To try and place Four Stroke Baron neatly into a category of music is akin to trying to describe the Higgs field to a classroom full of ninth graders on the last day of school before summer break. Continue reading
Tag Archives: Matt Cook
ALBUM REVIEW: Sentiment Dissolve – The Orwellian Dream
For quite some time now, Toronto has been the undisputed hotbed of Technical Death Metal, and what’s more, the sounds emanating from up in Ontario only seem to get better and better.Continue reading
ALBUM REVIEW: Göden – Vale Of The Fallen
Violins will and should always belong in various subgenres of Metal, and when done right, the addition of a classical string instrument can transport listeners to vast transcendent landscapes – see Dawn Ray’d (RIP).Going even further and introducing new or grossly underutilized techniques can (and often does) represent a beacon of freshness for both the musicians and fans alike.Continue reading
ALBUM REVIEW: Red Rot – Borders Of Mania
Combining extreme music sensibilities and Doom-inspired vocal machinations, Red Rot have put forth their latest full-length, Borders Of Mania (Hammerheart Records), a fifteen-track compendium that oftentimes struggles to find an identity and isn’t helped by erratic song lengths that squelch any momentum that may have been built – the forty-four-minute effort could have been better served as two separate polished releases. There are serviceable characteristics here and there, but certainly not enough to justify the ambition. Continue reading
ALBUM REVIEW: Deliria – Phantasm
Boy is it exhilarating when a group of meticulous and notable artists get together to show the world how music is done the right way!Continue reading
ALBUM REVIEW: AWOL – Tear ‘Em To Bits
One of the defining characteristics of the hardcore scene is its emphasis on community and companionship, especially between the artists and the fans.
Australian up-and-comers AWOL have debuted with Flatspot Records for their sophomore record Tear ‘Em To Bits and this is, by and large, a hardcore album for the people.Continue reading
ALBUM REVIEW: Atræ Bilis – Aumicide
There are two dead giveaways that Atræ Bilis have something very, very weird in their back pocket.
Released by the continuously boundary-blurring 20 Buck Spin, Aumicide’s cover artwork is something that, let’s just say, probably shouldn’t be focused on too long whilst at work or in a public setting. Continue reading
ALBUM REVIEW: The Ghost Inside – Searching For Solace
Twenty years into their existence, Metalcore prize fighters The Ghost Inside look, feel, and sound as good as they ever have. Searching For Solace (Epitaph Records) the sixth installment in the band’s catalog, is not only a de facto extension of the emotionally driven self-titled album; it’s purposeful, tight, and as good a case as any that TGI are (still) at the height of their career.Continue reading
ALBUM REVIEW: Necrot – Lifeless Birth
Despite crust death metallers Necrot forming in 2011, the Oaklanders’ newest slab is only the trio’s third full-length in their brief-yet-inviting discography.
Essentially, the band doesn’t rush to put out a record, nor do they seem to want to release something before every “i” is dotted and “t” crossed.Continue reading
ALBUM REVIEW: Belore – Eastern Tales
The concept of Epic/Atmospheric Black Metal seems to thrive on extreme ends of the spectrum: it’s either performed as passionately and pristinely as a fantastical saga, or it’s generic drab that breeds vague cliches and untethered musical arrangements. There is no in-between.Continue reading