Tag: review

  • Connoisseur – Over the Edge

    Connoisseur – Over the Edge

    This stoner-themed sludge/crust band from Oakland slammed its way into my heart on their debut album Stoner Justice, with tracks like “Circle of Heads,” “I Am the Weed” and “Full Blown Marijuana Addict.” Their sophomore effort sees more of the same, with 14 tracks in 24 minutes, including such gems as “Live to Smoke,” “Free…

  • The Chemical Brothers – Surrender (2LP reissue)

    The Chemical Brothers – Surrender (2LP reissue)

    Then as now, the conventional wisdom is that Dig Your Own Hole was the biggest of The Chemical Brothers‘ entries into the mainstream but, for this critic’s money, the greatest creative triumph of the group’s storied career is their third full-length, Surrender. With Surrender, the group had the mainstream’s attention and knew it, but rather than…

  • The Obsessed – Sacred

    The Obsessed – Sacred

    Can this really be considered as a comeback? The Obsessed, much like fellow Maryland doom legends Pentagram, had a bit of a checkered past. In the 70’s and early 80’s, they were one of those bands where you kinda had to be there, and it wasn’t until people started bootlegging the shit outta their unreleased…

  • Wounded Giant – Vae Victis

    Wounded Giant – Vae Victis

    Wounded Giant hails from Seattle, so it’s perhaps no surprise that there’s a heavy dose of Melvins in their sound. Vae Victis is the band’s second full-length album, after 2013’s Lightning Medicine, but like many in the noise rock community, they’re released a few splits and EPs in between—including a live cassette tape. This album…

  • Space Witch – Arcanum

    Space Witch – Arcanum

    I don’t say this very often, but Space Witch really sucked me in with the 16-minute opening track on this album. Personally, when I see a song that long from a band I’ve never heard before, right off the bat, I drop that promo out of my inbox like it’s life with bong in hand.…

  • The Chemical Brothers – Dig Your Own Hole (2LP reissue)

    The Chemical Brothers – Dig Your Own Hole (2LP reissue)

    … And then, with the release of Dig Your Own Hole, The Chemical Brothers became a pop culture phenomenon. Now, it could be contended that the arrival and immediate public embrace of Dig Your Own Hole was the result of several different factors intersecting. After grunge, Brit-Pop overtook both the charts and popular imagination thanks…

  • Jupiter Hollow – Odyssey

    Jupiter Hollow – Odyssey

    I am very impressed by this EP on any level. Sounding, to my mind, like a cross between Rush, Zombi, and Mastodon, this is progressive metal as it should be. Grant MacKenzie and Kenny Parry, the two men that make up Jupiter Hollow, can be proud of this EP. It features strong playing, excellent song-writing, and…

  • Mammoth Weed Wizard Bastard – Noeth Ac Anoeth and Y Proffwyd Dwyll

    Mammoth Weed Wizard Bastard – Noeth Ac Anoeth and Y Proffwyd Dwyll

    Noeth Ac Anoeth It is increasingly rare to hear a band with their own unique sound, but the splendidly named Mammoth Weed Wizard Bastard are just such a band. Wielding huge doom riffs and drums along with the astonishing vocals of Jessica Ball, they have a superb sound, aided by the sterling work of Conan…

  • Sweat Lodge – Tokens for Hell

    Sweat Lodge – Tokens for Hell

    When Sweat Lodge opened for Monolord in Toronto last year, some people were saying these guys could be the next The Sword, i.e. the next big heavy-rock band from Texas. (Turns out that might actually be Mothership.) Alas, twas not to be, as this four-track, 16-minute effort marks the band’s swansong—their farewell EP, so to…

  • Darkthrone – Arctic Thunder

    Darkthrone – Arctic Thunder

    There can be few musicians who have such a love of what is good in metal as do Ted (Nocturno Culto) and Fenriz of Darkthrone. Their previous album, The Underground Resistance, was my album of the year in the year of its release. As ever, with Darkthrone there can be few complaints. Arctic Thunder works well as a…