Category: Reviews
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Freedom Hawk – Beast Remains
Man, I’ve been listening to Freedom Hawk for almost a decade—I first reviewed their MeteorCity debut in early 2010. Now signed to Ripple Music (who recently reissued the band’s first album), these long-running Virginia rockers are back with another heaping platter of southern-fried grooves. Beast Remains begins on a head-nodding note with “Solid Gold,” a…
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Naked Giants – Sluff LP
Upon first glance at Naked Giants‘ New West Records debut album, Sluff, those who pick the album up might assume that they’re staring into a time warp. The awkward poses that the three-piece band’s members strike combined with their clothing and the garish color scheme as well as the decor in the image look like…
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Bison – Earthbound (reissue)
It figures that just a few months after putting out their comeback album, which wound up being one of our top five Canadian releases of 2017, Bison would go all the way back to the beginning with this reissue of their first album on limited edition vinyl (666 copies). They’re more than 10 years removed…
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Zeke – Hellbender
Not sure I was expecting to hear from these Seattle punk rockers again. Zeke last released a full-length record almost 15 years ago, and I was not aware they were still a going concern… not that I’m complaining. Buckle up yer bumper cars, as they blast 15 tracks by you in 20 and a half…
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Eagle Twin – The Thundering Heard
I’m not always a fan of two-piece doom bands—especially when they don’t have a bassist. But some can still generate enough sonic power to win me over; such is the case with Utah’s Eagle Twin on their third album for Southern Lord. The Thundering Heard opens with a rumble, meditative vocals (à la Al Cisneros)…
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Besvärjelsen – Vallmo
This Swedish heavy psych outfit, featuring former members of Dozer and Greenleaf, has actually received airplay on Swedish National Radio, proving that rock ‘n roll ain’t dead… provided that you cross the pond. After two previous EPs, Besvärjelsen’s debut album is actually named after the Swedish word for poppy—although in this case, we’re talking about…
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Earthless – Black Heaven
You know the world’s been twist-turned upside down when Fu Manchu is kicking out 18-minute jams and Earthless is singing—yes, actually singing—sub-10-minute numbers. That’s right, America’s pre-eminent jam band seems to be slowing down in their old age, as apparent on this latest release. Mind you, most of the songs here still exceed six minutes…
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Yamantaka // Sonic Titan – Dirt LP
In this age of post-modern songwriting and culturally blended musicianship, finding something which is truly striking and unique in its composition, performance and presentation is rare but, as Yamantaka // Sonic Titan proves on its third album Dirt, not impossible. This time out, the Canadian Noh-Wave behemoths offer listeners their first great breakthrough document of…
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Violation Wound – With Man In Charge
A simple summation of Violation Wound’s sound is that they sound like Autopsy or Abscess without the death and doom elements of their music. So, to say it’s stripped down is an understatement. This is no surprise when you realise that Autopsy and former Abscess member Chris Reifert is on guitar and vocals. It really…
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Death – Give It Back 7-inch
You’ve got to respect Death [from Detroit] for the way they’ve chosen to conduct themselves over the years. Really think about it, reader; this is a band who, since changing their name and turning to punk rock in 1976 has only released six albums [Death started in 1973 as a funk band called Rock Fire Funk…