Tag: review
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Domkraft – Flood
There has been no shortage of powerful Swedish power trios – think Truckfighters, or Monolord. But while continuing in the Swedish tradition, Stockholm three-piece Domkraft comes off as a cross between Lowrider and Neurosis. Apparently, you don’t need seven people in your band to play progressive stoner/sludge? Flood, their sophomore album, opens with “Landslide,” a…
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Yatra – Death Ritual
This doom trio hails from Maryland, but rather than worshipping at the church of Wino or the altar of Pentagram, their sound is more akin to muddy “stoner doom” a la Sleep or the Georgia sludge of Zoroaster. Yatra‘s debut album on Grimoire Records features 8 tracks clocking in just shy of 45 minutes. “Hour…
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Reviews x3: Fractal Cypher, Striker, Jo Quail
Fractal Cypher – Prelude To An Impending Outcome Fans of Dream Theater will find much to enjoy here. Beautifully played progressive metal, and a release that bodes well for their future music. Transcendent! (Mini Album, Self-Release) https://fractalcypher.bandcamp.com/album/prelude-to-an-impending-outcome Striker – Play To Win Striker remind me of the good old days when great bands like Iron Maiden…
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The Great Sabatini – Goodbye Audio
Montreal’s favourite bearded noise-rock wizards – The Great Sabatini – are back with their fourth full-length album, featuring such family-unfriendly titles as “Still Life with Maggots,” “The Pursuit of Crappiness Parts 1-4” and “You’re Gonna Die (Unsatisfied).” You can always count on noise rock to warm your heart on a cold Canadian winter’s day, eh?…
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Dad Brains – EP (7”)
Now over forty years since it first appeared, it was inevitable that punk rock was probably going to take on something that resembled a fatherly voice, somehow. How could it not? With Green Day having made concept records already and both Fat Mike Burkett and Mike Watt having produced punk rock opera albums, punk and…
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HRH Vikings 2018 @ O2 Academy, Sheffield UK
HRH Vikings 2018, December 1-2 at O2 Academy in Sheffield, UK Welcome to Asgard! HRH Vikings is a brand new addition to the Hard Rock Hell cycle… well, kind of a new addition – it is replacing HRH NWOBHM’s traditional Heavy Metal sounds with five metal subgenres: Battle, Nordic, Pagan, Black and Death Metal. The highly…
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Cancer – Shadow Gripped
There is an important and very true quote from Carl Jung in the CD booklet to Cancer’s excellent Shadow Gripped, which I will share with you. “It is a frightening thought that man also has a shadow side to him, consisting not just of little weaknesses and foibles, but of a positively demonic dynamism. The…
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Wasted Theory – Warlords of the New Electric
Delaware’s finest purveyors of heavy riffs and silly song titles are back with their third full-length album. With tunes like “Bongronaut,” “Doomslut Rodeo” and “The Son of the Son of a Bitch,” they definitely don’t disappoint in the song-title department on this one! “Rawhide Hellride” kicks off this eight-track effort with a groovy, 70’s style…
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Holy Grove – II
OK, stop me if you’ve heard this one before. Female-fronted Portland outfit mixes heavy riffs and soaring vocals on one of the best doom metal albums of the year. Only this time, we’re not talkin’ bout Witch Mountain, but rather the second record from recent Ripple Music signing Holy Grove. II kicks off with a…
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Zeal & Ardor, 4 December 2018, Birmingham UK
Zeal & Ardor with Blanket, December 4th 2018, O2 Institute, Birmingham, UK First on stage were cinematic rockers Blanket, a name that I have not come across before. Being very busy this year with two album releases – How To Let Go on May 18th via Music For Nations and Transfiction on November 23rd – the…