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
Almost 60 years on from the kaleidoscopic cultural explosion, tied to the back of free-loving, flower-powering, mind-warping hippies and the kicked-open-door of artistically experimenting possibilities, Hard Rock-New-Wave-Jazz-Punk ensemble Rated Eye demonstrate on debut Rated Eye (Wax Donut Records) that people are definitely still strange. Continue reading
On Friday February 2nd the Rock ’n’ Roll world was saddened the passing of “Brother” Wayne Kramer, founding member and guitarist of the legendary, influential Detroit band the MC5. Issued on Black Friday, 2023 via Saustex Records Call Me Animal: A Tribute to the MC5 was never intended as a send-off for Brother Wayne, but his untimely passing makes its recent release feel even more serendipitous. Conceived by Joey “Joecephus” Killingsworth, the album was several years in the making with his band/collective Joecephus and the George Jonestown Massacre and his production partner Dik LeDoux. Kramer himself participated in the project, laying down a smoking version of “Human Being Lawnmower” with Jello Biafra.
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With ten of this year’s artists announced in January, including Brainiac, J. Robbins (Jawbox), Part Chimp, and Thrones, Caterwaul now reveal the entire 2024 lineup. New additions include Oxbow, Couch Slut, Bronson Arm, Pretty Please, and many others. The event is set to take place in Minneapolis May 24-27th. Keep reading below for more information.
Catch up on what you missed this week in the world of Rock and Metal news with our show!
2013 saw Ghost Cult crown Surgical Steel (Carcass) as our inaugural Album of the Year in a democratic aggregated vote process, untouched by editorial hands (other than the sliding of the abacus balls from one side to the other – or rather the logging of votes and the use of a rather rudimentary spreadsheet), a format we continue to utilise as the years pass, and the seasons grey. Our dedicated team of writers, editors, photographers make their submissions on demand following a month of much wringing-of-hands and profanities being aimed into the editorial mailbox.Continue reading
Hellfest, held every year just outside of Paris, in Clisson, France, continues to up the ante every year with forever growing and impressive lineups! Taking place from June 27 to June 30, 2024, Hellfest will once again be four days long and over 200 bands appearing on six stages. For 2024, the headliners for each night will be Avenged Sevenfold, Machine Head, Metallica, and Foo Fighters. The full daily lineups, including one more major band tba, and the ticket link are coming soon!
Check out our preview of the new metal and rock releases coming out this week for New Music Friday 7-21-23!
When the David Lynch-directed movie The Straight Story was released in 1999 it was a surprising departure for anyone familiar with the creator of Twin Peaks and Blue Velvet. The surprise wasn’t floating aliens, ladies in radiators or ears in paper bags. Quite the opposite. Lynch had already exposed audiences to the dark and bizarre in many forms; it was the absence of surrealistic shock that made the poignancy of one man’s single-minded road trip to reconnect with his ill brother so strange. This was not what was expected. This was not the formula that audiences were starting to think they’d figured out.
Ghost Cult’s Tom Osman caught up for a wide-ranging chat with all of Oxbow! The long-running avant-garde band was formed in the Bay Area in 1988 and has made a career making of stellar, genre-shaping albums. Their new album Love’s Holiday, releases on Ipecac Recordings on July 21st and is on our highly-anticipated list for 2023, so get the back story on the new album, and their entire history.