ALBUM REVIEW: Spirit Mother – Thistle


Spirit Mother represents the post-grunge era, entwined with Stoner Rock in a way that blurs the line between where one begins and the other ends. On Thistle (Sound of Liberation Records), they touch on a few different sounds from the nineties and bring them into a more modern focus rather than just trying to pay homage to an era. “Violent Son” has a moodier swagger and syncopated riff that finds the guitars adding atmosphere that allows the vocals to coast between it all. The vocals here are in a mellow croon that is possibly drug-induced. The strength of the vocals is not in their range, but in how emotion is conveyed and where he puts his voice. 

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ALBUM REVIEW: Weft – The Splintered Oar


Embodying a whole lifetime of exploration, growth, and the ever-dynamic passages of life’s trajectory, debut album The Splintered Oar by Weft, which was released via Bindrune Recordings, is a meticulous construction well-crafted by Panopticon’s Charlie Anderson, influenced by a vast range of names and references. While the core foundation of its soundscapes revolves around Atmospheric and Death/Black Metal undertones, Weft also incorporated influences from Prog, Country, Americana, Folk, and other means of passages that aren’t strongly inclined towards distortions and belligerent beats– and it distinctively shows in the wide range of the vocal palette that Weft presented on this album; that dynamic shift from intricate, harsh growls, to choir-inspired clean singing that appear ethereal and enchanting.
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ALBUM REVIEW: Lord Buffalo – Holus Bolus


A dark cloud is on the horizon. There’s a sense that a storm is coming. But while such imagery often suggests bad times ahead, with Holus Bolus (Blues Funeral Recordings), the latest record by brooding Folk-Rock four-piece Lord Buffalo, those coming rains could be a welcome release.  Continue reading →