Gone is Gone
Echolocation
Rise (2017)
Mastodon are no stranger to side projects. Hell, guitarist/vocalist Brent Hinds has released two in the last year alone, with his new Legend of the Seagullmen album due in September. Brann Dailor released Arcadea, also on this years’ top 25 list, and Bill Kelliher doesn’t need your goddamn validation!Gone is Gone is the amalgamation of Mastodon bassist/vocalist Troy Sanders, guitarist … Read more
Gonzales
Checkmate
Chorus of One (2009)
It shouldn't take a Johnny Cash song to make a record take off. With Checkmate, from Gonzales, that's exactly the problem. The first hook to really pull you in comes on "Ring of Fire," which sets a positive tone for everything that follows after it. Unfortunately, that's only the final three songs. At their heart, Gonzales seek to be a … Read more
Good Clean Fun
Between Christian Rock and a Hard Place
Equal Vision (2006)
I can't think of one person out there that doesn't like to laugh. However, not everyone likes to laugh at the same things. Some people think Adam Sandler is funny; I don't. Some people think Robin Williams is a hoot; I don't. Hell, some people think American's Funniest Home Videos was the greatest show in television history; I... well, who … Read more
Good Friend
Ride The Storm
Red Scare Industries (2016)
I’m a fan of a select little niche of pop punk. The cleaner the voices, the more I tend to dislike it or just not connect. However, Red Scare Industries has been capturing a nice little segment that hits right in the middle between my proffered gruff stuff with the more up-front and happier sounding ilk (on the surface, anyway). … Read more
Good Old War
Come Back As Rain
Sargent House (2012)
The first time I heard Good Old War, I heard them live - probably the best way to listen to them, in my opinion. Their harmonies, melodies and musical arrangements are way more impressive that way. They were opening for Guster and after their performance of "My Own Sinking Ship," I was sold on them. (All I have to say … Read more
Good Riddance
Bound By Ties of Blood and Affection
Fat Wreck Chords (2003)
Oddly enough, this album doesn't start off with a 30 second sound clip. That being said, the album blasts off immediately with pure hardcore fury. For those not familiar with the band, do not let this description repel you. These guys belt out their hardcore with a fresh dose of pop-punk and melodic, yet abrasive vocals. In fact, their style, … Read more
Good Riddance
My Republic
Fat Wreck Chords (2006)
The opening of My Republic could easily be mistaken for the opening to just about any guitar based album from the past 30 years, with quietly plucked single notes pushing along for a moment or two. It is only as "Out of Mind" explodes into the best Bad Religion song since Mr. Brett left the band for the first time … Read more
Good Riddance
Peace In Our Time
Fat Wreck Chords (2015)
Peace in Our Time is an album that seemed like it was never going to be released. Good Riddance's breakup in 2007 appeared to be final. Younger listeners such as myself, who discovered the band around this time, had to come to terms with never hearing new music from the band nor having the opportunity to see them perform live. … Read more
Good Riddance
Remain in Memory: The Last Show
Fat Wreck Chords (2008)
Good Riddance has always been just another one of those "Fat" bands that started in the early 90's and put out album after album well into the next decade. I never was into Good Riddance past their first album God and Country and really haven't paid them any attention since Dave Wagenschutz stopped drumming for them. Anyway, Good Riddance decides … Read more
Good Shade
Way Out
Dirtnap (2019)
Dirtnap is a fascinating label in how they’ve developed a certain sound to their releases, regardless of what part of the world or what particular scene the musicians hail from. Sure, there’s the Marked Men connection with many of their releases, but that’s only a piece of what the label has put out.Good Shade is Shane Natalie, a one-man band … Read more
Goon Moon
Licker's Last Leg
Ipecac (2007)
Let's not beat around the bush. Licker's Last Leg is the album Queens of the Stone Age should have put out instead of the bands recent Era Vulgaris. Why the comparison? Well, there's the obvious one founder/vocalist/multi-instrumentalist Chris Goss has long been the unofficial fifth Queens of the Stone Age-er for quite some time, appearing on or producing every album … Read more
Gore
Mean Man's Dream (Reissue)
FSS (2008)
A great deal of hyperbole flies around regarding re-issues, which in it of themselves can be very tricky propositions, particularly ones that may or may not be integral to have a re-issue. Gore no longer exists as a unit, but the three piece's legacy resonates today in heavy (be it metal, be it some other genre) music and serves as … Read more
Gorgoroth
Ad Majorem Sathanas Gloriam
Regain (2006)
Disclaimer: Whenever a reviewer has no idea how to end a review - a more common occurrence than the reader might think - the reviewer is forced to employ the cheapest of literary tricks: the disengage. By taking the reader out of the narrative flow with an aside that is thought to be clever, but in reality is fooling no … Read more
Gorillaz
Demon Days
Virgin (2005)
It's been four years since Gorillaz, the world's first animated group, debuted with Gorillaz, a wacky blend of pop, rock, and hip-hop. A fun, terrific debut guided by one of the best single's to hit MTV in the past half-decade, "Clint Eastwood." I myself am not too overzealous when hearing a great single, but damn, that track sucker-punched me pretty … Read more
Gospel
The Moon is a Dead World
Level Plane (2005)
I, for one, was initially startled by The Mars Volta. Their melding of prog-rock and post-hardcore required the status of a level-32 dwarf. Maybe it was Cedric's multidimensional vocabulary or Omar's guitarscapades, but they got boring real quick. Simply put, the Mars lacked Volta. My replacement and newest musical addiction was run by a thousand engines and possessed by one … Read more
Grabass Charlestons
Dale & the Careeners
No Idea (2012)
Is this the same band that released Ask Mark Twain? Well, kind of. Dale & the Careeners is the first Grabass Charlestons full-length since 2005, and their first with singer Will Thomas wielding the axe instead of the kit. Really, after giving this record several listens it seems that talking about the band’s earlier releases will mostly put people on … Read more
Grace Gale
A Few Easy Steps to Secure Heli-Camel Safety
Blackout! (2005)
At any point in time you may catch me watching television, usually an Aqua Teen Hunger Force DVD, Comedy Central, or Cartoon Network. However, lately, I've been watching The Food Network almost nonstop. No, seriously. So with my diligent viewing of shows like 'Food 911!' and 'Inside Dish with Rachael Ray' I've decided to present you with the following recipe. … Read more
Gracer
Voices Travel
Revelation (2006)
I feel sorry for emo kids these days. Rather than being a certain clique that listens to a certain type of music they have become an entire entity within themselves. What we have in 2006 are a bunch of mopey teenagers with Livejournal accounts, bad haircuts and their mother's cheapest strands of pearls. Instead of being a community of kids … Read more
