Category: Featured

Featured posts

  • Bison BC – Dark Ages

    A lot of bands attempting to pull off the same thing simply wind up sounding too eclectic to get anything of substance across. But Dark Ages, varied though it is in influence, is still a focused and precise monster, and it’s likely to be another one of those records that will wind up on many…

  • Cancer Bats – Bears, Mayors, Scraps & Bones

    With a swinging and universally mean attack, Cancer Bats set fire to much of their own past as well as a significant number of the bands that would pretend to be their peers as they find the best possible middle ground between old school hardcore (like Black Flag) and Seventies/Eighties-era metal (think Judas Priest), and…

  • The Steve Morse Band—Out Standing in Their Field

    You won’t hear any misguided stabs at nü-metal or techno; only a trio of dudes and their respective endorsement deals doing what they do damn well, and having a good time at it (while concocting some of the corniest titles this side of a Skyclad album). The Steve Morse Band delivers flash with class.

  • Virulence – If This Isn’t a Dream… 1985-1989

    A pretty cool find from a band on the cusp of the post-hardcore movement—especially considering the direction its members went afterwards. I guess they didn’t start smoking reefer till they moved away from their parents…

  • Holy Psychedelic Easter Sunday, Stonerman!

    Rest on Sunday? Bah–I’ll rest when I’m dead. Saturday might be alright for fighting, but Easter Sunday’s just fine for some heavy psych. So sayeth the Weedian Nazareth… (Now yer messin’ with a sunnavabitch!)

  • Raven – Walk through Fire

    By Albert Mansour Receiving this new Raven CD I raised a worried eyebrow thinking that this was going to be one their Stay Hard or The Pack Is Back specials: that many things will probably be going wrong on this album. The trio has proved me wrong by possibly releasing one of their best albums…

  • Jay Gorania’s SXSW 2010 – Part 1

    Austin’s 6th Street area is the performance location for much of the musical side of South by Southwest—a massive interactive, film and music conference and festival. Historically, unsigned bands came to get noticed by suit ’n tie record label reps; however as it has evolved, signed underground and mainstream bands have dominated showcases, and schmoozin’…

  • DoomDogs – s/t

    DoomDogs is a fair solid slab of thud-rock. I’d go so far as to say that, from the opening bombardier riff of “Fight the Greed”, DoomDogs is a notch or two above a lot of doom records I’ve subjected myself to lately.

  • Helix @ Legendary Red Rooster, Burlington ON, March 27, 2010

    Helix has been known in the metal scene since the mid 80’s and has over the years made some incredible tracks. They played a good chunk of them Saturday night and it made for one hell a perfect night. Checking out this band live is a must for any metal fan into the 80’s scene.…

  • Ratt – Infestation

    I wasn’t expecting much from this album but am mildly impressed with a lot of the songwriting – full of huge hooks, great guitar work and of course Pearcy’s voice. Ratt brings back the classic sound of the 80s with great songwriting and great guitar solos but still for the most part inject some modern…