Painted Shield are notable for featuring Stone Gossard (Pearl Jam/Mother Love Bone/Green River) on guitar and a bunch of friends. Painted Shield’s origins can be traced to 2014 when it was suggested by Daniel Field a mutual friend of Mason Jennings and Gossard that the two work together. They put out a 7” single “Knife Fight”/Caught in a Mess” and then…nothing, until the pandemic hit in 2020.Continue reading
Tag Archives: album reviews
ALBUM REVIEW: Respire – Hiraeth
In 2020, Canadian Post / Avantgarde Black Metal collective Respire, released their memorable third album Black Line. A record with a spin on the genre that stood out as the works of a band who were comfortable in pushing the boundaries of what was possible with the Black Metal sound. Hiraeth now follows, four years in the making and diving deeper into the use of experimentation, with grand orchestral arrangements creating a sound that owes as much inspiration to the likes of their fellow countrymen Godspeed You! Black Emperor, as it does classic Black Metal bands such as, well Emperor.Continue reading
ALBUM REVIEW: Laceration – I Erode
See-sawing from old-school Death Metal to ferocious Thrash Metal, Laceration pack nine tracks into I Erode (20 Buck Spin), showcasing both proficient musicianship and in-sync performances.Continue reading
ALBUM REVIEW: Show Me A Dinosaur – Plantgazer (2024 Reissue)
We are into the second half of 2024 and what a year it has been for new music! Even some of the reissues of older recordings coming out so far have been really good. The latest that deserves attention is the 2020 topical album about isolation and loneliness during the COVID Lockdowns, Show Me A Dinosaur’s Plantgazer (AOP Records). The Saint Petersburg post-Black Metal outfit toys with your emotions for nearly forty-five minutes. All while a “fictitious” man lives out his days in lockdown staring at his home plants, pondering about life under the new normal.Continue reading
ALBUM REVIEW: Trail of Lies – Only The Strong
Syracuse, New York will be familiar to fans of Straight-Edge Hardcore thanks to Earth Crisis and Trail of Lies can thus be seen as a continuation of this lineage.
ALBUM REVIEW: Uprising – III
The artist known simply as W. may not reveal much in the way of an identity, but their musty Black Metal outfit Uprising hits the mark on so many different occasions on III (AOP Records). The strong synergy results in songs that sound like they’re performed by an entire band.Continue reading
ALBUM REVIEW: Ceremony of Silence – Hálios
Given that there’s a heatwave so severe that it was still close to ninety degrees well after sundown, it’s the most appropriate time of the year to review yet another Black Metal record from somewhere in Europe (Slovakia to be exact).Continue reading
ALBUM REVIEW: Excel – Seeking Refuge
Ask any metalhead of a certain age and they’ll tell you the nineties have a lot to answer for. A sudden and seismic change in trends saw the death of Thrash, Glam, and other associated sub-genres, and the unprecedented rise of the Grunge and Alternative scenes. What was popular one minute was outdated the next, and while many bands simply weren’t able to survive, others tried embracing the change.Continue reading
ALBUM REVIEW: Orange Goblin – Science, Not Fiction
Following the path blazed by bands like Kyuss and Monster Magnet who emerged from the Grunge scene, Orange Goblin was one of the main bands who kept the bong songs in rotation to help cement the sound we think of today as Stoner Metal.Continue reading
ALBUM REVIEW: Through Mists – Branches
Even after nearly half a dozen playthroughs, it’s still a challenge identifying a common thread in which to weave together the five tracks of Branches (Self-Released), the latest output from Through Mists’ mastermind James Aniston.Continue reading