Read more
Sleep Token
Sundowning
Spinefarm Records (2019)
Sundowning is a record of intrigue and mystery, not least because of the anonymous faces behind the band and this enigmatic twist has led to many discovering their presence in the British alternative scene. While their identities may be hidden, Sleep Token display their emotions for all to see on their debut album, a collection of songs which evoke much … Read more
Sleeping in the Aviary
Great Vacation!
Science Of Sound (2010)
Sleeping in the Aviary begin Great Vacation! with a sparse, plodding guitar line that builds into the skeletal indie-folk of “Y.M.C.A. (No, Not That One)”. Instead of starting with a rocker, this sets a tone that showcases their many elements: quirky poppiness, lyrics that border between absurd and genuine, and a penchant for the big, memorable refrain. The record plays … Read more
Sleeping in the Aviary
You And Me, Ghost
Science Of Sound (2011)
It was just six months ago that I reviewed Great Vacation. Sure, I was a few months behind the trolley on that one, but the fact that Sleeping in the Aviary has already kicked out another record, You and Me, Ghost, speaks to their dedication and work ethic. Or maybe Elliott Kozel and company just can’t put down their writing … Read more
