ALBUM REVIEW: Colorblind – Who Sold You This Truth – Was It Yours To Hold


Gatekeeping has become an ugly word, but perhaps we’ve become a little too entitled as a society, that we now think anything can be whatever we want it to be. When it comes to consuming a product, this can feel like false advertising. Thus making it my obligation as not only a music journalist but a fan of music to present things in the most honest context possible. As a kid in the eighties, I would often pick out albums based on the album covers alone since this was before the days of the interwebs, and I did not have access to any magazine outside of Hit Parader at the time. My worst waste of an allowance was buying Uriah Heap’s Abominog album. The monster on the cover made me think it would be at least as heavy as Iron Maiden, but it was sadly the band’s turn to commercial Pop Rock, so let me inform you that Colorblind’s Who Sold You This Truth – Was It Yours To Hold (Solid State Records) is not unlike what might happen if a modern male Pop vocalist sang for a Myspace-era “Metal” band. 

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ALBUM REVIEW: A Cold Paradise – A Cold Paradise


A Cold Paradise’s self-titled debut album is an enigma. A bit like the parable of the blind men and the elephant, where each one touched a different part of the animal and drew different conclusions about what it might look like. But before we proceed, let me warn you that a bit of “gatekeeping” is required to properly assess the album most honestly. But when it comes to Metal, its core message was gatekeeping: Metal rules; all other music sucks. This concept was the inspiration behind many of Judas Priest’s anthems; what faith did you think they were defenders of? It was also advertised in the early days of Twisted Sister as the band sold “Death to Disco” shirts. 

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ALBUM REVIEW: Martin Bisi – Dancing On The Power Lines


Martin Bisi is a stalwart music producer who has worked with the likes of Swans, Brian Eno, White Zombie, and Sonic Youth. Dancing On The Power Lines (Black Freighter Records) is his eighth solo record. Bisi handles vocals, and guitar, as well as the mixing. He is joined by Diego Ferri (bass, baritone guitar, synth), Oliver Rivera Drew (drums, percussion) and Joan Hacker (vocals). Lyrical contributions come from Bisi, Hacker, and Nora Almeida. Continue reading