Waco Fuck
Paranoia is Total Awareness
Life Is A Rape (2008)
Anger is a gift, at least when making music. Some really manic but great recordings have been borne out of huge amounts of frustration and anger. Waco Fuck are one seriously angry sounding band. Spend enough time listening to this and you will realize just how much. The album is called Paranoia is Total Awareness and the record label is … Read more
Wait in Vain
Demo
Independent (2005)
Wait in Vain was a band that featured ex-members of Trial and Champion who released a four-song demo back in 2005. A substantial buzz grew over this band and the band planned to release a full-length in 2006 with State of Mind Recordings. Sadly Wait in Vain ran into a problem that plagues many bands; they couldn't secure a drummer. … Read more
Wait in Vain
Seasons
Think Fast! (2008)
When you look at the list of previous ventures from the members of Wait in Vain, it's hard to not get excited. Frontman Timm McIntosh was a founding member of Trial, as well as spending some time with Champion. Bassist (and now guitarist) Roger Kilburn was in Sinking Ships among others, guitarist Chris Jacobsen did some time with Set Your … Read more
Wake
Devouring Ruin
Translation Loss (2020)
Wake started out as a grindcore act with a lot of Nasum influences. Nasum being one of my favorite grind bands that was never a big issue for me. It did not take very long to find a voice of their own though. The band added more and more sludge influences on each release. An odd combination, but it worked for them. … Read more
Wake
Misery Rites
Translation Loss (2018)
Wake is a Canadian grindcore act. One of those grindcore-acts that have taken care of me not growing tired of the genre. The unrelenting speed and anger are good fun, but can get a bit samey fast. This is where the great bands differentiate themselves from the mediocre ones: they know how to keep things interesting. Wake is one of … Read more
Wall Of Water
Promo 2015
Independent (2015)
The deliciously gloomy album art on Wall of Water's two-track Promo 2015 features what seems to be a long-abandoned roller coaster rotting away in the elements, an image that seems to jive with the downbeat but arresting style of music played by band members Cullen Toner (multi-instrumentalist and vocalist) and Shawn Eldridge (drummer). Keyboard adds to the occasionally almost theatrical … Read more
Wang Wen
Invisible City
PELAGIC RECORDS (2018)
China isn’t the first country you think of when it comes to rock music but over the last two decades, Wang Wen has been placing their home on the musical map and in Invisible City the band brings a range of new emotion to their instrumental work. Wanting to record something warmer than the previous record, Sweet Home, Go!, the band decamped to Iceland … Read more
War
At War For Youth
Sacred Bones (2012)
Debut 7”, At War for Youth (the band has also released a split cassette) seems totally off-putting. It’s brash, terribly lo-fi, and haunting. There is a strong, almost mesmerising quality that springs forth from its murky depths of whatever genre you might classify it as. And to make it easy on you, let’s just say its post-punk/lo-fi/electronic/no-wave whatever music.Akin to … Read more
War From A Harlots Mouth
MMX
Lifeforce (2010)
War from a Harlots Mouth is definitely not new to the metal core or death core scene. They’ve been around a while, done tours, essentially put in their time. But, how has this experience shaped them when it comes to writing and recording? The blunt answer seems to be that it hasn’t in a big way.What we get is well-played … Read more
War of Ages
Fire from the Tomb
Facedown (2007)
Erie has a long-standing tradition of hardcore: xDisciplex A.D., Brothers Keeper, Shockwave, and Abnegation. Continuing that tradition is War of Ages, though they definitely mix their hardcore influences with a significant amount of metal riffage. Fire from the Tomb is actually a re-recording of the band's debut effort. Some might question the band's decision to go back and re-do their … Read more
War On Women
Wonderful Hell
Bridge Nine (2020)
I owe War On Women an apology. This review was due months ago, but some shit circumstances came about and an unplanned hiatus was from Scene Point Blank was needed. The band deserved far better and I very much regret that I wasn’t around to give them the lauds and love upon Wonderful Hell’s release because had I been around … Read more
WAR//PLAGUE
On A Darker Dawn
Profane Existence (2012)
Minneapolis’ scene veterans WAR//PLAGUE have finally released their debut full-length LP On A Darker Dawn on Profane Existence Records. The recipe first displayed on their debut 7” single Smolder b/w Malevolent Winds and subsequent Attrition split LP with Police Bastard continues to evolve, albeit minor—then ‘n’ now comparisons show them veering in slightly different directions while still snarled up in … Read more
WAR//PLAGUE
Primal
Profane Existence (2013)
WAR//PLAGUE always come a little different each time out. Primal is their fifth release (and the seventh single in the Profane Existence Single Series) and one that shows the Minneapolis quartet stripping away the evolved crust and blackened characteristics of their previous material in favor of a sound that is more, well, primal. Jamming an airtight metal-punk attack into its hasty descent, this EP is a … Read more
WAR//PLAGUE
Temperaments of War EP
Profane Existence (2014)
Over the course of their last few records these Minneapolis crust punk stalwarts have really honed their metal chops. I’ll do my best to avoid any “who put their metal in my punk” type of argument and just say, as someone who prefers my metalpunx leaning more to the punk side, I find Temperaments of War a little less intriguing … Read more
Warbringer
Waking Into Nightmares
Century Media (2009)
A little over a year has passed since the release of Warbringer's debut album, War Without End, an album which was solid, but didn't really have any lasting value. Imagine opening a time capsule and finding an unreleased Sepultura album from 1987, that was basically what War Without End was. Not saying it's a bad thing, but I felt the … Read more
Warhorse
As Heaven Turns To Ash...
Southern Lord (2015)
As much as I like the “what if?” scenarios, at the same time I hate them. It is always nice to theorize about what could have happened if x has taken place instead of y. In the case of Warhorse that is a big “what if?” and at the same time an unavoidable one. The band from Massachusetts started off … Read more
Warren Ellis
Nina Simone’s Gum
Allen & Unwin (2021)
Chewing gum is not the most distinguished habit to have, which is probably why I loved doing it in the most unsuitable places as a prepubescent before it was taken over by the despicable indulgence that is smoking, which in my book looked way cooler, preferably in combination. The core protagonist of this book used to indulge in both as … Read more
Wartorn
Domestic Terrorist / Under Oath
Profane Existence (2013)
If you had asked me two years ago if I’d rather hear another Wartorn song or be kicked in the crotch by a Clydesdale that’s wearing a pair ice climbing cleats, I probably would have picked the option that left me crying in the fetal position with bloody underpants and no chance of ever having children. But with arrival of … Read more
