Category: Reviews
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Arthur Buck s/t
Full honesty and disclosure: I’ve been a really big fan of R.E.M. for a really long time and approached Arthur Buck’s self-titled debut album with no small amount of trepidation. I didn’t want to risk sullying my memory of Peter Buck – but it turns out I needn’t have worried. In fact, by crossing Buck’s…
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Cauldron – New Gods
After four albums and over 11 years of countless shows and tours across Canada and the world, Cauldron’s highly anticipated release New Gods, which is available now from The End Records, further cements their legacy. Masterfully produced by Chris Stringer at Toronto’s Union Sound Company, New Gods perfectly captures everything you would expect from Cauldron.…
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Monster Truck – True Rockers
Fresh off the road from opening for the legendary Deep Purple in Europe, Monster Truck hit the studio to record the follow up to 2016’s Sittin’ Heavy. True Rockers, available on 9/14/2018 from Dine Alone Records is holds its own against the band’s brilliant back catalog. Monster Truck is a band that has clearly carved…
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The Death Wheelers – I Tread on Your Grave
Fans of horror doom, instrumental surf and biker rock, rejoice. The Death Wheelers combine all three on their fast ‘n loose debut album. Had a chance to catch these guys opening for Monolord, and they set the stage in their biker jackets and army helmets. I did not know they made this kinda music in…
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Dopethrone – Transcanadian Anger
They may be named after an Electric Wizard record, but I’ve always found Dopethrone to be more like Canada’s answer to Bongzilla, with heavy, hazy riffs and drug references abound on their fifth full-length album. Transcanadian Anger kicks off with a fuzzy rumble on “Planet Meth,” a downtuned, downtrodden stomp with shades of EHG. The…
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Throat – Bareback
There must be something in the water, or more correctly, ice, in Finland. It seems to work wonders for the creativity of Finnish bands – just look, for example, at the extraordinary output of Circle. Bareback is Throat’s second album and sees them explore new musical vistas. To their 90s-inspired noise rock they have added…
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Bass Drum of Death – “Just Business” LP
Even upon one’s first play through Bass Drum of Death‘s fourth album, listeners will quickly be able to note that its title is a complete fucking misnomer. Nothing about this album is “Just Business”; it’s impossible to not take this music personally because it IS THAT GOOD and DOES mark a spectacular potential turning point…
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Ominous Eclipse – Sinister
Forging their own path towards the New Wave of Canadian Death Metal, Ominous Eclipse is an independent band from Ottawa and have shared the stage with contemporaries Insurrection, Endast, and Crimson Shadows. Their upcoming release Sinister, due September 14th, is a game changing release for Ominous Eclipse that places them center stage for my pick of…
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Infernal Coil – Within a World Forgotten
Idaho based grinding death metallers Infernal Coil release their debut full-length project on September 28 via Profound Lore Records. For the past two years now, Infernal Coil has been releasing some of the most terrifying death metal and this new record, Within a World Forgotten, is no exception. This record spans just over thirty-five minutes in length…
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KEN Mode – Loved
Like death and taxes, you can count on KEN Mode to deliver a new record every two to three years. Album number seven from the Winnipeg noise-rock veterans comes on the heels of a trio of Juno-nominated releases, the most recent being 2015’s Success. (Ironically, it didn’t win.) This nine-track, 35-and-a-half-minute effort seems to be…