A.C. Newman
The Slow Wonder
Matador (2004)
For this review I plan on writing about three things: The New Pornographers, summer, and my last week of school (specifically a History of Macroeconomics final). So, for those of you who just want a quick little review, here it is: A.C. (wait, actually, it's Carl, but that's not the point) Newman's debut solo effort The Slow Wonder is a … Read more
A.M.S.G.
Anti-Cosmic Tyranny
Profound Lore (2013)
The history of A.M.S.G. (or Ad Majorem Satanae Gloriam, or For The Greater Glory Of Satan) is one that is filled with darkness and the actions of vocalist/guitarist Angelfukk Witchhammer are dubious to say the least (Mr. Witchhammer has spent some time in prison and wrote this album during a period of incarcaration) and yet the duo have found ways … Read more
A.P.O.S.T.L.E.
Lyrical Activism
Seven Soldiers (2008)
So the question is: can you teach without preaching? A.P.O.S.T.L.E. believes you can. Despite the connotations the name might produce, the man knows that once you preach, you judge. And once you judge, the listening stops. This is, of course, working on the assumption that there is listening to begin with. The new wave of socially conscious hip-hop (Mos Def, … Read more
Aaron & The Sea
Cloak & Dagger EP
Independent (2013)
Aaron & the Sea have come a long way from writing dinosaur-themed ballads. The Minneapolis band formed in 2008 when roommates Aaron Rice and Alex Brown started making music together, and later completed their line-up with the arrival of drummer Peter Leggett. Over a year after releasing their debut album Creature Creature the trio are back with their Cloak & Dagger EP, marking a … Read more
Aaron Freeman
Marvelous Clouds
Partisan (2012)
Rolling Stone didn’t do Aaron Freeman any favors in running their interview that announces the end of Ween before I got my hands on this record. Now, besides having to overcome the shadow cast by his band, it also has to overcome being the record that broke up Ween. Anyway, Freeman has been making music since the early 1980s and … Read more
Aaron Rice
Neverfade/For Dusk
Elizabeth Label (2019)
Aaron Rice deftly wades through the debris of a break-up on his debut solo LP Neverfade/For Dusk, where his songs are bolstered by addictive synths that alternately lurk behind percussive bass or envelop the tracks. Rice's voice veers between being sparse and elegiac at points, while at others vocal manipulation makes his voice take on a deep, otherworldly sound over the … Read more
Aaron Turner & Daniel Menche
Nox
Sige (2017)
Aaron Turner and Daniel Menche, two prominent figures of experimental music, meet again after the Mamiffer collaboration with Menche back in 2015. Both have been active recently, with Turner participating in the Thalassa project releasing Bonds of Prosperity with William Fowler Collins, while Menche released his long, immersive Sleeper record earlier this year. With NOX the duo presents a 31-minute long-form collaboration. Anyone familiar with the two artists should have … Read more
Ab Imo Pectore
The Dissociative Path
Debemur Morti Productions (2012)
Ab Imo Pectore has come out of Portugal and after 3 years as a band have managed to put together their first demo and get it released by a label. As with many black metal bands that represent themselves as being of the TRVE variety they have released it on cassette as well. The real question is how does this … Read more
Abel is Dying
Gazing from the Abyss
Still Life (2006)
Lasagna. Pizza. Mario Bava. This is what I think of when I think of Italy. Oh, and the mafia. No wait - that's when I think of New Jersey. We all have our little preconceived notions of regions or countries when it comes to music. Sure, there's hardcore to be found all over the world, but good hardcore? By now … Read more
Ability
Expired
Fineprint (2008)
Ability is a five-piece hardcore band from the Northern outskirts of Los Angeles. Expired is their debut effort and the 7" features five cuts of solid mid-tempo hardcore. Musically the band mixes together the guitar tones of Bad Brains with the thick rhythm sounds of Burn. "Work of Ages" is a good example of what the band has to offering. … Read more
Abiotic
Symbiosis
Metal Blade (2012)
South Florida's Abiotic join the death metal race as a young band. The band, over a short time, have managed to take their brand of tech-death with shades of metalcore a rather long way in catching the ears of Metal Blade. As a band that is barely two years old one could question their prowess, but that may be a … Read more
Able Baker Fox
Voices
Second Nature (2008)
A little over five years ago The Casket Lottery and Small Brown Bike released a collaborative 12" EP that proved to be more than a split recording as the two bands collaborated on most of the songs giving listeners quite a good record. Now, in hindsight, this effort served as a portent of things to come with the release of … Read more
Above this Fire
In Perspective
Life Sentence (2005)
Above this Fire is a band that I have known since their very inception, a band that I have been able to watch as they have grown from relative obscurity as local act into one that could easily eclipse their peers with the right promotional push. With In Perspective, this five-piece hardcore/metal hybrid can stand proud and declare that they … Read more
Above this Fire
Last Ones
Forest City (2008)
It's been over three years since Above this Fire released their debut full-length, In Perspective. Since that recording the band has grown immensely as songwriters, something that is evident when you listen to the two albums back to back. The band's growth and evolution since their initial recordings is something that helps put in perspective - pardon the pun - … Read more
Absolace
Fractals
Spellbind (2012)
Emirati band Absolace certainly know their stuff. After releasing their debut Resolve[d] in 2010, they easily paved their way for a followup. That album just so happens to be 2012's Fractals. How does their new album hold up? Unfortunately, not as well as you'd hope.The main issues stem from vocalist Nadim Jamal--it just doesn't sound like he's trying that hard … Read more
Abstracter
Cinereous Incarnate
I Voidhanger Records (2018)
Loads of bands that I follow or followed start out pretty heavy and during their career start to get (a bit more) mellow. Sometimes this evolution is only marginal, sometimes a band is almost unrecognisable after a few albums. Abstracter evolved as well over the course of their albums. Instead of mellowing down their sound, they have evolved in another … Read more
Acceptance
Black Lines to Battlefields
Militia Group (2003)
Living in the Seattle area, I hear a lot about certain bands that are a part of the Seattle music scene. I usually don't take a lot of the local hype too seriously, because a lot of the hype surrounding said bands comes straight from the fact that the band is local. The kids get to go out and see … Read more
Ace High Cutthroats
Black Fire
Independent (2012)
With a name like Ace High Cutthroats, it doesn’t take a lot of imagination to determine what the band is about. On their debut Black Fire, the group delivers rollicking rock with big guitars and a lot of swagger—keeping their rock’n’roll lifestyle close at heart underneath their black leather jackets. The band includes members of Nightgaun and Prosthetics, and the … Read more
