It’s a cliche, but this album blew me away. Blew me away like the guy in the old Maxell ads. But that’s not right because you cannot listen to ALT BLK ERA’s Rave Immortal (Earache Records) without legit dancing. Finds like this are why I love doing these reviews. Let me do a reset to where I first hit “play”.Continue reading
Hailing from Birmingham, UK Nu-Metal outfit Nameless show a whole world of imagination with their new album Shapeshifter (Self-Released). On this record, the band takes on a progressive genre-bending sound with ambitious track lengths. Drawing from influences from the likes of Deftones and Sleep Token, they combine facets of Metal and Shoegaze in such a way that keeps even the longest songs interesting. Continue reading
The sound of what was once considered West Coast Hard Core is changing. The Barbarians of California‘s new album And Now I’m Just Gnashing My Teeth (oneRPM) carries more of a metallic stomp aligned with modern Hardcore. Right from the first song you can hear the band’s more experimental edge. Once into the meat of the album, they bridge hardcore with a Nu-Metal sound, which is not unlike what System of a Down does. They attack with a more spastic jerk. It’s hard not to appreciate the sense of adventure that runs through these songs. The new generation of nu-metal kids who attend festivals like Sick New World will dig it. Hardcore purists might have some questions. Continue reading
Most of the world is oblivious to the fact nuclear war is closer to reality now than it was during the Cold War. Thus the increasing need for music that taps into the subconscious to remind us of the grim future looming. 3TEETH’s fourth album “EndEx” (Century Media) has all the End Times anxiety you want. The Los Angeles-based band remains consistent in their sonic vision. They work off of industrial strength grooves to pump the lifeblood of their sound to these songs.
Saint Agnes, from the UK, spark the fires of aggression with Alt. Nu-groove album Bloodsuckers (Spinefarm Records). The band fits within the label’s ranks with ease alongside acts that have their own vision,but crossover appeal such as Sleep Token, Atreyu, and Killing Joke. Add in a Mimi Barks cameo (the short and ferocious ‘Body Bag’) and a Sean Bevan production boost on the semi-glossy ‘Follow You’ and this record has the potential to be a Summer ’23 pit starter.
It has been five years since the last full length from French Industrialists Elyose, a period of time that has seen significant change for them. Following on from their previous full-length Reconnexion, much of the band departed leaving vocalist Justine Daaé to keep moving forward. Now returned as either a band or essentially a solo venture (guitarist/producer Anthony Chogard is certainly in the ranks but it certainly seems like Daaé is the centre piece), the first full length of this incarnation Déviante (self) isn’t quite the statement of intent could have been hoped for.