Category: Reviews
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Unsane – Sterilize
It’s been a good five years since we last had a new Unsane album, and while much has changed in the world since 2012, the NYC noise vets are as reliably dreary as ever. Dig the simple, one-word album title, with bolded font over a blood-spattered backdrop, and the 10 tracks within, only one of…
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Alice Copper – Paranormal
In a world gone mad (and going ever madder) it is ironic that Alice Cooper has turned out to be one of the sanest and most reliable men in it. Alice always gives his music 100%. After all these years he could hardly do less; he would only be besmirching his own legend. And, as always,…
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Ufomammut – 8
What’s in a number? The eighth album from Ufomammut contains eight tracks clocking in just shy of 48 minutes. (OK, so it’s actually closer to 47). At this point, you probably know what you’re going to get from this Italian trio—a whole buncha heavy, experimental sludge—and in that regard, The Ocho delivers. We begin with…
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Pallbearer – Heartless
The clean, retro-looking cover of this record, Pallbearer’s third full length, perhaps belies a softer, more psychedelic sound within. Some had complained that they pulled an Opeth on this album, moving more toward prog and away from metal. To wit, when they recently performed in Toronto, their bassist asked the crowd if there was anyone…
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Anathema @ The Opera House, Toronto, 21 August 2017
The last time England’s atmospheric progressive rockers Anathema came to Toronto in 2013, visa issues cruelly skimmed the line up to just frontman Vincent Cavanagh, guitarist Danny Cavanagh and vocalist Lee Douglas. Now live in Toronto tonight, the whole line up is present and it the audience’s anticipation marks this show as long overdue. Starting…
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Iron Mountain – Unum
Occasionally, when reviewing records, I receive one that really exceeds my expectations. Such an album is Iron Mountain’s Unum. To give a soundbite description, it is post-metal meets Irish folk, psychedelic and prog, but that only begins the first steps on the journey to describe a band that have a huge, expansive, truly original and…
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Virulent Depravity – Fruit of the Poisoned Tree
Climbing, spiral riffs that seem to ascend into the heavens are what greets you, the listener, upon first hitting play on Virulent Depravity‘s latest output, the excellent and epic Fruit of the Poisoned Tree. Possibly the only band that is capable of being compared and contrasted against the sadly now-defunct Spawn of Possession, Virulent Depravity…
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Firebreather – self-titled EP
As you probably know, Gothenberg, Sweden is mostly known for death metal (In Flames, At the Gates, Dark Tranquility et al). Doom really isn’t on that city’s radar—not as far as I know, anyways. So when I hear about a young band from that neck of the woods who worships at the altar of Matt…
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North Mississippi Allstars – Prayer For Peace
The terms and conditions for being regarded as an “artistic dynasty” are vague and often vary from band-to-band but, without question or argument, the Dickinson family fits the bill. First, there was Jim Dickinson. For forty-six years, Jim Dickinson was present in one capacity or another (either as an “artist” or as a “producer”) to…
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Namazu – Works Cited
Although they built this city on blues ‘n BBQ, I can’t really think of any good music that’s come out of Memphis in the past 30 years or so. So when I heard about this heavy duo Namazu, I was certainly intrigued. Not to be confused with the Aussie drone duo (or the equally Aussie…