Recent reviews

Our latest album reviews, featuring the records we've most enjoyed (or not) over the past few weeks.

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Browse our album reviews according to score: Highest (9.5/10 or more) or Lowest (2/10 or less)

Tragedy

Darker Days Ahead
Tragedy (2012)

Having the ability to keep an album under wraps until the band goes out on tour is pretty impressive in this day and age (particularly with the internet and all), and, when Tragedy snuck this album out during a tour, it brought a level of excitement and excitement to their upcoming tour (besides raising the chatter on the internets to a somewhat fevered anticipation); but the best aspect of the whole gist is that Tragedy has a new album that is ready to pound their black wearing cadre into utter submission (yes, this is a bit of a stereotype, but I thought it was worth a chuckle or two) with their easily distinguished harangue of political vitriol and galloping guitars (of both the regular and bass variety of course) and drums. Darker Days Ahead shows Tragedy spreading their wings and veering a little bit out of their musical comfort zone by adding new sounds and playing with their compositional formula, and besides enduring the shock of hearing drones in a Tragedy song (hear it for yourself in the “No Cemeteries Here”) the appearance of an acoustic guitar (again in “No Cemeteries Here”) is jarring; but these instances are not the … Read more

Battles

Dross Glop
Warp (2012)

I wanted to write this entire review as a spoonerism, but my editor slapped me through my computer screen before … Read more

Sick Sick Birds

Gates Of Home
Toxic Pop (2012)

A lot of bands are waving their 90s flags these days. And I don’t blame them. A) they grew up … Read more

The English Beat

The Complete Beat
Shout Factory (2012)

For fans of The English Beat this one was a long time coming. Coming in at a whopping 80 tracks … Read more

Crowhurst

Aghoree
Independent (2012)

Some bands just don't know when to slow down. California-based dark ambient/electronic musician Crowhurst definitely falls into that category, as … Read more

Quicksand

Manic Compression
Island\Revelation (1995)

How many people do you know that absolutely love Quicksand (personally, there is not a person that I know who … Read more

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One from the archives

Weezer

Make Believe
Geffen (2005)

By now you've scrolled down and seen that I've given Make Believe a score of 6.0. So you probably think I'm a biased fan who likes this album more than he should. Well, I am. But you should also know that if I were to review Weezer's previous catalogue, it would look something like this: 1) The Blue Album - 8/10 2) Pinkerton - 9/10 3) The Green Album - 4/10 4) Maladroit - 5/10 The Blue Album was the first album I ever bought. Pinkerton might be my favorite album of all time. The Green Album made me sad but I couldn't ignore the few songs that were pure gold. Ditto to Maladroit. That's the direction I'm approaching Make Believe from, and that's probably why I can tolerate, even … Read more

More album reviews

Curl Up And Die

…But The Past Might Be Through With Us
Revelation (2003)

Seeing Curl Up And Die the first time has always vividly stuck out in my mind if not for the band’s wild and manic performance but also for the large swathe of their audience wearing these weird devil masks while they played (at least my fading memory tells me it was devil masks), and while I came away from the … Read more

Damnation A.D.

Kingdom Of Lost Souls
Revelation (1998)

Sometimes over the course of a lengthy tenure in being completely absorbed in music in some fashion, certain bands and musicians can fade in and out of a regular rotation of what you are listening to at the time; Damnation AD has for some reason been one of those bands for me and through no reason because their music is … Read more

Bold

The Search
Revelation (2005)

Some honesty is required with regards to Bold because while I think some of their music is completely ripping, I have always kind of considered the band a bit of a farce or unintentional parody of the “Youth Crew” era of punk and hardcore in the way that in a live setting a bunch of kids (and I do not … Read more

Chain Of Strength

The One Thing That Still Holds True
Revelation (1996)

“TRUE ‘TILL DEATH!” If you subscribe in any way to the adage that life is about living in the moment, then no matter where the people may be at in their lives or what they do with themselves, perhaps millions of people have sung along to this line through countless plays of this record and the myriad of covers that … Read more

Ides Of Gemini

Constantinople
Neurot\Sige (2012)

Ides Of Gemini probably seem to have come out nowhere to most. Looking at their members there isn't a long ex members of list or any long time battling it out with a ton of releases either. The band seemingly came from nowhere last year by self releasing an EP or demo. Said EP The Disruption Writ was a brief … Read more

Ruin Everything

Lioniser EP
Independent (2012)

There's a new hardcore quartet on the rise in The UK named Ruin Everything, and they just released their debut EP, Lioniser. When I read that they're described as, "tech-hardcore" I was a bit wary. Fortunately my doubts were shattered. The first track, "Leave No Man Behind," kicks things off just right with an aggression reminiscent of Defeater, while it … Read more

Ahab

The Giant
Napalm (2012)

German titans Ahab and their deep love affair with the sea began with 2005 demo The Oath and continued into their debut The Call of the Wretched Sea in 2006. Self proclaimed as Nautik funeral doom due to this affection for the ocean, Ahab began a journey into the fathomless depths of emotion and despair. Basing their works on Moby … Read more

Oh No

Ohnomite
Brick (2012)

Following two collaborative efforts already this year alongside his fellow beatsmith and emcee The Alchemist as the duo Gangrene—the Vodka & Ayahuasca LP and the Odditorium EP—the West Coast producer and rapper Oh No returns once more for a solo mission with Ohnomite. Oh No—the younger brother of Madlib and son of singer Otis Jackson—was granted unmatched right of entry … Read more

Wavelets

Athaletics
Tiny Engines (2012)

The term emo is an overused and wrongly purposed adjective in today’s music culture, often used to describe overbearing metalcore. To this young writer “emo” music comes from bands of the nineties that are in the vein of Sunny Day Real Estate and The Promise Ring, characterized by a healthy balance of vocal strain and heartfelt lyrics, not sick breakdowns … Read more

Lions Lions

To Carve Our Names
Hollywood Waste (2012)

Lions Lions are a band you should be listening to, but probably aren’t. Regardless of the years spent developing in the local New England scene in a myriad of other very talented bands (including Vanna and Therefore I Am), Lions Lions continue to fly under the radar amongst the throngs of typical pop-punk bands now clogging up a new generation’s … Read more

Rush

Clockwork Angels
Roadrunner (2012)

On some days, when I'm really brutally honest with myself, I can safely admit that all of my favourite old rock bands from the 1970s have gone completely past the point of no return; they'll never release an album of the same calibre as those from their heyday, they'll never sell out huge stadiums and get the attention they used … Read more

State Lines

Self Titled
Tiny Engines (2012)

Hailing from Long Island, NY, State Lines come from a long list of notable punk bands who call the area home. They have been quick in establishing themselves as a talented, young band with strong potential. Last year’s Hoffman Manor was a clinic in catchiness with a raw, familiar sound that garnered comparisons to Tigers Jaw and Brand New, but … Read more

Antigama

Stop The Chaos
Selfmadegod (2012)

After what amounts to a 3 year break the Polish grinders of Antigama are back with a new label and everything. Those familiar with the and know that they have always been outside the norm of their given genre. Whether that means the inclusion of alternate lyrical concepts or even electronic bits. So their return is something to be happy … Read more

Ufomammut

Oro: Opus Primum
Neurot Recordings (2012)

Ufomammut are certainly not a new band by any means. The Italian psych-doom trio have been kicking around since the turn of the century and over the past 2 years have managed to catch the eye of Neurosis. The previously noted Neurosis noted their power and signed them to their own label. So now with a proper North American label … Read more

Reviews by score
Browse our album reviews according to score: Highest (9.5/10 or more) or Lowest (2/10 or less)