50 total search results — Page 2 of 3
Black Elk – Black Elk
Review — July 17, 2007
Am I the only one who doesn't hear the comparisons to The Jesus Lizard that Black Elk has received from a handful of reviewers? I'm not saying that makes it a bad album, but besides a few isolated pieces of songs here and there, saying that this sounds like The …
Profundi – Omega Rising
Review — August 2, 2007
I don't know much about the Swedish band Naglfar, but I get the impression that they are well respected in black metal circles. But what I do know is that Jens Ryden, ex-vocalist of Naglfar and a veritable black metal jack-of-all-trades, knows how to make an impressive album all on …
Deathspell Omega – Fas- Ite, Maledicti, In Ignem Aeternum
Review — August 13, 2007
Wow, I haven't been keeping up with Deathspell Omega. I was lucky to end up with a promo copy of the Kénôse EP from 2005 and I've been hooked on Deathspell Omega ever since. Fas- Ite, Maledicti, In Ignem Aeternum is supposedly the second installment in a trilogy - Si …
El Ten Eleven – Every Direction is North
Review — August 22, 2007
Some would argue that post-rock has, in recent years, become overpopulated with carbon copies of Explosions in the Sky. Although I am not so sure about that myself, I can definitely see that there are some bands falling into a bit of a quiet-loud-quiet, delayed and reverbed guitar formula. Not …
Om – Pilgrimage
Review — October 24, 2007
Sleep was great. High on Fire is pretty good. But Om consistently impresses me, and seems to gain momentum with every album. Om seems to be getting closer than ever to carving out its own unique corner in the psychedelic genre that I could simply call "zen doom." These days …
My Flea Circus – Fancy Feast
Review — December 15, 2007
I've come across some weird avant-garde bands, but it's a rare occurrence that I hear a band as bizarre and creepy as My Flea Circus. I usually find a way to pin down even the most out-there bands, but this is kind of a first for me. I'm at a …
Deadsoil – Sacrifice
Review — December 19, 2007
Deadsoil is another one of those by the numbers German metalcore acts that I have come to expect from Lifeforce Records. But instead of being a Heaven Shall Burn ripoff, Deadsoil is more of a Hatebreed/Bury Your Dead ripoff, except with obnoxious singing parts and typical guitar harmonies. To their …
Fall of Serenity – Bloodred Salvation
Review — December 19, 2007
There seems to be an unhealthy amount of metalcore originating from the usually respectable country of Germany. And they all seem to be on Lifeforce. Out of these bands, Fall of Serenity is one of the better ones, or at least one of the least annoying of the bunch. The …
Down-Stares – The Watershed
Review — December 23, 2007
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 …
Blunderbuss – Blunderbuss
Review — February 24, 2008
Blunderbuss may at first be notable to some because it contains a member of Don Caballero, Jeff Ellsworth. But trust me, this album ought to stand out in its own right. This is one of the most innovative and refreshing albums I've heard in a while. It draws on a …
Asbestoscape – Asbestoscape
Review — March 2, 2008
Now here is an album that deserves some attention. This review was actually a long time in coming because I originally discovered it via a blog as early as last October. It quickly became a staple soundtrack for long, mind-numbing walks I would have to make on chilly autumn nights. …
Baby Guts – Gasoline
Review — April 1, 2008
The profound influence of punk on the grunge movement should not be understated. By the time it had reached national recognition, that lineage wasn't as obvious as it was in the beginning. But my point is that when stripped down to its bare essentials, grunge is, much like 80s hardcore, …
Arsonist – Eat Shit
Review — April 15, 2008
Eat Shit is just over five minutes of some of the most angry music I have heard in a long time. Although I didn't expect myself to say this for a long long time, this demo is so angry that it is refreshing. Arsonist is a genuinely pissed off band …
Russian Circles – Station
Review — May 22, 2008
Russian Circles' Enter was practically a life-changing album for me. Never had I heard a heavy instrumental band with such a fluid, narrative style before. There was also a dash of technical prowess (but not too much) and the whole thing was wrapped up with a certain flair only Russian …
Pentemple – 0))) Presents...
Review — June 5, 2008
One of the latest Sunn 0))) incarnations goes by the name of Pentemple - an unholy alliance between the usual Sunn 0))) boys (Stephen O'Malley and Greg Anderson), ambient artist Oren Ambarchi, and black metal visionaries Attila Csihar and Sin Nanna (AKA Striborg). The Southern Lord website called the limited …
Atavist – II: Ruined
Review — July 22, 2008
Minimalistic drone/doom is a hit-or-miss kind of genre. When you are relying on only one or two riffs to carry an entire song, the results can be either bone-chilling or yawn-inducing. With their second full-length, Atavist, hailing from Manchester, England, has once again proven it can achieve the former. Atavist's …
Verdunkeln – Einblick in dem Qualenfall
Review — July 30, 2008
Black metal is one of the last bastions of progression and experimentation in the metal community. Fifteen years ago that statement would have been laughable, but with the first couple generations of purists either incarcerated, dead, or at least moving on to other musical interests, a new generation has been …
COG – Course Over Ground
Review — September 15, 2008
I don't get the chance to review Croatian bands very often. And I definitely don't get many chances to review Croatian noise rock bands (try never). This is why the band COG caught my eye. The first thing I noticed with this album was the packaging: sturdy, coarse paper in …
Mogwai – The Hawk is Howling
Review — October 12, 2008
The usual post-rock sites were ablaze with "new Mogwai is boring" posts a few weeks before it was released, which signaled not only the impending leak had finally happened, but also the expected, but all-too-easy, tendency to judge before really listening. I would have just ignored these dismissals anyway, but …
