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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Sigue Sigue Sputnik- Flaunt It
As I’ve said in previous reviews, there is a great interest in all things ‘80s, and it would be hard to get more ‘80s than Sigue Sigue Sputnik, a band who were ahead of the curve big time. Technology has now caught up with their vision, and they would really have loved the internet age So, we have the…
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White Lion – All You Need Is Rock ‘N’ Roll-The Complete Albums 1985-1991
Interest in all things ‘80s shows no signs of abating soon; so this well-put together collection is sure to find an audience. White Lion didn’t make the same success league as Poison or Bon Jovi for instance, yet they had platinum albums (which gives you some idea of just how many physical record sales there…
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Sigh – Scorn Defeat
This a special 2-CD edition Sigh’s ground-breaking 1993 debut. Sometimes the passage of time diminishes an album’s power, but in the case of Sigh’s Scorn Defeat, it has only served to amplify. It also shows just how diverse Black Metal as a genre can be. While clearly influenced by the likes of Celtic Frost and Venom, Sigh had their…
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Steve Earle and the Dukes – Ghosts of West Virginia
A deeper look at the grooves pressed into the Ghosts of West Virginia LP by Steve Earle and The Dukes. I confess that – for a variety of reasons, many of which are not rooted in rational or critical thinking – I have never really given Steve Earle a whole lot of my time. Some…
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L7 – Smell The Magic
“How could a thirty-year-old album inspire a political discussion in 2020,” you ask? Well, come on – look at the state of the world, reader. It’s a heartbreaking fucking mess, and the man at the centre of the proverbial maelstrom has a well-documented history of exploiting and/or abusing women – so the logical reaction is…
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The Flaming Lips – American Head
From the moment they have the opportunity to hear American Head, there’s no doubt that Flaming Lips fans will rejoice at the band’s return, for several different reasons. Some fans will just be happy the band is back with new music. Other fans will be thrilled that, for the first time in over a decade,…
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Samurai – Samurai
Samurai (born from the ashes of a band called WEB if memory serves me correct) disbanded shortly after the release of their self-titled debut; they would be held in the same high esteem as the likes of King Crimson, Colosseum and their ilk. If Samurai had stayed together, who knows what musical heights they might…
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Pokey LaFarge – Rock Bottom Rhapsody
Listening to Pokey LaFarge’s ninth album (first for New West Records, and first I had ever heard) had a very strange effect on me. I knew the sound had me interested right away but, before even the A-side if the album had played through, I had already picked up my laptop and found out everything…
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Trapeze – Medusa
Featuring the soaring talents of vocalist/bassist Glenn Hughes, these reissues of three superb Trapeze albums are most welcome. Trapeze is an excellent debut, though the band would show far more of their own identity on subsequent releases. Medusa shows how well the power trio format worked for Trapeze, with guitarist Mel Galley and Glenn meshing particularly well.…
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Jah Wobble – In Dub II
Since his ground-breaking bass-playing for Public Image Limited, Jah Wobble has become one of the world’s most distinctive bassist, a true innovator and artist, his creativity is boundless. As is evidenced on this superb compilation. Truly superb, this is music made for the love of music, which is the only reason music should be made.