Doomriders
Black Thunder
Deathwish Inc. (2005)
Throughout the entire Lord of the Rings trilogy, The Nazgul have their own musical score. The music that was written for them is dark and operatic; when you hear it, you anticipate awful things to happen. And yet, I feel the choice that was made just wasn't dramatic enough so I took it upon myself to choose new music for … Read more
Doomriders
Darkness Come Alive
Deathwish Inc. (2009)
Doomriders debut effort Black Thunder launched the Boston-based outfit into action with their dark-themed hybrid of punk, metal, and hardcore. Since its release the band has kept busy with a slew of recordings surfacing. There was a live 7" EP released shortly after their debut, two split recordings - with Coliseum and Disfear respectively - spread out over the past … Read more
Doomtree
No Kings
Doomtree (2011)
It’s not hard to find something to say about Doomtree. The 7-headed monster has enough disparate characters that I could fill the proverbial pages here without even addressing No Kings, their second official full-length. The band recently made some internet waves with the mash-up Wugazi project—which is where I’ll start since the opening track, “No Way,” begins with a guitar … Read more
Dope Body
Lifer
Drag City (2014)
On a long enough timeline, all genre descriptors start to lose meaning. Spend enough time hopping through the tags on Bandcamp, and you'll discover that "hardcore" and "post-hardcore" are mired down with mostly those bands who are championed as "emo revival" on the internet. Despite whatever evidence there is to the contrary, give it enough thought and it starts to … Read more
Double Cheese
Thee Black Album
Dirty Water Records (2022)
Royale With Cheese! Brie De Meaux, Pyrénées Sheep Fromage, Comté, Bleu d'Auvergne, Époisses de Bourgogne, Le Chevrot. So much French Cheese and so little time. Nothing like a fine aged cheese that has the aroma of a baby’s shit-filled diaper accented with the smell of unwashed construction worker's feet and top offed with the ripe order of a hippie full-flavored … Read more
Down and Outs
Friday Nights, Monday Mornings
Dead & Gone (2008)
Down and Outs have been shaking things up for going on four years now. Unfortunately, I really didn't start paying attention to the band until last year when they offered up a split 7" with Death is No Glamorous. Despite my ignorance, Down and Outs have amassed a small discography through a variety of releases - both in CD and … Read more
Down to Nothing
Splitting Headache
Thorp (2005)
With their debut, Save it for the Birds, the Richmond, Virginia straightedge outfit turned quite a few heads with their high-octane approach to hardcore. The furious noise assault was teamed with vocalist David Wood's straight-to-the-point lyrical approach - I recall the episode of The Simpson's where everyone 'tells it like it is.' With a combination like that, the recipe for … Read more
Down to Nothing
The Most
Revelation (2007)
Ryan Groat should be presented with some sort of award for the riffs he came up with on The Most, Down to Nothing's third full-length and first for Revelation Records. Seriously, not only are the riffs thundering and inventive, they get stuck in your head for weeks, even months on end. Mr. Groat I award with this Riffy for Most … Read more
Down-Stares
Cobras & Matadors
T.Rex Ate My Face (2008)
A couple of years ago, through my involvement with this website, I crossed paths with Down-Stares' independently released album The Watershed. This was an album that pushed me to my limits as a music critic because, as someone who prefers neatly defined genre categories and, even more so, inaccessibility in my music, Down-Stares is a challenge because of its blatant … Read more
Down-Stares
The Watershed
Independent (2006)
There is a parenthetical addition to this album's title that states "This Might Take More Than You Can Brave." Ironically, this statement has turned out to describe all too well my experience with reviewing it. Before I say anything more, I have to level with you guys (not just the readers, but the band as well if they ever happen … Read more
Downfall Of Gaia
Atrophy
Metal Blade (2016)
Downfall of Gaia is a prime example of the underground post-hardcore and post-crust scenes. Starting off in 2008, the band came into the prominence with their debut full-length, Epos, a record that introduced the potential of the band, the elements that would later bloom into making them what they are today. It is no coincidence that Metal Blade snatched them, … Read more
Downtown Struts
Victoria!
Pirates Press (2012)
Pop-punk, Americana infused rock 'n' roll isn't really something I'd usually find myself listening to, but occasionally it's quite nice to break free of the norm and invest your time in something a little different. Downtown Struts are one such investment, and it was very much time well spent. Riding the coattails of bands such as Against Me!, The Gaslight … Read more
Dr. Acula
Dr. Acula
Silent Pendulum Records (2022)
First of all, I can’t believe Dr. Acula is back! When I saw the promo from Silent Pendulum that there’s a new album on the way, I had to triple check and listen to the single a couple of times. It still took a while for the reality to sink in and I’m not going to lie, I had some … Read more
Dr. Dog
Be The Void
Anti (2012)
These days, few musicians are fortunate enough to have released seven consistently pleasing albums, thrive on live performance, partake in the DIY method of surviving making music for a living and have a blast doing so. The Philadelphia bred Dr. Dog manage to do just this.Anyone can compare a modern band drawing influences from 60’s and 70’s baroque pop and … Read more
Drag the River
Bad at Breaking Up
Suburban Home (2009)
"I know I'm not the easiest lover," Drag the River admits in "Jeff Black Song." That honest and simple line over a minimal acoustic track tells you as much as you need to know about Drag the River. The alt-country band started as a side project, grew into a full-time band, and fell apart as band members went in different … Read more
Dragonforce
Inhuman Rampage
Sanctuary (2006)
Usually, when a band tries to surpass their previous musical efforts, especially when the stage is set to such a high standard, they hit a block of musical creativity. This block sounds like an attempt at something new and original but falls quite short of that, and what you hear makes you look back at the CD case to see … Read more
Dragonforce
The Power Within
Roadrunner (2012)
Okay, I'll just come out and say it--I like DragonForce.I know, I know; just saying 'DragonForce' is a one-liner joke in of itself. Whether its the plague of terrible performances that prevailed during the Inhuman Rampage tour, or the observation that the band can only play at two speeds: metal and ballad, or simply the fact that fantasy-based power metal … Read more
Dragonland
Starfall
Cleopatra (2005)
I'll be honest. I expected certain things when I attended Yngwie Malmsteen's Rising Force show at the Hammersmith Apollo this past spring. I was prepared for all the aging rock couples of London, with their teased hair and blue eyeliner, and for the teenaged spotty hoards in Children of Bodom shirts; the ancient and loyal, mixing with the curious and … Read more
