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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Cynic – Kindly Bent to Free Us
Around the late ’60s, progressive rock was born. Those who adopted the infant genre went forth from England, blew minds, and progressed, taking the music to fantastical new heights and, admittedly, a few indulgent new lows. Around the early ’90s, progressive death metal was born, and its practitioners went forth from the Everglades, banged heads,…
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Vestal Claret – The Cult of Vestal Claret
Man, it feels like I haven’t heard from Phil Swanson in a while. Unofficially recognized as The Voice of Underground Occult Power Doom, the dude was in, like, 27 bands at one time… or so it seemed. This particular outfit, Vestal Claret, was recently resurrected; they had previously disbanded so Swanson could focus on other bands,…
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The Body/Thou – Released from Love
This is not a split. Rather this EP is a collaborative effort between the voluminous Portland duo The Body and the caustic NOLA sludgesters Thou, with all members of both bands playing on each track. Y’know, kinda like that thing Lion’s Daughter did a little while back…minus the neo-folk leanings, I presume. Side A opens with the…
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Stoneburner – Life Drawing
Stoneburner is yet another act amongst the multitude of sludge bands oozing outta Portland, so expect the inevitable comparisons to YOB and Witch Mountain. Oh, and Neurosis, who signed these guys to their label, Neurot. Did I mention that this album’s 66.5 minutes long? It’s giving off a Neurosian vibe already… It’s not long before…
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Conan – Blood Eagle
I hope that when you hear the word “Conan” you don’t think first of the comedian. Arnold Schwarzenegger or the Robert E. Howard novels are acceptable answers. But this writer’s first thought goes to the English (mega)power trio Conan. Blood Eagle picks up where Monnos left off – which is somewhere ancient where everything is…
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Automat – Automat
Have you ever wondered what famous musicians do when they’re not making music with the band you love so much, reader? Sometimes it’s fun to muse that the lives of those musicians is totally unbelievable; in their spare time, for example, they pal around with other rock stars and are inspired by those friends to…
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Black Tar Prophet – Deafen
Now, when a band names an album Deafen, you can probably expect it to be loud. But this Nashville instro duo, Black Tar Prophet, is a bass-drums outfit, so you don’t get the screeching, feedbacking guitars that lead to tinnitus here. Trust me on that one… Opening track “Dethroned” reminds me of The Body, as the bass is…
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Pilgrim – II: Void Worship
Misery Wizard, the 2012 debut from Pilgrim, the Rhode Island trio, featured the kind of drawn-out, depressing doom that trod the same path as Reverend Bizarre. And while I’m not sure if they’re confessing their love of the bizarre reverend in the album title (RB’s drummer was known as Earl of Void), I’m expecting some…
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MaYan – Antagonise
Mark Jensen has become one of the more prominent and prolific composers and musicians in the prog/power/gothic metal arena these days. And his Mayan project is his nod to some of his European contemporaries like the quirky genius Arjen A. Lucassen (Ayreon, Star One, Stream of Passion) or the power metal overlord Tobias Sammet (Edguy,…
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The Oath – The Oath
What do you get when you combine some of the trendiest current styles in metal in retro, occultish and female-fronted doom? You get The Oath. And I swear if this eponymous debut isn’t the catchiest thing you’ll hear this month, I’ll eat my hat. (No I won’t.) The Oath is the result of the alchemical…