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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Backwoods Payback – Fire Not Reason
I last heard from Backwoods Payback about five years back, when they released their Momantha record on Small Stone, a pretty decent dose of southern-fried heavy rock from a band outta Pennsylvania. In the years since, they’ve switched a few things up, dropping from a four-piece to a trio before releasing this album independently. Most…
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Red Cain – Red Cain
Firstly, let me praise Red Cain for their commitment to music as a physical entity; the CD bears a most amazing cover by Peter Mohrbacher which would put many a major label band to shame. It just cries out to be released on vinyl so all its intricate details can be seen in all their…
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Metallica – Hardwired… To Self-Destruct
I must confess that it would be very, very easy to find a bigger fan of Metallica than I am. To be perfectly blunt, I haven’t heard a new album by the band that I’ve liked in twenty-five years – and even that was a reach because I thought the Black Album spent more time…
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Hornss – Telepath
This heavy trio hails from the Bay Area, and one guy is a dead ringer for a younger, pre-bearded Al Cisneros, but if you’re looking for Dopesmoker Part Deux, look elsewhere—the 11 tracks on Hornss’ second album clock in at a combined 30 minutes. A heavy bass rumble begins “St. Genevieve,” and there are certainly…
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Fistula – The Shape of Doom to Cumm))))
Seems it wasn’t so long ago that I was reviewing Longing for Infection, the last album from Cleveland crusty sludge crew Fistula. After that stellar sludge record came out in July, they’re back again already with another seven-track effort, although this one is almost more of an EP, clocking in just over 25 minutes. Judging…
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Funeralizer – self-titled
Some people say The Sword went to shit after drummer Trivett Wingo took off—and while his departure isn’t entirely to blame for their wimpier direction, it’s safe to say he’s moved on. Wingo’s new outfit, Funeralizer, sounds absolutely nothing like J.D. Cronise and company… so if you’re looking for “How Heavy This Axe, Redux” look…
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Tiebreaker – Death Tunes
Now, we know that Norway is known almost as much for black metal as it is for cross-country skiing, but when it comes to stoner rock, most of the action is happening across the pond in Sweden. Hell, even when we hear of a Norwegian heavy-rock outfit, there’s always at least one black-metal dude in…
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Crusty Culprits, part six
Welcome to Crusty Culprits #6, where I shine the spotlight on some more rough fvckin’ diamonds from the world of punk rock, hardcore and points in-between. In recent years, Bandcamp’s proven to be an absolute goldmine for finding pick-sliding agitators worth writing about. So that’s where the pool of provocateurs below is drawn from. Thanks…
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Crusty Culprits, part five
Welcome to Crusty Culprits #5, where I shine a light on some rough fvckin’ diamonds from the world of D-beat, crust, hardcore, and all punk rock points in between. In recent years, Bandcamp has proven to be a goldmine for finding pick-sliding punks, so that’s where Crusty Culprits’ pool of provocateurs is drawn from. Thanks…
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Like A Motorcycle – High Hopes LP
A deeper look at the grooves pressed into the High Hopes LP by Like A Motorcycle. There are few scenes that appear in motion pictures which are more worrisome than those where light explodes on the screen and after the camera’s focus adjusts, viewers realize they’re staring up from the floor of the trunk of…