Category: Reviews
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Forming the Void – Relic
Now, I gotta say, I’m a pretty big fan of NOLA-style sludge metal. (EHG FTW!) But while Lafayette, Louisiana might just be a couple hours away from New Orleans, these native sons are several more miles removed from Crowbar or Eyehategod—while still clearly inhabiting within the stoner/doom subgenre. The second record from Forming the Void…
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Striker – Striker
When a band releases an eponymous album it’s a statement of intent, a sign of confidence, everything being as it should be. For make no mistake, Striker are a special band. As the old Metal Gods ascend to Valhalla, new gods will arise. This is Striker’s fifth album and it’s just timeless. Not retro, not…
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The Chemical Brothers – Exit Planet Dust LP (reissue)
From the outside, The Chemical Brothers have never really appeared to be an act that anyone associates with the concept of “evolutionary development,” but that is really the fault of shortsighted critics who simply assume that the group’s influence and growth is limited because the music first gained life on a series of dance floors.…
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Unearthly Trace – Stalking the Ghost
NYC doom dealers Unearthly Trance have returned from a seven-year recording hiatus—one that gave us a pair of Serpentine Path records, mind you, as they joined up with Tim Bagshaw of Electric Wizard fame. But now the original trio’s back in business, with their sixth album, out this month on Relapse Records. You can expect…
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Flaming Lips – Oczy Mlody LP
A deeper look at the grooves pressed into the Oczy Mlody LP by The Flaming Lips. It has been pretty evident that The Flaming Lips were in need of a change over the last few releases. The band just wasn’t sure what needed to happen in that capacity and so elected to throw everything at…
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Mountain God – Bread Solstice
Brooklyn is probably not the first place that comes to mind when you think post-sludge. Me, I’m thinking Oakland, maybe Portland, definitely Chicago of late… But this trippy trio is coming straight outta Williamsburg on Bread Solstice, their debut LP, serving up six tracks in just over 40 minutes. Mountain God’s Artificial Head debut Some…
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Mothership – High Strangeness
I’ve been a big fan of this Dallas outfit ever since I first heard their self-titled debut in 2013, so suffice to say I’m super-stoked for this, the third record from Mothership. More heavy rock than heavy metal, these guys create a potent concoction combining AC/DC, Thin Lizzy and ZZ Top with riffs that are thicker…
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The Wallflowers – Bringing Down The Horse LP
A deeper look at the grooves pressed into the Twentieth Anniversary 2LP reissue of Bringing Down The Horse by The Wallflowers It might not have been the single most obvious thing, but those who remember the times during which The Wallflowers released their sophomore album know the world was a very strange place from an…
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Dead – We Won’t Let You Sleep
Aussie noise-rockers Dead first crossed the pond in 2013, when their Idiots album was picked up domestically by Portland’s Eolian Empire. They played a buncha dates in the States (albeit none in Canada) afterwards, and have since put out a few splits, EPs and such, as noise-rock bands tend to do. The duo recorded this…
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Borealis – World of Silence MMXVII
It’s been nearly seven years since I reviewed an independently-released debut album from a power metal band out of Orangeville, Ontario. I liked the first Borealis record then, and unlike some of the other albums that briefly captured my attention over the years, World of Silence has stayed with me. I’m always happy for a…