Graduation Speech
Controlled Burn
Jetsam-Flotsam (2022)
I mostly enjoy acoustic albums during my cruising time to work by bike. I can't explain what makes the acoustic sounds special when you listen to it in the morning. Maybe I'm a typical kind of guy who is slow to wake up and acoustic tunes are perfect to build up my mood. Graduation Speech is a moniker project initiated … Read more
Graf Orlock
Destination Time Tomorrow
Level Plane (2007)
First and foremost, I would just like to state that Graf Orlock, or as tourmates Comadre jokingly refer to them, Crap Orlock, kill it live. Their drummer is fucking on point, and vocalist Kalvin Kristoff is as humorous as he is intense. Plus, it doesn't hurt when you have a basement full of sweaty punks yelling out movie lines like, … Read more
Graf Orlock
Destination Time Yesterday
Level Plane (2006)
The connection between abrasive, warp speed music and film samples isn't new - for a whole wave of turn of the century hardcore bands, the familiar samples punctuating minute long tantrums were usually the most memorable part of the entire enterprise. But Graf Orlock takes this connection to an entirely new level. Named after the vampiric villain in Nosferatu, Graf … Read more
Graf Orlock / Greyskull
Split
Dood (2005)
Unless you're backless, you have a backpack. What do you have in your backpack? I'd imagine there's a collection of paper, pens, and hidden condoms. Then again, maybe you have one of those packs equipped for bicycle riding. Oh, watch out for that bump! Just kidding. You're in the comfort of a house on a computer on a chair. Under … Read more
Grails
Doomsdayer's Holiday
Temporary Residence (2008)
Having only just been introduced to the wonder and at times awe inspiring music of the outfit known as Grails, I may be privy to not having my opinions of their records tainted yet by the "their first or early records were better" attitude. Thankfully so because their fifth album, Doomsdayer's Holiday, might just be the band's best record to … Read more
Grails
Take Refuge in Clean Living
Important (2008)
Elusive is the best adjective to describe Grails (a now four-piece outfit from Portland, Oregon) and their unique take on instrumental music. And while that might not sound like a good description, it only does so in the most accurate way; there is no other manner to ascribe the long passages of music which are created by a band that … Read more
Grand Vapids
Guarantees
Independent (2015)
Athens, Georgia has a long history of producing some great musicians and music, known for being the birthplace of groups like the B-52’s and R.E.M. as well as the adopted home of the Elephant Six Collective. One of the latest bands to emerge from the storied Athens scene is Grand Vapids, a quartet whose 2015 debut Guarantees features ten tracks … Read more
Grandaddy
Sumday
V2 (2003)
Once again, Grandaddy travel down the familiar road of attaching a human face on technology for the sole purpose of denouncing it. In a shockingly ironic way, Sumday's pleasant, mid-tempo/mid-range vocal melodies and soothing rhythms make it ideal music for programming. With lines like "I'm wondering if I'll ever know/if I'll be better than I was before/when I surface through … Read more
Grave in the Sky
Cutlery Hits China: English for the Hearing Impaired
Heart & Crossbone (2007)
Grave in the Sky is a three-piece from Israel that plays thick, but still raw doom-y music. The tempos are slow and the sound is a crawling, bleak wall of sound. Cutlery Hits China: English for the Hearing Impaired is a super raw sounding album. Even though it does not completely sound like them, Grave in the Sky play a … Read more
Grave Maker
Bury Me at Sea
Think Fast! (2008)
Hailing from the Pacific Northwest, Grave Maker quickly made a name for themselves thanks to a promising demo and a commitment to the road. With the band signing to Think Fast! the band gained the exposure they needed to make the jump to the next level. Bury Me at Sea is the band's debut full-length. The album packs a mean … Read more
Grave Pleasures
Dreamcrash
Metal Blade (2015)
Back in 2010, Beastmilk were on the rise with the release of their demo White Stains On Black Tape. The band from Finland, with an impressive line-up featuring Kvohst (Hexvessel, ex-Code and ex-Dodheimsgard), Valtteri Arino, Linnea Olsson (ex-The Oath), Johan “Goatspeed” Snell and Paile, was putting together a disturbing vision of apocalyptic post-punk. The result of this concept was the … Read more
Grave Pleasures
Motherblood
Century Media (2017)
Grave Pleasures is the evolution and continuation of Beastmilk. Back in 2013, the project led by Mat “Kvohst” McNerney, released Climax, a record combining the post-punk nostalgia, the darkwave influence along with a pop-induced sensitivity. The record was filled with hits, stunning hooks and explosive tracks. Unfortunately Beastmilk could not continue in the same form, so lo and behold Grave … Read more
GraveRipper
Seasons Dreaming Death
Wise Blood Records (2023)
Indianapolis based black/thrash four piece GraveRipper formed in 2019 and have previously released three EP's , one being a split. Seasons Dreaming Death is their first full length album release. GraveRipper have made sure they have well and truly smashed out a proper rager with Seasons Dreaming Death with ten tracks of masterful fusion of fast paced thrash interspersed with … Read more
Graves At Sea
The Curse That Is
Relapse (2016)
During the early to mid '00s, Graves at Sea had acquired a legendary stature. Their first demo, Documents of Grief, revealed a band that had an exceptional handle on sludge, retaining the weight and extremity of the genre, combined with a sickening perspective. A single, Cirrhosis/Atavist Arise, was released the following year through Southern Lord, and the most revered release … Read more
Great Cynics
I Feel Weird
Specialist Subject Records (2015)
Naming a record I Feel Weird is a statement about the psyche of Great Cynics, and an applicable one at that (for the band, not necessarily the members). The band’s third record, it wavers between melodic pop punk with digressions into exploratory indie-alt rock. What that means in real English is that they play punk-ish songs with a lot of … Read more
Great Cynics
Posi
Specialist Subject Records (2017)
Calling their fourth record Posi is an interesting statement about Great Cynic’s vibe across the 11-song, half-hour record. From lyrics about being the clouds and listening to the birds to others that proclaim “what makes you special,” this is posi-punk, music that’s uplifting in an overtly cynical music scene. Hell, see the band’s name for reference.It’s not to say it’s … Read more
Great Falls
Demo
Independent (2009)
The demise of Playing Enemy was a tough pill for me to swallow as they were a band that I had followed for a number of years and always thought that they got better and better as their releases stacked up over time. Following the untimely end of that project Demian Johnston and Shane Mehling went on to do a … Read more
Green Day
¡Uno!
Reprise (2012)
Thank god it's not another concept album.That's perhaps untrue, though: maybe this is just a concept album broken over three separate records: ¡Uno! is the first in a trilogy (wittily to be followed by ¡Dos! and, of course, ¡Tre!). That said, the forty one minutes of this, Green Day's ninth record, don't seem to contain the same kind of forced … Read more
