Tag: album review
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White Hills – Walks for Motorists
This ironically titled outing is album number 13 from uber-prolific NYC psych rockers White Hills, who’ve surely cranked out more albums in the last 10 years than anyone not named Acid Mothers Temple. A melodic mish-mash of garage rock, digi-pop and psych-rock freakouts—no two songs sound the same, but all contain the same footprint. The synth-driven…
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id. – Sagittarius A
If this EP is anything to go by, a full-length album from id. will be an intriguing prospect. The band are indeed masters of their respective instruments and their song-writing is strong. Musically, they are very reminiscent of Opeth on ‘The Greatest Secret Never Told’. ‘Humanity’s Cry’ has a very quirky individual sound, and points…
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The Jon Spencer Blues Explosion: Freedom Tower – No Wave Dance Party 2015
When The Jon Spencer Blues Explosion made its lustrous return with Meat + Bone in 2012 (after revisiting their catalogue with Shout Factory), fans were thrilled to discover that the band’s first desire was to just play straight and simply; there were no frills or fantastic embellishments on the band’s ninth album as there had…
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The Atomic Bitchwax – Gravitron
Haven’t heard from the Atomic Bitchwax in a bit—their last record, one-track, 42-minute instrumental The Local Fuzz dropped in 2011. But they’re coming in hot and fast with this new effort, 10 songs spanning 33 minutes and change. Even though Ed Mundell’s long gone, they’re now more of a Monster Magnet side project than ever;…
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Idol of Fear – All Sights Affixed, Ablaze
All Sights Affixed, Ablaze from Barrie’s Idol of Fear impresses right from the get-go with “Vanquish.” It lays the foundation for the album with a black metal base. The lead guitars are fantastic. They cut through the heaviness and burrow deep in your head. Screaming and screeching, they are nonetheless nearly permanently imbedded in my…
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Warhorse – As Heaven Turns to Ash/I Am Dying reissue
Boston isn’t automatically associated with stoner/doom metal the way that Baltimore or Indianapolis (for those in the know) is, but that’s not to say Beantown hasn’t cranked out a few solid outfits recently—Elder, Black Pyramid and Gozu come to mind. Hell, last year’s edition of the Eye of the Stoned Goat Fest was held in…
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Merdarahta – As the Dark Clouds Swept Away We Could See the Sunset
Winter, enough with your frost-bitten black metal. We’ve been hanging out since the fall, but it’s time for some sun. Thankfully, a bit of that desired heat comes from this collaboration between members of Fuck the Facts and The Sun Through a Telescope. Starting at a whisper and building to an earth-swallowing roar before resting in…
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Kosmograd – Orbiter
Kosmograd is a four-piece band from Toronto, Ontario. Their sound consists of a variety of elements and influences from all over the music board. Orbiter, an EP released late in 2014, follows up their self-titled album from 2011. Being from Toronto Kosmograd has had the opportunity to open up for bands like Intronaut, The Atlas Moth and Solstafir. Now they are…
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King Hitter – self-titled
Though it’s not unheard of for me to review a band that’s completely unheard of, this North Carolina outfit comes with a bit of history—namely, frontman Karl Agell sang on Corrosion of Conformity’s breakthrough Blind album. (He was also in Leadfoot, a late 90s stoner-rock outfit, alongside King Hitter guitarist Scott Little.) Do I expect…
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Cancer Bats – Searching For Zero
Two Hellbounders weigh in on the latest from Toronto’s Cancer Bats… I’ll freely admit that when I first started listening to Searching for Zero, the latest from the hard-touring Cancer Bats I was a little let down. Then again, anything they commit to tape will pale in comparison to their incendiary live performances. But as…