Cool World (The Flenser) might not be the album that is going to make Chat Pile a household name, but is does exceed the expectations set by 2022’s God’s Country. This album exudes anger. It’s become a cliche for bands to say their new album is going to be their heaviest yet, Chat Pile let the music do the talking in this regard. Continue reading
At no point on Pedigree Pig (Self-Released), the debut EP by Seattle Post-Punk three-piece Anthers, does it feel like this is a record recorded from down the road. Pedigree Pig, I’m quite sure, was recorded in a murky sci-fi sex dungeon on the moon — conveniently being rented out for band recordings, but smelling kind of sus. Continue reading
Belaya Polosa (Sacred Bones Records) is the fourth full-length release from Belarus’ Molchat Doma. The band consists of vocalist Egor Shkutko, guitarist, synth and drum machine player Roman Komogortsev (who is also the primary songwriter), and bass guitar and synth player Pavel Kozlov.Continue reading
It can not be said that Nick Cave’s career has not aged gracefully. Sure, The Birthday Party feels like another life, but with each album released in the past two decades, Cave has successfully moved towards filling the gap Leonard Cohen’s death would leave. Wild God (Play it Again Sam) continues to uphold his legacy while carrying the hopeful shimmer of a life not met with the kind of tragedy Cave has known. After the death of his son, he is moving past the kind of grief that haunted some of his more recent work. Even at 66 years old, Nick’s vocals have held up, even if the title track is more spoken than sung.Continue reading
This album is a huge leap of change since Fontaines D.C. released Skiny Fia in 2022. Romance (XL Recordings) finds the band wandering out into psychedelic Brit Pop. Drugs certainly might explain some of the changes, though Producer James Ford whose resume includes Gorillaz, HAIM, and Depeche Mode certainly explains the mix and how the sounds are presented here. When it comes to the groove of “Starbursters” it’s hard to argue with the results. This Irish band might have shelved The Clash influence that marked their more post-Punk flavor previously, but this does not feel like they are selling out. Continue reading
New York City’s Uniform’s new album American Standard (Dias Records ) finds vocalist Michael Bearden in a soul-baring exploration of his struggles with bulimia. The album serves as Bearden’s catharsis. The strangled snarl of his yelled vocals paints an accurate picture of the self-loathing that comes with this neurosis. This captures a raw emotional tension that lurks under the mood of the songs. This is delivered through their ability as songwriters, which is a somewhat different story. The album begins with a sprawling opening track. For twenty-one minutes you are hit with a pounding drone, at times this grooves at it drones. This is the first of the sonic dichotomies this album is full of, so if you do not appreciate clashing concepts, it might not be for you.
The two renowned Extreme Metal labels Stygian Black Hand and Invictus Productions are collaborating this time to release the anticipated mini-album coming from the ever-gnarly unholy trinity Horns & Hooves, entitled Spectral Voyeurism. Continue reading
Boezem (Prophecy Productions) is the debut from the Dutch quintet Vuur & Zijde. It is a moody display of blackened post-Punk, (post-Punk meets Black Metal to you and me), sung mostly in their mother tongue and in the little heard-of language Frisian. Continue reading
Like many sub-genres, Progressive Rock has seen a stylistic ebb and flow, with a few strong bands rising to set the tone that inspired those who followed in their wake.
As Metal veterans, The Ghost Next Door takes you back to prog’s high water mark in the mid-nineties when bands like Tool and Faith No More rose to prominence and broke boundaries. On Classic Songs of Death And Dismemberment (Ripple Records), they create a moody blend of post-grunge-tinged Rock that puts the lyrics front and center. At the heart of the songs are social observations and commentaries on the state of the world. Continue reading
A dark, dramatic, intense collection of relatively extreme music, Death.Horses.Black. (Listenable Records) is delivered with commitment and no small expertise by Belgian prog-stoner outfit My Diligence.Continue reading