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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)

Pale Creation

Twilight Haunt
A389 (2011)

Twilight Haunt is an album that has been affecting me since before it was originally released in 1999 on CD by East Coast Empire (who I believe is now defunct), and when a demo of this was sent to the place that I worked at back then, I stole it from the owner’s “I am not paying attention to this pile” and listened to it obsessively for several weeks following my sinful act of theft (and with absolutely no remorse at all); over the years, I have always considered it a shame that this record never received the vinyl treatment because aside from the sweet tunes that the album contains the artwork deserved a better fate than being jammed onto a CD layout template, and now, that day is here. For those who have never had the pleasure of this particular gift of art from Pale Creation (or any of their recorded catalog for that matter), this band hails from the same Cleveland (Ohio in the states kiddies… this is where Lake Erie caught fire according to popular folk lore) scene that birthed Integrity; and while that may give you a small inkling into what Pale Creation sounds like, to … Read more

200 Words Or Less

Dead Swans

Anxiety And Everything Else
Bridge Nine (2012)

Good hardcore bands from the UK are a rare occurrence. Dead Swans, however, are one of the few exceptions. With … Read more

Metallica

Beyond Magnetic
Warner Bros. (2011)

Long story short: Beyond Magnetic is a collection of four tracks recorded for, and left off of, Metallica's 2008 album … Read more

Enforcers

End Of Time
A389 (2011)

Enforcers are a band out of Montreal. While the city has a long history of technical metal many forget about … Read more

Blueneck

Repetitions
Denovali (2011)

I wanted to write an introduction that accurately conveyed the sound of Blueneck's new album Repetitions, but my editor wouldn't … Read more

Servile Sect

Svrrender
Handmade Birds (2012)

Sitting down and listening to Servile Sect’s companion album to the great TRVTH has been a sincerely surreal experience in … Read more

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One from the archives

Bob Mould Band

Live At ATP 2008
Granary Music (2010)

200 Words Or Less

A new live record finds the artist covering all phases of his storied career with whiplash intensity. Husker Du, Sugar and his solo career material are all represented. Mould brings his usual passion and emotion to the proceedings. But the band’s performance here is just as crucial. Richard Morel’s keyboards add depth but don’t overtake the mix. Jason Narducy adds solid bass work and background vocals. Probably his best bassist since David Barbe shared the stage with him. The drums are handled by Jon Wurster (of Superchunk fame) who bashes away with precise chaos. A close to perfect live record, ATP 2008, strips Mould’s songs of their sometimes over-polished studio veneer and instead flips them upside down for us to hear in all their ragged glory. Read more

More album reviews

Buildings

Melt, Cry, Sleep
doubleplusgood (2012)

Buildings. Two syllables. Direct and immovable. It seems a fitting name for this Minneapolis three-piece and their second album Melt, Cry, Sleep. Their sound is tough to pin to a genre but, make no bones about it, the dudes are angry and loud. There are a lot of familiar elements at play in their work. The shout-speak vocals and headbanging … Read more

Junior Bruce

The Headless King
A389 (2012)

Bloodlet seem to be a sadly forgotten band. Even in their time they were overshadowed by the other bands Victory Records released. Sadly a band ahead of their time in a sense and far beyond typical hardcore constraints. What does this have to do with Junior Bruce? Well the booming voice of Bloodlet has returned as Scott Angelacos once again … Read more

La Dispute

Wildlife
No Sleep (2011)

La Dispute is a band that catches a lot of flak. People tend to jump to conclusions about their “whiney” sound, and the infamous song “Such Small Hands” doesn’t help their case. I myself took early judgment on the band and chose to dislike them. But once I checked my ego at the door and gave Wildlife a real shot, … Read more

Rodrigo y Gabriela

Area 52
ATO (2012)

Everyone's favourite thrash metal duo turned acoustic, Rodrigo y Gabriela stand out amongst their peers not only for their heavily metal-influenced Latin pieces, but also for their impeccable proficiency and astounding musicianship. Their latest album, Area 52, pairs the fiery duo alongside the ensemble C.U.B.A., the first time they've recorded their work with such full instrumentation.Let me tell you, the … Read more

Anne

Dream Punx
A389 (2011)

In a genre of little distinction, Anne’s Dream Punx delves deeper into their own capabilities than most would’ve thought possible. The melodies used and the intertwining riffs create a wall of sound that evoke a sense of nostalgia for when Slowdive was around without having the feeling of a cheap knock off. The most captivating thing about this album is … Read more

Sutekh Hexen

Larvae
Handmade Birds (2012)

If you have ever heard any Sutekh Hexen release prior to Larvae (and there is a multitude), than there is definitely a surprise in store for you because Larvae is a complete re-imagining of what this outfit has done from their first tape that they unleashed on the world; the mind bending riffing (of the black metal style) and the … Read more

Passiv Dödshjälp

Fasader
Power It Up (2011)

I’ll admit it; any band that requires key strokes to properly type their name has a good chance of ending up in my review pile. The reason is two-fold: It stems from my days as a Motley Crüe -worshiping adolescent, and the simple fact that I am a sucker for Scandinavian hardcore. Thus we have here the latest vinyl by … Read more

Human Sculpture

Our World / Torn Down
Independent (2011)

Debut EPs rarely tend to be that standout. Most of the time, it will just present a band's core sound, as if to say “here is what we are capable of,” and then abruptly end. They almost never wind up being good albums in their own right. They often act as barometers, telling us what to expect in the future. … Read more

Anneke van Giersbergen

Everything is Changing
PIAS (2012)

There's something odd about Anneke van Giersbergen. I keep hearing her name tossed around next to acts like Napalm Death, Moonspell and Within Temptaion, and I've heard her collaborations with other artists scores of times. And yet I've never heard what her solo music sounds like. Let me tell you, I wasn't expecting an alternarock album when I first played … Read more

Omega Massif

Karpatia
Denovali (2011)

Holy shit.Let me put the rest of this review in context. The day I discovered post-metal was the day I was told to listen to Isis' seminal album Oceanic. For an hour I could do nothing but sit still and listen in awe to such beauty. It started my long-standing interest in the genre, though to this day no album … Read more

Blackfield

Welcome To My DNA
Kscope (2011)

Steven Wilson is a man of many talents--and more than three dozen of them are just different ways of making music. Though he's known mostly for his more complex work, his progressive conquests all take a side seat for a moment as he again sits down with Aviv Geffen on the third album from his pop rock project Blackfield, titled … Read more

The May 4th Massacre

All Guilty
MorseCode (2011)

I'm still not completely sold on hardcore music, but if The May 4th Massacre's latest offering All Guilty is any indication, I may still be swayed on the genre yet.Before I get to the good stuff, however, I have to mention one thing that immediately jumps out about this album: sometimes I just cannot tell if these guys are being … Read more

Sun Caged

The Lotus Effect
Century Media (2011)

For a band I really enjoy, it was extremely difficult for me to review the new album from Dutch progressive metal band Sun Caged, The Lotus Effect. I found this odd, because it actually is a very good album. It took me a while to pin down exactly what it was about it that was irking me.In fact, I actually … Read more

Tesseract

One
Century Media (2011)

Bring out the djent parade!Every single Meshuggah-loving act and their goddamn mother is releasing an album this year. Xerath released their sophomore album, Uneven Structure and Vildhjarta have their debuts planned, Cloudkicker released a single, Periphery and Gojira both have EPs on the schedule... In fact, it seems like the only band who isn't getting in on this action themselves … Read more

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