Tag Archives: Jazz

CONCERT REVIEW: Leprous –  Annex Void – Nighdrator Live at The Crofoot

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Pontiac is a northern suburb of Detroit known for having colorful nightlife and last Tuesday evening proved why. Their downtown was a buzz with streets closed and stages set up. The Crofoot, an acclaimed entertainment complex, was hosting a community concert series with hundreds of locals gathered. The venue was also hosting Norway’s own Leprous who is on a headlining tour promoting their new album, Melodies of Atonement (InsideOut Music). Having provincial rap acts perform outside and having a hot, progressive band play inside showed off the versatility and innovation of the beloved music venue. Continue reading →


ALBUM REVIEW: Trelldom – …by the shadows…

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On …by the shadows… (Prophecy Productions), Norway’s Trelldom shows how Satan can find subtle ways to drag the listener into hell. Continue reading →


ALBUM REVIEW: Leprous – Melodies of Atonement

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Leprous is a band that stands apart from other progressive acts. Their ability to effortlessly experiment while remaining exceptionally grounded in their superior signature and skillful sound is uncommon. This Norwegian five-piece has been labeled as unique and is known to be creatively inventive within the heavy music sphere. Each record they make manages to explore new ground and deliver world-class wonders. They are about to release their eighth full-length record, Melodies of Atonement (InsideOut Music) and its distinctively different approach compared to their previous works proves once again how aptly ingenuous the band is. Continue reading →


CONCERT REVIEW: Abbath – Imperial Triumphant – Black Anvil – Final Gasp Live at Gramercy Theatre

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New York City’s Gramercy Theatre was the epicenter of a black metal storm on a late spring night, with Abbath headlining the night in support of his “Dread Reaver” North American tour. The intimate venue, packed to the brim with die-hard fans, became a cauldron of raw energy and dark atmospheres, punctuated by the thunderous performances of the opening acts: Final Gasp, Imperial Triumphant, and Black Anvil.Continue reading →


ALBUM REVIEW: Painted Shield – Painted Shield 3

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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 →


ALBUM REVIEW: Respire – Hiraeth

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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: Ani Difranco – Unprecedented Shit

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In the nineties Ani Difranco was a kick in the ass to the Lilith Fair sirens basking in their feelings, bringing a punk attitude to the strum of her alternative folk. Now twenty-two albums deep in her career Unprecedented Shit (Righteous Babe Records) finds her older and wiser, yet still aware of her mission statement.Continue reading →


ALBUM REVIEW: Scarcity – The Promise Of Rain

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Second album from Scarcity, the Brooklyn based avantgarde Black Metal collective, who have managed to create a sound like no other on a record that well and truly bends the mind. This is black metal, but not as we know it. True, the blackened-screams of vocalist Doug Moore (Pyrrhon / Seputus) are delivered with a typical dark venom, but they are perhaps the most conventional aspect of the sound Scarcity purvey.

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ALBUM REVIEW: Malconfort – Humanism

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In a world where you can never keep on top of everything being released, we can be pretty confident that there isn’t anything else in 2024 quite like Malconfort and the band’s debut, Humanism (Transcending Obscurity Records).Continue reading →


ALBUM REVIEW: SUMAC – The Healer

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Six albums into their career, SUMAC stretch the limits of what Metal can be with The Healer (Thrill Jockey Records) — a four-song, 76-minute double album of fluid, evolving, at times seemingly freeform Jazz Metal that requires some patience, but impresses with its expressiveness and creativity.  Continue reading →