Tag: review
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Heave Blood and Die – Vol II
Now, based on the band name you’re probably thinking I’m about to review a grindcore outfit, or maybe an uber-kvlt black metal brigade. Well no, not even close—although they are from Norway. But their sound is far removed from the grim, frostbitten forest. Instead, they’re more akin to the Georgia prog-sludge of early Baroness or…
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NEEDLES//PINS – Good Night, Tomorrow LP
Such occurrences are rare but sometimes, all the tumblers just happen to align. A band doesn’t just produce the best damned music of their career, it also happens to get released in just the right place at the right time (and enough people just happen to be looking and listening just the right way) that…
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Blackwülf – Sinister Sides
You can tell Blackwülf is from Oakland right from the opening notes of this, their third album—the Bay Area quartet channels local legends like Sleep and Acid King in their stoner doom worship. Speaking of legends, Geof O’Keefe of Pentagram fame plays guest guitar on a cover of the proto-stoner Cream classic “Sunshine of Your…
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The Whistles And The Bells – Modern Plagues LP
If we can all agree that many of the best, most interesting albums are those which convey a particular image of its maker, then there’s little doubt of Modern Plagues‘ quality. From the very outset of The Whistles And The Bells‘ sophomore album, listeners are presented with the image of auteur Bryan Simpson toiling gladly…
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Suede Razors – Razor Stomp 12-inch EP
It might sound weird to say, but it’s about time Suede Razors got around to releasing more than just two songs at a time. To date, Bay area bovver band Suede Razors have managed to build a shockingly devoted following on the strength of a succession of seven-inch singles (see “Boys Night Out” and “Here…
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Black Label Society w/COC & Eyehategod in Austin TX, January 2018
Black Label Society / Corrosion of Conformity / Eyehategod @ Emo’s in Austin, Texas (Jan. 14, 2018) These bands have paid their dues for decades, so the packed houses for the Black Label Society/Corrosion of Conformity/Eyehategod tour have been well earned. The show at Emo’s in Austin was no different, but there is no question that…
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Astrakhan – Without New Growth Process is Bloodshed
When I finally sat down to get down to the business of writing this review I put each song on repeat separately for a number of spins while making notes on each one. That is the wrong way to listen to Without New Growth Process is Bloodshed. Astrakhan‘s latest (and last… I’ll get to that)…
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Sass Jordan – Racine Revisited
Twenty-five years ago, Sass Jordan made her first big breakthrough onto Canadian radio airwaves with her sophomore album Racine. It was very much a “right place, right time” kind of moment – with bands like the Black Crowes and singers like Melissa Etheridge holding a whole lot of time and space on playlists around the…
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Jen Gloeckner – Vine LP
Anyone who has ever gone to therapy knows that it can take years to accurately qualify, articulate and compartmentalize feelings like anger, resentment, isolation, love, affection, confusion and emotional unease and then begin to deal with them in a healthy manner. It’s all a process and, in that regard, Jen Gloeckner has arrived miles ahead…
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Coffin Torture – Dismal Planet
This South Carolina sludge duo only had three indie EPs and a couple live-off-the-floor albums to their credit, but The Sludgelord liked them so much, they started a label just so they could sign ‘em. So that’s gotta count for something. Dismal Planet offers up seven tracks, most around the seven-minute range, on their full-length…