The inevitable march towards environmental destruction and a certain perma-tanned incumbent of The White House have lit a spark under Pearl Jam, in part inspiring new album Gigaton (Monkeywrench Records/Republic Records). “The lengths we had to go to then, to find a place Trump hadn’t fucked up yet” Eddie Vedder spits on ‘Quick Escape’, a moody, mid-paced rocker about an environmentally ravaged future. The restrained and subtle power of ‘Seven O’Clock’ is another reaction to modern America, saying that now is not the time for despondency given the situation and “sitting bullshit as our sitting president”.Continue reading
Tag Archives: Grunge
ALBUM REVIEW: Psalm Zero – Sparta
The more disparate aspects influence a band, the more it’s able to grow. Psalm Zero‘s music prior to the new album Sparta (Last Things Records) was all aggravated Indie, the tunes given an edge by guitarist Andrew Hock. With his departure and the subsequent recruitment of Kayo Dot pairing Keith Abrams and Ron Vodun, remaining founder member Charlie Looker has added a warmer, heavier feel to the Grungey lightness and this, together with a tantalising contribution from Lingua Ignota‘s Kristin Hayter, makes the album an enticing prospect.Continue reading
EXCLUSIVE STREAM: Sneeze – ‘La Ville Rose’
Ghost Cult is stoked to team up with Boston Grunge-y indie band Sneeze to debut their brand new single, ‘La Ville Rose’. The song comes off of their forthcoming album fin (Midnight Werewolf Records/Tor Johnson Records). The album was recorded at Sonelab with Justin Pizzoferrato (Dinosaur Jr., Speedy Ortiz, Kindling) and Mastered by Carl Saff. Jam out ‘La Ville Rose’ now! Continue reading
Rob Arnold’s (Chimaira) New Band The Disaster Streams Entire New Album
Rob Arnold is world-renowned for his work as a guitarist and songwriter in Chimaira and formerly in Six Feet Under. He has released a new album with his Grunge rock band The Disaster. Their entire new album is avaialble for purchase and streaming now.Continue reading
Cave In – Final Transmission
If you’re a fan of any music that Caleb Scofield created or played, bring the tissues for this one. Cave In‘s aptly-titled Final Submission (Hydra Head) is a collection of recordings made with the band’s late bassist before his tragic death last year and contains much input from the man himself. It’s a slightly different album than fans might expect, but in many ways, it’s more meaningful for it.Continue reading
Valley Of The Sun – Old Gods
Since their 2010 inception, Ohio trio Valley Of The Sun has been lauded in the same breath as Grunge legends Alice In Chains and Soundgarden, while not yet achieving that level of iconic status. New album Old Gods (Fuzzorama Records) sees the band maturing, with a gentle psychedelia gracing those heady grooves.
Spotlights – Love & Decay
Having been graced by the patronage of Aaron Harris and Chino Moreno for the last three years, Brooklyn couple Spotlights have shared the stage with the latter’s Deftones while still sailing under many radars. That may be about to change with the permanent appointment of live drummer Chris Enriquez and the release of sophomore album Love & Decay (Ipecac Recordings).Continue reading
Druids – Monument
When Iowan trio Druids‘ EP Spirit Compass (Self-release) hit my ears sixteen months ago, I was staggered by the apparent ease with which the bandmelded the darkness of Sabbath and the violence of Mastodon with the joyous, Summery Grunge of Blind Melon. It made for a heady mix and new offering Monument (The Company) promises the same excitement amid a paradoxically heavy flexibility.Continue reading
Michael “Whip” Wilton of Queensrÿche Talks “The Verdict”, Longevity, and Looking at the Future
Long-running Heavy Metal legends Queensrÿche recently released their excellent new album The Verdict on Century Media Records. We caught up with founding member Michael “Whip” Wilton at their sold-out show at Irving Plaza in New York City and talked about the new album, the loyalty of their fans, working with Chris “Zeuss” Harris, the bands’ approach to music videos, their tour plans for the rest of 2019, some key upcoming milestone album anniversaries in their career, and much more. Interview by Keefy and videography by Omar Cordy of OJC Photography.Continue reading
Pantera’s “Far Beyond Driven” Turns 25 Years Old
It’s the mid-nineties and while the economy is flourishing, our president gets cool points for playing the sax on television and we have Super Metroid, we still found the need to complain. And of all the things to moan about during that decade, one of the silliest is to decry the lack of decent metal. Did we all suddenly forget that Pantera dropped possibly the heaviest release to debut atop the Billboard Top 200 in Far Beyond Driven (Eastwest)?Continue reading