Tag: review
-
Sofy Major – Total Dump
What do you do when a French noise rock outfit shits on you? Such is the question posed by Total Dump, the fourth album from Clermont-Ferrand’s Sofy Major. Well, if you’re a fan of the mid-90’s Melvins, Big Business and a bit of Unsane on the side, you would eat it all up! The title…
-
Conversations With Neil Gaiman
One of the most interesting pieces is a 1987 interview/article that Neil did with Alan Moore. Moore notes the shoddy deal given by UK comics to its creators where their work is bought outright meaning they get no money from reprints, merchandise, film and computer game adaptations, etc. A most unfair state of affairs. I…
-
I’m A Freak Baby 2
A Further Journey Through The British Heavy Psych and Hard Rock Underground Scene 1968-73 I didn’t hear the first volume of this series which is a shame as it is brilliant; it’s like a proto-metal box set for ‘Life On Mars’. It is a veritable musical time machine, aural archaeology spread over three splendid discs.…
-
Jon Spencer – Spencer Sings The Hits LP
That the fidelity, equalization and overall sound found on a vinyl recording is unmatched by any other musical medium to date is a claim which has been proven several times over in many places by a great many people (including by several in this column, several times over too), and one of the great examples…
-
Phenomena Reissues
Phenomena began life in the 80s as the brainchild of Ton Galley. Tom wanted a return to the concept album of the 70s but in an 80s style. This he certainly achieved with Phenomena’s self titled debut. Featuring the talents of Tom, his brother Mel (Whitesnake, Trapeeze), the voice of rock himself Glenn Hughes (Sabbath,…
-
The Traveling Wilburys – Volume 1 (Picture Disc reissue LP)
The term “classic” gets thrown around a lot and, often, where the term isn’t actually deserved. A true, genuine-article classic is a thing that sets an enduring impression and standard to which others aspire, and/or would claim to be of a similar lineage; it’s an important portrait of a moment. The Traveling Wilburys’ first album…
-
27: The Legend and Mythology of the 27 Club by Gene Simmons
Most people reading this review will have heard of the legend of the 27 Club, basically a group of talented musicians all having in common the fact that they died aged 27. The myth began in the 60s with the death of Brian Jones. Over the years membership of the club increased with the likes…
-
NOi!SE – Mass Apathy 12″ single
It might not sound like the single most glowing endorsement of a single on the surface, but the first thing that NOi!SE‘s new, milled “Mass Apathy” single illustrates is that it’s never wise to underestimate a novelty, or write one off. The bullet casing silhouettes which encircle the exterior rim of this one-sided single (the…
-
Iron Maiden: Album By Album by Martin Popoff
This is the best book ever published about Iron Maiden! For the following reasons: First, Martin Popoff is a great music writer, especially for our beloved genre of HEAVY METAL (say it loud we should be proud!), combining true knowledge and insight with an ability to tell a story and write genuinely engaging text. Secondly,…
-
Great Falls – A Sense of Rest
I’m always somewhat partial to bands from Seattle (more because I’m a Seahawks fan, and less of a grunge thing), but this noise-rock trio captured my attention with their tuneage more than anything. Let’s just say that if you dug the latest KEN Mode record—and I did—you will want to get your ears on A…