Having teamed up with Black Keys frontman Dan Auberbach for the last two albums, on his new one Mood Swings (American Recordings/Republic Records/Snakefarm Records) Marcus King is helped out by producer extraordinaire Rick Rubin. Gone is the seventies, bluesy Rock N’ Roll of the previous record Young Blood, in its place is R&B, Soul, Jazz, Pop and Classic Rock influences with King’s smokey, bluesman vocals taking centre stage. Continue reading
Tag Archives: : Album Reviews
ALBUM REVIEW: Boundaries – Death Is Little More
With its namesake taken from poet Dante Alighieri’s Inferno, Connecticut’s own Boundaries have offered an undeniably bleak effort which is certainly relatable in current times. Inspired by the notion that dying is perhaps not a terrible alternative, it’s a thought that certainly feels cuttingly real in a day of continued strife and tribulations on an almost constant basis. An undeniably dark overall narrative and inspiration Death Is Little More (3DOT Recordings) encapsulates with utter gloom and savagery in aplomb.Continue reading
ALBUM REVIEW: Sweat – Love Child
Sweat are a Los Angeles trio composed of guitarist/vocalist Justin Smith, drummer Anthony Rivera, and frontwoman Tuna Tardugno who handles both the band’s vocals and album artwork.
ALBUM REVIEW: See You Next Tuesday – Relapses
In recent years, it seems there has been a heightened embrace of electronic music within Metal that is becoming increasingly at the forefront. From the likes of Perturbator and HEALTH sitting on Metal and Rock lineups so fluidly with the likes of LLNN capturing dystopian and pounding soundscapes in their John Cxnner project, it is seemingly becoming a more prominent and welcome aspect within the more extreme fringes of Metal. Continue reading
ALBUM REVIEW: Ace Frehley – 10,000 Volts
You can take the boy out of The Bronx, but can’t take The Bronx out of the boy.
Ace Frehley, Kiss guitar legend, gives birth to some of his finest cuts and hottest licks with the fret-burning, string-bending, grin-inducing 10,000 Volts (MNRK Heavy).Continue reading
ALBUM REVIEW: Serenity – Nemesis AD
Drawing inspiration from the life and work of German Renaissance painter Albrecht Dürer, Austrian symphonic metal virtuosos Serenity return with eighth full-length studio release, Nemesis AD (Napalm Records).
ALBUM REVIEW: Duff McKagan – Lighthouse
Duff McKagan is an interesting character. Having released his first solo album in 1993, a big gap followed till 2019’s Tenderness, with Lighthouse (BFD Records /Orchard/Sony) his third. This of course is but a fraction of McKagan’s musical story. Consistently coming across as the most likeable out of the classic Guns N’ Roses lineup (in which he played bass and for his part was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame), such a rock pedigree is already more than most mere mortals would ever get a sniff at.
ALBUM REVIEW: Sühnopfer – Nous sommes d’Hierument
There is something about the wine in France that brings out a unique progressive slant to the Black Metal that hails from its soil. Ardraos (Florian Denis) is a part of this legacy, and he is now forging his own path with Sühnopfer. From the opening track of fourth offering Nous sommes d’Hierument (Debemur Morti), a powerful, impactful musical statement, he lashes out with a dynamic blend of melodic atmosphere, expanding the mood beyond the screams of torment hurtling at you. Choirs ring out from the background of the blackened chaos, baroque themes woven in are taken from composers Charpentier and Cherubini.
ALBUM REVIEW: Asking Alexandria – Where Do We Go From Here
Sometimes an album can be considered on its own merit, or with just a passing reference to the context it exists within. For others, they can, indeed, should, be linked to a “run” or an arc of albums within a period of a band’s career. And for some, it is worth going back to the beginning to truly see the big picture of what and why a specific album is.
ALBUM REVIEW: Humanity’s Last Breath – Ashen
It’s inevitable: the world will one day cease to exist, and mankind will be relegated to the pages of history like everything that’s come and gone beforehand. How or when that happens is anyone’s guess. But Humanity’s Last Breath gives us quite a glimpse of what the apocalypse might sound like.