Panopticon may be more widely known as a "metal" band - I use that term loosely because Panopticon is a lot more than the black metal base genre it derives from - yet founder Austin Lunn finds his inspiration from many different genres, punk and hardcore being one aspect of his sound that doesn't manifest in the most obvious of ways. Here, Austin lets us in to his formative years as a music fan and tells us about the kinds of sounds that influenced Panopticon on deeper levels that just the musical sphere. Catch Panopticon on tour or listen to/purchase the latest album The Rime of Memory here. -- I decided, instead of doing what I usually do for playlists, which is focus on metal or Americana, I’d write about some records that had a profound impact on me in my teens and early twenties. I don’t write about this stuff often, since it’s a different genre and doesn’t show up in obvious ways in my band or a lot of the bands in my genre. When I was a kid, I grew up listening to lots of progressive rock and metal, with a few more mainstream oriented bands in the mix in the mid-‘90s… but it wasn’t until the summer after 8th grade that I discovered a love for punk and hardcore… listening to classic bands like Dead Kennedys, Black Flag, and Minor Threat… like many young teenagers entering that time in their lives (rebelling against their Rush records, haha). Those bands … Read more
Stephen Hamm might be best known as Slow's bassist in some circles. Slow’s Against The Glass was voted the 17th best Canadian … Read more
Twenty years is a long time – much longer than many relationships last. So it’s an accomplishment when a band … Read more
Acathexis – Immerse (Amor Fati/Extraconscious Records) Acathexis’ self-titled debut from 2018 is one that still bears repeated listens, personally, many years later. … Read more
I spent a good part of the late ‘90s annoyed at the abundance of Ramonescore. I’ll stand by my word: many of the bands of that era were carbon copies that didn’t bring anything new to the format. But time has passed and what was overdone is now a refreshing change of pace. For whatever reason, when I hear a … Read more
I find Totally Slow a hard band to categorize. Their brand of melodic, hard punk is familiar and comforting -- rooted in ‘80s hardcore, ‘90s skatepunk, and post-something guitar-driven rock. The press release namedrops Dag Nasty and Hot Snakes, among others, which I think are good starting points. But while it’s familiar, it’s absolutely not a carbon copy. Like their forebearers, the songs … Read more
City Of Death is the third album from Polish noise makers Steamachine. Having dabbled in a few metal styles over their career, City Of Death has a heavy carnival influence to it which I have to say I really like. It's interesting just how much more sinister things sound when you pump eerie, jingly circus sounds amongst very dark, heavy, … Read more
The opening track on Somehow, We Are Here is a statement. Yes, Faulty Cognitions is a punk band with members of Low Culture, Shang-A-Lang, Nocturnal Prose,and more. Yes, this shares a lot of commonalities, but it’s also a new band with a new sound. The band humbly says they were going for an early, jangly R.E.M. vibe but self-confess that it has more of a Replacements thing going on … Read more
Some bands are visual, yeah? You need to see them live, in person, to truly experience them. You need to see the costumes, the theatrics, the flashing lights and, yes, the sweat … Read more
What I enjoy most about the Jesus and Mary Chain is arguably also their biggest flaw. The band’s slacker energy meets wall of feedback with a surprisingly melodic twist has … Read more
Since the demise of Sonic Youth in 2011, Kim Gordon has stayed active through multiple outlets, through all of which she has rejuvenated her experimental outlook. Alongside Bill Nace in Body / Head, … Read more
Running May 24-27 in Minneapolis, this year's lineup at Caterwaul features a ton of heavy hitters. We've posted about the event previously and you can find those links on the site easily enough. Or simply visit the Caterwaul website and buy some tickets. But first, check out this 10-track sampler … Read more
Post-rock brotherly duo Oh Hiroshima, featuring Jakob Hemström (guitar/vocals) and Oskar Hemström (drums), has shared "Secret Youth," which will feature on the band's upcoming fifth full-length, All Things Shining. The album comes out … Read more
Superchunk has set a run of tour dates to mark the 30th anniversary of the band's Foolish. On the tour, the band's set list will feature deep cuts from the … Read more
Boris has scheduled a North American tour, kicking off in San Diego, CA on Sept. 25 and running into early November. The tour will showcase the band's first album, Amplifier Worship, … Read more
Last year Skating Polly released the double LP Chaos County Line (El Camino Media), which SPB discussed with the group here. Fast forwarding back to the present, the band is … Read more
German Punk/hardcore gang AXIDS drop video for new high energy, punk rock meets the wizarding world, play on words track "Axidpelliarmus". Shot in their familiar DIY style in a basement/studio space. … Read more
Bad Moves recently shared the new song "Let the Rats Inherit the Earth," a new not so uplifting song from the Washington, DC, based band that last released Untenable in 2020. A … Read more
Looking for the SPB logo? You can download it in a range of styles and colours here: