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The Ocean – Anthropocentric

I will say that while past albums from The Ocean excluding Heliocentric have had a lot of groove heavy riffs this album doesn’t really lock in a riff for too long. It is quite varied and I think that’s why it threw me at first. I was expecting the same type of formula as previous efforts but Anthropocentric has really stepped it up a notch in terms of an evolved sound.

Suicidal Tendencies/ Poison Idea/ Crutches @ the Showbox, Seattle WA Oct. 17, 2010

“Yes, the glory days are behind them. Yes, they are not the young men they once were. But this show was not about recreating the past. It was about proving that the fighting spirit of Suicidal lives on. Their drive, their energy, their relentless positivity comes through in every single performance, every single song.”

Cara Cross reviews the recent Seattle performance by reinstated So Cal crossover act SUICIDAL TENDENCIES

Forbidden – Omega Wave

The great pacing throughout the album makes you wonder why we haven’t heard such glorious blistering thrash from the lads earlier. Forbidden abandons any past or modern pretense and makes thrash metal vital again by combining heaviness, speed, melody, and technicality into a marvelously accessible package.

Various Artists:Snakebites – The Music of Whitesnake

Every cover is so irritatingly faithful to the original version it’s aping –right down to sounding overproduced- that it’s painful. But try as they might, none of the covering vocalists here appear to possess an nth of the swagger and soul that Mr. Coverdale conveyed in his prime (even if he did nick it from Robert Plant).

Unexpect / Stream of Passion / Manahil / Modified / Half Past Four @ Sneaky Dee’s, October 19 2010

“Nearly impossible to describe, they hit me like a crazy gothic metal version of cabaret/gypsy music, which a great deal of dark, psychotic carnival thrown in the mix as well. The violin took centre stage for me, running the gamut from classical trills and traditional Roma fiddling to dark, screeching black-metal wailing.”

Natalie Zed witnessed the recent Toronto stop of Montreal’s Unexpect, with Stream of Passion, Manahil and more.

Double Down gets two greasy thumbs up…

Anyone remember the last time a burger had an official release date? Well, when KFC announced that it was bringing the wildly successful bun-less Double Down sandwich to Canada, they gave it one: October 18th.
Being the connoisseur of greasy chicken products that I am, I was determined to Double Down on its opening weekend.