Category: Reviews

  • Poobah – Let Me In

    By Gruesome Greg The early 70’s were the golden years of heavy rock, with bands banging out loud, bluesy, psychedelic jams with the support of major labels. Nowadays, many forgotten acts from that era have seen a resurgence in popularity, certain “cult” bands like Sir Lord Baltimore, Leaf Hound, and Jerusalem, to name a few.…

  • Otargos – No God No Satan

    By Ola Mazzuca “No God, No Satan” could be another way of saying “No Pain, No Gain”, right? I mean, if you really put it into perspective, there cannot be one without the other. This is up for heavy argument, but to many individuals this is usually a general and common thought. Stepping aside from philosophical ideas on…

  • Stephen Pearcy – Under My Skin

    By Jason Wellwood First off, the world does NOT need another version of ‘Round and Round’. Yes, this version features The Donnas (who I love) but enough is enough! Between Stephen Pearcy himself and his Ratt brethren, there are over six versions out there. That’s not including covers not related to the band. It’s a…

  • The Devil’s Blood – The Time of No Time Evermore

    What makes The Devil’s Blood successful is its masterful gift for restraint. The band knows how to hold back, painting a partial musical portrait consisting solely of shadows and allowing the listener to infer the details using that most horrifying of artists: the imagination. Tate Bengston gives us a great review of the latest output…

  • Sonic Medusa – demo

    By Gruesome Greg Sonic Medusa is a brand-new quartet of heavy rock veterans like Greg Rogers of The Obsessed and Tom Five, who played in a sludge-metal band called Angel Rot—before joining White Zombie.  (Their other guitar player has him beat though. He played with Axl in the Hollywood Rose days…) When you can get…

  • Northern – Northern

    By Cara Cross I was introduced to Victoria B.C.’s Northern a couple weeks ago when they opened for Wolves in the Throne Room. The instrumental three-piece blew my socks off, and I immediately picked up a copy of their debut CD. Their musical style invites one to draw comparisons to post-metal acts like Isis, Pelican…

  • Hirax – Noise, Chaos, War

    By Jason Wellwood This is a ‘catchup’ album of sorts for those of us who didn’t pick up the EP’s released in 2001, 2006 and 2007 (Barrage of Noise, Assassins of War, Chaos and Brutality respectively). While Hirax never made as much splash with mainstream audiences as ‘The Big Four’ did, they definitely hold down…

  • The Atomic Bomb Audition – Roots Into the See

    “With a tortured vocal skirting the edge of post-black-metal (by way of Today is the Day), and thick, cloying guitars that crack like ice-breaking anchors, the song is a slow-motion drag under ice-cold waters. It is the sound of hypothermia’s stab ice-picking your brain moments before you calmly accept the inevitability of the drown.” Kyle…

  • God Ox – Abyssal Gigantism

    By Gruesome Greg Despite the most pretentious band bio I’ve seen in a little while, I decided to check out NYC’s God Ox.  These guys have clearly invested in a good dictionary and/or thesaurus, with song titles such as “Benevolent Severity,” “Pestilent Dogmata” and “The Ontological Argument for the Existence of the Lord God.”  Nevertheless,…

  • Amorphis – Magic & Mayhem [Tales From The Early Years]

    There are always going to be purists who cry foul when a band re-records a favourite song but, really, it’s the band’s song to do with as they will. On Magic & Mayhem though, I don’t see many fans crying foul, in fact, I think the opposite is true. This album shines from top to…