ALBUM REVIEW: Black Map – Hex


For a band composed of members of other prog bands, creating something more melodic based in the post-hardcore-meets-hard-rock project, Black Map was something not entirely expected over a decade ago. Now three albums into the band’s career, and the band have made huge strides, having the technicality of their previous progressive bands and bringing it into a whole new scene, Black Map captured something new. For Hex (Spinefarm Records), the trio went in a more upfront approach to the creation process. While a complete U-turn from their previous album, how will this fare for the new release?  Continue reading →


ALBUM REVIEW: Knives – Glitter


You never know how Nu-Metal is going to resurface. Your best bet is that it won’t show up to the party in Adidas with b-boy swagger. Knives prove this on their album Glitter (Marshall Records). Just when you thought Bristol was just the home of trip-hop, these kids who self-identify as a noise-rock band, kick in the door with punchy rapped vocals, they slam again an often dissonant eruption of angular riffs. Somehow this all manages to for my mishappen groove.  of guitar clanging in a misshapen groove. “I Hope You Get It” finds a hint of hard-core haunting their musical DNA, which is nothing new for nu-metal, as Korn and Deftones toured with the likes of Biohazard, Sick of it All, Glassjaw, and Thrice, in their early days.   Continue reading →


ALBUM REVIEW: Holy Fawn – Dimensional Bleed 


Back in the tail end of the seventies, Bon Scott of AC/DC sang “if you want blood, you got it.” Over four decades later in 2022, we might hear a comparable rallying cry from vocalist/guitarist Ryan Osterman and his post-rock/shoegaze band Holy Fawn. However, on Dimensional Bleed (Wax Bodega) — the Arizona natives’ second album — the message would be more like “if you want relentless, beautiful sadness, you got it.”

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