Tag Archives: Reviews

ALBUM REVIEW: The Ghost Next Door – Classic Songs Of Death And Dismemberment

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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 →


ALBUM REVIEW: Alcest – Les Chants de L’Aurore

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Alcest began as a solo Black Metal project for French musician Neige at the turn of the millennium, and have since forged themselves a fine reputation as one of the pioneering bands of the Blackgaze sound. Continue reading →


ALBUM REVIEW: Cavalera – Schizophrenia

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There is something about the Sepultura sound which has rightfully allowed it to stand the test of time. It could be the bombastically frantic stringwork which has the capacity to power some cities. It could also be the cavernous, cacophonous screams and shouts. The drums never disappoint, and the production is mischievous yet meticulously guided.Continue reading →


ALBUM REVIEW: Fórn – The Departure of Consciousness

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Nothing beats a sunny day, a cold beer, and some sludge and doom blasting over the speakers as I melt in the heat. Just in time for summer, Fórn is reissuing The Departure of Consciousness (Persistent Vision Records) for its ten-year anniversary. The Boston-based funeral doom/sludge outfit made their name in the Boston scene by bringing some of the heaviest, most beefy riffs. Now they grace us with a reissue of their debut full-length where those riffs are as tasty as ever.Continue reading →


ALBUM REVIEW: Apes – Penitence

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At this point, anything Extreme Metal that comes from Canada is sure to be a punishing, gruesome affair. It’s as automatic a thing as a Canuck apologizing for merely existing. Continue reading →


ALBUM REVIEW: Mono – Oath

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A sensuous, rapturous and thought-provoking collection of superior, post-rock instrumental music, Oath (Pelagic Records), from Japanese four-piece Mono, was recorded and mixed by late, great and already much-missed engineer Steve Albini, who passed away last month, aged 61.Continue reading →


ALBUM REVIEW: Hippotraktor – Stasis – Pelagic Records

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Three years removed from their debut full-length, Belgian bruisers Hippotraktor return with their sophomore effort, Stasis (Pelagic Records), a veritable blend of progressive and post- metal, with versatile vocals scattered all throughout the seven tracks. Continue reading →


ALBUM REVIEW: Missing Link – Watch Me Bleed

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Sometimes the day presents challenges to us all and we just need to swing haymakers in a pit. For days worse than that, there’s Missing Link. One of the most “unga bunga” ignorant Hardcore bands I’ve ever seen play (American Hardcore Festival 2023). Getting the chance to review their full-length debut, Watch Me Bleed (Triple B Records), is an absolute privilege. Eleven tracks (twelve if you count the hidden track) of unadulterated violence and aggression are going to stampede into your ears and not apologize for the disturbance.Continue reading →


ALBUM REVIEW: SECT – Plagues Upon Plagues

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Former Cursed frontman Chris Colohan, is the driving force behind SECT’s dark take on Hardcore. Colohan might not be the band’s most well-known member (which would be Fall Out Boy’s drummer Andy Hurley), but regardless, it’s Colohan’s voice that sets apart their new album, Plagues Upon Plagues (Southern Lord) from the current resurgence of metallic Hardcore bands. Colohan’s husky croon gives a wink in the direction of Neurosis. His approach not only brings the articulated lyrics to the forefront but adds more depth to the dark tension of the music. When he does begin screaming as the punch of the riffs hits home, it has a greater dynamic impact. Continue reading →


ALBUM REVIEW: Thou – Umbilical

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As the summer in the Northern Hemisphere approaches, I always find a nice doom or sludge album really sets the mood for a day of yard work, or just sitting on the deck with a cold beer. The new album from Thou, Umbilical (Sacred Bones Records), may not fit that exact moment, but it certainly would fit in for after the sun sets and the flames rise in the firepits and the tips of our joints. Continue reading →