Tag: review
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The Skull – The Endless Road Turns Dark
When The Skull played Toronto on a cold winter’s night in January, they ran through Trouble’s self-titled in its entirety before tacking on a couple of originals at the end. Hey, after all, that 1990 record has been long out of print, and this outfit includes both Eric Wagner, the voice of Trouble, along with…
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Brant Bjork – Mankind Woman
The press release for this record was all talking about how this is Brant Bjork’s most political album yet, cuz apparently you gotta be political to sell records in this day and age. But when I listen to Mankind Woman, I don’t hear politics—it’s all about the grooves, maaaaan! This 11-track effort kicks off with…
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La Chinga – Beyond the Sky
The third album from this heavy rockin’ trio proves that rock ‘n roll hasn’t been priced out of Vancouver… yet. Their second effort for Small Stone Records is heading straight outta the 70’s, with 11 tracks clocking in at an even 45 minutes. “Nothing That I Can’t Do” starts off with a heavy boogie-rock riff…
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Into the Grave Festival, August 2018
10-11 August – Leeuwarden, Holland This was the time and place to be for a weekend spiced with an exquisite selection of death, groove, black and symphonic metal. After a seven-hours drive through the typical German Friday’s traffic jams, I finally arrived at the festival location, unfortunately missing already the first two acts: the Belgians Toxic Shock…
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Tyler Bates – Deadpool 2 score (12″ picture disc)
Before even considering the music pressed into the twelve-inch score released in support of Deadpool 2, one has to respect the flamboyant nature of this album. First, in a time period marked by the decline of interest in soundtrack and score album releases (due in no small part to the fact that the cherry picking…
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Black Tusk – TCBT
A bit of a new look for Black Tusk on this one, as this Georgia trio puts out its first new record since replacing the late Johnathan Athon with ex-Kylesa bassist Corey Barhorst. But while the lead singer might have changed, the song largely remains the same—despite some slight variations, their brand of thrashy, sludgy…
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Astral Witch – self-titled
I first saw this Hamilton outfit when they were a guitar/drums duo; Astral Witch have since added a bassist/occasional lead vocalist to the mix, giving their sound some added dynamics on their self-titled debut. Astral Witch begins with a doomy bass line on “Rune” before the rest of the band comes grooving up slowly, adding…
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Primitive Man/Unearthly Trance split
With both of these Relapse sludgy doomsters known for their droning, drawn-out numbers, I’m surprised this split between Primitive Man and Unearthly Trance is under 45 minutes. Each band gets three songs, with the opening track “Merging” serving as a mysterious one-minute collaboration between them both. Actually scratch that, Primitive Man’s A Side only has…
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BOOK REVIEW: Uncovering Stranger Things
Essays on Eighties Nostalgia, Cynicism and Innocence in the Series Edited by Kevin J. Wetmore, Jr The success of ‘Stranger Things’ comes as no surprise. The 80s are far enough in the past to seem distant enough for comment yet near enough to feel fresh in the mind. This is a superb collection of 23 new…
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Sleep – The Sciences
With the length of time that has elapsed since Sleep released Jerusalem, it would be logical to think that with the passage of time, Sleep’s ability to forge earth-crushing riffs might have diminished. But no, The Sciences can stand beside Holy Mountain and the aforementioned Jerusalem. It is, in the best possible way, exactly what you’d…