Recently I admitted I am a fan of more conservative horrorpunk. It might come as no surprise that I am enthralled with bands like Misfits, Calabrese, The Other and The Crimson Ghosts. So here we are, five years after their previous album Yet Not Human I can share my impressions of their sixth album Forevermore. For the uninitiated, The Crimson Ghosts have been around twenty years now. In that time they have released six albums and a couple of splits. The first five albums are chock full of high quality horrorpunk. Every album has at least a couple of instant hits. This German band's trademark is strong vocals (with a lot of harmony between the lead singer Vlad and the backing vocals by guitar player Jackal) over a metallic punk sound. I find the exact sound hard to describe. It starts out with Famous Monsters era Misfits, but it is a bit more metallic than that. Where a band like The Other added more and more mid tempo power metal into their mix, The Crimson Ghosts really sound like a punk band with metal aspirations. The main question here of course is: is Forevermore worth the five year wait? It took me a while to formulate an answer that felt correct. Where … Read more
Based on the name, pop-punk sounds like a limited genre. There are a million bands that sound like the Ramones. … Read more
Meet Me @ The Altar has been THE pop-punk trio pushing us to the edge of our seats in anticipation … Read more
Bruise Control is a new-ish punk band from Manchester. The band definitely checks off the boxes of the style, mixing … Read more
Polish folk metal band, Diabol Boruta (or The Devil Of Borut), released this nine track acoustic album, Borutus Akustikus, through Via … Read more
Considering VNV Nation have been around for most of my life and are one of my favourite bands both on … Read more
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Somewhere along the way (and it's hard to say when exactly), but somewhere along the way Electric Wizard became more than a band. They became an idea. They became an attitude. A state of mind. Words like "titans" and "legends" began to accompany the band any time they were mentioned in print or online. People who didn't before identify as fans of metal were starting to heap praise on the seminal recording, Dopethrone. "Oh, that band. They have the Electric Wizard font," became a thing that people said as lesser bands began to crib and repurpose the iconic lettering for their own advances. So, when the Wizard announces that there's a new record on the horizon, it's not just the heshers, derelicts and the amoral who take notice; it's just … Read more
I like whisky tastings. Especially the ones I organize with my buddies. It is an ideal environment to catch up with them and share loads of small talk and silly humor. The second best thing about those tastings is that tasting more whisky’s you’ll be able to catch certain nuances I wouldn’t normally discover when tasting a single whisky. When … Read more
I’m not biased. Not really. I just don’t like it. It, being pop-punk. I’m just young enough that the initial wave of melodic, palm-muted, nasal voiced rock revival passed by while I was listening to Hannah Montana on my parent’s five disk stereo. However, I’m just old enough that I don’t find the modern-day nostalgic rehash all that impressive. … Read more
Take equal parts The Gaslight Anthem, Menzingers and blue-collar arena rock like Tom Petty or Springsteen, with a dash of The Clash, Dave Hause, and American Steel, and you’ll have some idea of what to expect with The Penske File’s latest, Half Glow. The results are often mixed for me when punk bands lean toward classic rock and introspection. I’m not a fan of newer Pkew Pkew Pkew, but stuff like Spanish … Read more
It’s probably been 30 years since I heard my first tribute album and I’m not sure my opinion has changed. There are usually 1-2 really good covers, some mediocrity, and an unfocused tone. They’re often underwhelming, but the exceptions to this rule keep you coming back to the format. Fortunately, Godspeed is one of those exceptions. This record is from bands that … Read more
Bloodletter are a four piece thrash metal outfit from Chicago, Illinois and are here to assault your ears in the best possible way with their new album, A Different Kind Of Hell. Formed in 2012 and performing highly toned and proficient thrash/speed metal with melodic undertones and solo's to die for. A Different Kind Of Hell is their third full length album and … Read more
When it comes to horrorpunk I am rather conservative. I usually appreciate bands more if they stay close to the template the Misfits created. My favorite bands in the genre took that template and made it their own, but stayed close to the original. This requires great skill: don’t stray to far from the path to loose me, but also don’t sound … Read more
I like poppy punk: melodies, singalongs, all that predictable stuff. But I also like it rough around the edges, not the super clean production style of Ramonescore or whatever that garbage from the early 2000s that’s on the nostalgia train right now is. So I choose my words carefully because it seems pop-punk means different things to different people. And … Read more
Other write-ups I see of Tomorrow Never Comes are basically calling this Rancid V, Part 2. The cover art looks a bit like the back of that album, actually. And while there is some merit to the comparison, I think that description is misleading. This record absolutely shares that style of short, repetitive, and angry punk songs but it has an equal balance … Read more
This four track EP is a collaboration of New Jersey's finest as seasoned punk/metal artistes Voice Of Doom and youngblood Robby Bloodshed battle it out to cover classic Misfits songs and then each others songs. Let the horrorpunk battle of the year so far, commence!! Starting off with a sample from the 1938 radio adaptation of H.G Wells's War Of The Worlds … Read more
“Long is the way and hard, that out of Hell leads up to light.” Since the decayed hands of time turned the page into a promising new decade, a whole lot has happened in this world. It’s been a harder road traveled for some of us than others. There’s been love and loss. Sickness and wellness. Dark and light. Like … Read more
I won’t condescend. I won’t explain to you what ugly means. You know what ugly means. The sale rack at Marshall’s, usually. The concrete apartment complex built in 1992 and never updated. The cake your seven-year-old niece decorated for you. Okay, that one might’ve been a little mean, but the point still stands. Ugly, ugly, ugly. You don’t need it … Read more
This self-titled record is the debut by miniaturized. While it’s their first record, the musicians have also played with the likes of Pinback, Rocket From the Crypt, No Knife, and more. You’ll pick up on hints and patterns from some of those groups here, but this record is an exploration of new styles and territories. While the band formed for a one-off live … Read more
Atmosphere has always felt like rapper Slug pouring his soul into the mic. It feels authentic and refreshing to hear his humble self-reflection. But after a few albums, it also kind of feels like overload. There’s such a thing as too much emotion and strife. That’s not a knock on Atmosphere’s art, but Atmosphere took a break from each other. … Read more
Divine Punishment was originally released in 1986.. Throughout her storied career, she has pushed boundaries, stayed true to her vision and accomplished an output of never replicated and truly original artistic beauty. Her vocal styling can be something of an acquired taste but once you understand and accept the unique styling you begin to understand how powerful her emotive wailing … Read more
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