Category: Reviews
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Olde – Shallow Graves EP
Last year Toronto’s Olde won the hearts of millions with debut LP, I. OK, that’s a lie. But their sludgy doom was nonetheless impressive to say the least, beating as many grooves into your cauliflower-ed ears as were pressed onto the wax. To keep concussed brains aware of their presence before a 2017 LP on…
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Wretch – self-titled
The Gates of Slumber’s ultimate album, Wretch, was definitely their most downtrodden affair, a slight departure from their early days of ice worms and dragons. In the five years since its release, two-thirds of that lineup has passed away, leaving frontman Karl Simon fronting a new band, fittingly titled Wretch. Suffice to say, this debut…
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Void King – There is Nothing
In recent years, Indianapolis, Indiana has earned a bit of a reputation as a Midwest doom-metal hub, due to quality outfits like Devil to Pay, Apostle of Solitude and the late, great Gates of Slumber. Void King also hails from Indy, and while I wasn’t too familiar with them beforehand (this is their first album),…
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The Tragically Hip – Fully Completely (20th anniversary vinyl reissue)
By the time The Tragically Hip released Fully Completely in 1992, they were already stars. Between the releases of their first two full-length albums (Up To Here and Road Apples), the Hip had already built up a loyal fanbase in Canada and made a few inroads into the U.S. and Europe as well but, in…
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Garbageface – No FUTUR(E)
For the release of his new album, Karol “Garbageface” Orzechowski has decided to challenge the usual methodology and manner in which music is released. His way flies in the face of how music has been marketed ever since Napster turned the music business back into a singles-driven enterprise again. While everyone else is digitally distributing…
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Tesla – Psychotic Supper LP (vinyl reissue)
It’s a little hard to believe now but, twenty-five years ago, the music business seemed to be getting suddenly and violently pulled in several directions at once. At that time, glam metal and hard rock were still pumping out some pretty important albums. Guns N’ Roses would release both Use Your Illusion albums in ’91,…
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Fat White Family – Songs For Our Mothers LP
A deeper look at the grooves pressed into the Songs For Our Mothers LP by Fat White Family. It doesn’t happen often in the post-CD, post-digital music marketplace but, with Songs For Our Mothers, Fat White Family has proven that creating a satisfying and balanced long-playing vinyl album – with the peaks, valleys and thematic…
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Asatta – Spiraling Into Oblivion
Milwaukee earned its spot on the doom metal map a few years back, with the Days of the Doomed fest bringing a whole buncha slow ‘n heavy outfits to a small, cozy bar by the airport. I had the pleasure of attending said festival a couple times, enduring up to 14 straight hours of doom…
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Hater – s/t LP (reissue)
I must confess that I had never heard of Hater before Ben Shepherd put out In Deep Owl a couple of years ago. I was really, really taken with that album and had been thrilled at the prospect of taking an interview with him when the opportunity came up; in fact, I jumped at it.…
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Sahg – Memento Mori
I first saw this Norwegian outfit open for Celtic Frost and 1349 nearly a decade ago, and I liked ‘em so much, I bought their debut CD. Wasn’t as much of a fan of their sophomore effort, II, which came out in ’08… but I haven’t actually heard from them since. Not that they’ve gone…