At this point, anything Extreme Metal that comes from Canada is sure to be a punishing, gruesome affair. It’s as automatic a thing as a Canuck apologizing for merely existing. Continue reading
Tag Archives: album reviews
ALBUM REVIEW: Mono – Oath
A sensuous, rapturous and thought-provoking collection of superior, post-rock instrumental music, Oath (Pelagic Records), from Japanese four-piece Mono, was recorded and mixed by late, great and already much-missed engineer Steve Albini, who passed away last month, aged 61.Continue reading
ALBUM REVIEW: Rarity – Lower Feeling
While many modern Post-Hardcore bands have been testing the limits of the genre, there is a certain charm to the ones who are still keeping things raw and clear-cut. Canadian quartet Rarity continues to do just that with their third album Lower Feeling (New Damage Records/Dine Alone Records), combining Hardcore rage with Pop Punk catchiness.Continue reading
ALBUM REVIEW: Hippotraktor – Stasis – Pelagic Records
Three years removed from their debut full-length, Belgian bruisers Hippotraktor return with their sophomore effort, Stasis (Pelagic Records), a veritable blend of progressive and post- metal, with versatile vocals scattered all throughout the seven tracks. Continue reading
ALBUM REVIEW: Missing Link – Watch Me Bleed
Sometimes the day presents challenges to us all and we just need to swing haymakers in a pit. For days worse than that, there’s Missing Link. One of the most “unga bunga” ignorant Hardcore bands I’ve ever seen play (American Hardcore Festival 2023). Getting the chance to review their full-length debut, Watch Me Bleed (Triple B Records), is an absolute privilege. Eleven tracks (twelve if you count the hidden track) of unadulterated violence and aggression are going to stampede into your ears and not apologize for the disturbance.Continue reading
EP REVIEW: DVRK – Infinite Reminiscence – Season Of Mist
In case you didn’t get the memo, I would like to remind you that DVRK is “a powerhouse fusion of Deathcore, Nu Metal, and Bass music elements.” How do I know this? Well, the press release that was sent to me along with debut EP Infinite Reminiscence (Season of Mist) says so. That, and I listened to the EP and was successfully able to arrive at that conclusion. Continue reading
ALBUM REVIEW: Holycide – Towards Idiocracy
Having passed away during the nineties, the once thriving Thrash Metal scene didn’t stay dead for long and the early aughts saw a gradual, but noticeable shift back to life. By 2004, the genre’s overdue re-animation was in full swing and a slew of new acts crawled out of the crypt, desperate to make an impression on the next generation of thrashers.Continue reading
ALBUM REVIEW: SECT – Plagues Upon Plagues
Former Cursed frontman Chris Colohan, is the driving force behind SECT’s dark take on Hardcore. Colohan might not be the band’s most well-known member (which would be Fall Out Boy’s drummer Andy Hurley), but regardless, it’s Colohan’s voice that sets apart their new album, Plagues Upon Plagues (Southern Lord) from the current resurgence of metallic Hardcore bands. Colohan’s husky croon gives a wink in the direction of Neurosis. His approach not only brings the articulated lyrics to the forefront but adds more depth to the dark tension of the music. When he does begin screaming as the punch of the riffs hits home, it has a greater dynamic impact. Continue reading
ALBUM REVIEW: Bad Omens – Concrete Jungle [The OST]
It feels unbelievable that it has now been over two years since Bad Omens took the alternative scene by storm with their last album The Death Of Peace Of Mind. Now having played massive shows both on their own, and alongside influences Bring Me The Horizon, the band have decided to revisit the album that took their career to the next level with the accompaniment album Concrete Jungle [The OST] (Sumerian Records).Continue reading
ALBUM REVIEW: Thou – Umbilical
As the summer in the Northern Hemisphere approaches, I always find a nice doom or sludge album really sets the mood for a day of yard work, or just sitting on the deck with a cold beer. The new album from Thou, Umbilical (Sacred Bones Records), may not fit that exact moment, but it certainly would fit in for after the sun sets and the flames rise in the firepits and the tips of our joints. Continue reading