Category: Reviews – Audio
Glorious metal in all its earthly forms, compressed onto shiny plastic discs or into digital files. Which ones will become the soundtrack to your life?
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Kerbdog – Congregation
Kerbdog are without a doubt the finest metal band to ever emerge from Kilkenny in my native Ireland. Formed in 1991, they signed to major label Vertigo Records (home, at various times, to Black Sabbath and Metallica – hmm, interesting split release potential there!). Alas, despite two great albums, success eluded the young band and…
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Smashing Pumpkins – Adore (vinyl reissue)
The moment I laid eyes on the copy of the vinyl reissue of Adore which arrived on my doorstep, I stopped what I was doing and took a moment to absorb and enjoy the image on the cover. It is very captivating; while the original image which introduced Adore to fans in 1998 was a…
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Apostle of Solitude – Of Woe and Wounds
Has it really been four—hell, almost five—years since Apostle of Solitude put out an album? Last Sunrise was one of my fav releases of 2010, but I guess things move slowly in doom circles sometimes. In any case, those who aren’t strangers to the band probably know a few of these songs already. “This Mania”…
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Quartered – Eyes and Ears
As an Irishman, I’m constantly astonished at the sheer quality and diversity of the bands Canada is producing. That this album is a self-release proves my points. The quality of the production, the musicianship, and the all-important songs would put many major league bands to shame. Heavy, but never without hooks and melody, this is…
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Die Mannequin – Neon Zero
It’s been five years now since Die Mannequin smashed listeners over the head with their debut full-length album, Fino + Bleed, but one look at what’s gone down in that time proves that it was a long damned five years. In that time, singer Care Failure became Joe Dick II (sort of) in Hard Core…
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Northumbria and Famine – Blood Orchid
Blood Orchid is a nearly 16-minute live collaboration between Northumbria and Famine. The ambient drone unfolds over an expanse of time that feels much longer than it actually is because of how deeply you can get lost in it and lose your sense of reality. It feels futuristic and ancient at the same time as…
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Dawnbringer – Night of the Hammer
One might wonder if music fans rejoice more than the classic metal underground crowd when Chris Black releases a new album. You can almost hear the “hey, hey“ chants, headbanging and devil horns going up as the Chicago singer songwriter announces a new album for either Dawnbringer and or High Spirits. In this case it’s…
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The Skull – For Those Which Are Asleep
Here’s another band I recently saw this year in Milwaukee. The Skull features three former members of Trouble, most notably frontman Eric Wagner. The last time I saw him on stage, prior to this summer, he had short hair, wore sunglasses and a Beatles shirt, and spent the whole set staring at the floor. But…
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Laugh At The Fakes – Dethrone The Crown
Just looking at the publicity for the splendidly named Laugh At The Fakes, I see them being recommended for fans of such bands as Opeth (no, Opeth sound like Goblin these days, and that works well for them, but I don’t hear that here), Avenged Sevenfold (urgghh, no, a band that boast about their ‘real…
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Coheed and Cambria – In Keeping Secrets of Silent Earth: 3
Sometimes there’s just no question or doubt that, when it was originally made, an album wasn’t intended to appear on a particular format. A perfect example can be found in the vinyl reissue of Coheed and Cambria‘s sophomore album, In Keeping Secrets of Silent Earth: 3. While the sound is great, even the most devoted fans…