FOR THE LOVE OF METAL
I must admit, I’m not as big into NXNE as I used to be. I just don’t have the stamina anymore to stay up till 3 am 3-4 nights in a row, running from venue to venue in search of heavy music. These days, I only do NXNE when there’s someone I really wanna see…and this year, that band got denied at the border.
Overall, this isn’t a bad listen for fans of Neurosis, Zoroaster and the like. That said, I’m not sure this one’s a real winner—especially coming hot on the heels of the former’s latest record.
If stoner doom legends Sleep have never played Toronto, it’s not due to any sort of security issues. In fact, two-thirds of the original Sonic Titans will be in town within the next eight days…
Remember when everything was labelled alternative, and you had to ask “alternative to what?” In this case, I’d call it an alternative to listening to OM on LSD.
Not a bad first impression from these ladies—and this is coming from someone who generally detests drone.
I dunno man, all the pieces are there, but I’m not really feeling it. These guys don’t bring anything new to the table, that’s for sure…
There isn’t much in the way of standout tracks on this one, but rather a continuous, pummelling, ear-pounding assault that only seems to get slower as the album nears its conclusion.
While this is a pretty decent record in its own right, I’m somewhat saddened that Zoroaster has moved away from its own unique take on
southern sludge towards a sound that can be filed next to Farflung, The Atlas Moth, and countless other bands.
With a roster of talent that is hard to match, Shrinebuilder’s Shrinebuilder is an impressive debut.
It’s no secret that I’m a big fan of Sleep, the quintessential stoner/doom band that kept the Sabbath dream alive throughout the 1990’s. While guitarist Matt Pike eventually decided to play faster with High on Fire, the other two thirds of the equation kept the stoner grooves going with OM. At least until recently. Drummer Chris Hakius left the band last year with little fanfare, and was replaced by little-known Emil Amos. Not much has changed, otherwise. Al Cisneros was the anchor holding Sleep together, and he continues to man the bass and vocal duties of the guitarless duo.