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)

J. Bannon

The Blood of Thine Enemies
Deathwish Inc. (2008)

A few years back Jacob Bannon took some time from his busy schedule of providing vocals for Converge and design work for a whole lot of bands to create the as yet and more than likely only Supermachiner album (with Kurt Ballou also of Converge, Ryan Parker, and Seth Bannon of Daltonic). The effort was a foray into ambient music and noise with sparse dashes of vocal involvement. It is a marked departure from anything that Converge has done to this point and serves as a look into the varied abilities that Bannon is capable of putting to use. A few years later, amid whispers and talks of other projects with various other musicians, his solo project, Dear Lover was announced and then nothing was heard of the ambitious project (if memory serves correctly, there was supposed to be several records to be released at some point) save for a track or demo, which did show some promise and I am not sure if this project will ever see the light of day. Now in my hands as we speak is the first release by Jacob Bannon's solo work under the moniker J. Bannon with the title of The Blood … Read more

Light Pupil Dilate

Snake Wine
Lifeforce (2007)

It's never easy to be a band today with many disparate influences. Today's groups are trying to become immortal or … Read more

Envy

Compiled Fragments 1997-2003
Temporary Residence (2008)

So here it is, Temporary Residence Limited finally is releasing this record stateside negating the need (if you happen to … Read more

Envy

All the Footprints You've Ever Left and the Fear Expecting Ahead (Reissue)
Temporary Residence (2008)

Besides being a mouthful of a title, All the Footprints You've Ever Left and the Fear Expecting Ahead is one … Read more

The Tossers

Agony
Victory (2007)

A handful of records on multiple labels, a World Series game, a Jimmy Kimmel appearance, a solo record...not bad for … Read more

Lemuria

Get Better
Asian Man (2008)

Regardless of how terrible life can get, there is truth in the statement that things will Get Better. While most … Read more

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One from the archives

Vampire Weekend

Modern Vampires Of The City
XL Recordings (2013)

When the hoax artwork claiming the group’s next album was to be “Lemon Sounds” appeared, it is perhaps unsurprising that so many people were convinced it was real. For the band’s detractors it was confirmation that Vampire Weekend were content to rest on their laurels and produce a Contra II. For fans it meant approximately the same thing; they were just more content for more of the pop band that uses African influences (possibly) better than anybody that is not called Paul Simon. Instead the Modern Vampires of the City artwork is a mixture of futuristic and nostalgic; the font comes from the faux-trailer that gave the band their name and the image is a gothic tinged version of Manhattan coated in smog. It promised darkness, it promised advancement but … Read more

More album reviews

Sabertooth Zombie

Dance / The Prisoner
Twelve Gauge (2007)

Sabertooth Zombie is a band that has been waiting to explode for sometime now. After a few self-released efforts, the band release their debut full-length, Midnight Venom, in 2006, an album that brilliantly fused menacing hardcore with the fierceness of punk. The album received high praise here at Scene Point Blank and we eagerly waited for what would follow. 2007 … Read more

Foot Foot

Trumpet
Oedipus (2008)

There is something about Foot Foot I can't quite place. The Californian husband and wife duo is described in their press release as creating "music to dream to, evoking the sand-scabbed knees and street-tarred soles of Los Angeles childhood." And while Foot Foot certainly conjures up a literate and soulful record with their third release Trumpet, I don't think the … Read more

Black Cobra

Feather and Stone
At A Loss (2007)

Range is something music critics put a lot of emphasis on, and this isn't without warrant. A band's ability to cater to a broader spectrum of people is a needed skill in today's love it/hate it climate of preference. Though all music could be said to be progressing today, for some reason heavy metal produces the most consistent visible evolution. … Read more

Landmine Marathon / Scarecrow

Split
Level Plane (2008)

Level Plane Records is a quality label in all that they do. They've got the arty-punk and progressive hardcore bands, and they even tackle post-rock. Recently they've been taking on metal; this new split features three tracks from each Landmine Marathon and Scarecrow. Up first is Landmine Marathon who previously released Wounded in 2006. These Arizona metalheads resurface with a … Read more

Once Nothing

First Came the Law
Solid State (2008)

It's been a few years now since I first became acquainted with Once Nothing. They were just a local band playing shows wherever they could and having a good time playing to whoever would listen. Now the band is on Solid State, touring the U.S., and First Came the Law is their first big-label release. Once Nothing fuses together the … Read more

Dead Will Rise

Entrepreneur
Twelve Gauge (2008)

Dead Will Rise is one of the recent signings to Twelve Gauge Records. While the label mainly sets it focus in the hardcore world, they do also dabbled in the spectrum of death metal/grindcore. And the latter is what you get with Ohio's Dead Will Rise. Entrepreneur is the band's second EP release, on which these upstarts blast through seven … Read more

The Bakerton Group

The Bakerton Group
Emetic (2007)

What do you get when you take Clutch and tell Neil Fallon to take a hike? You get The Bakerton Group. While you might think you've lost a lot, and you have, you've also found something new, different, and unique. The Bakerton Group is the band' debut full-length and first for Emetic Records. I honestly hadn't heard this project's previous … Read more

ASG

Win Us Over
Volcom (2008)

ASG stands for Amplification for Self Gratification. The name is rather fitting for this North Carolina rock group. On Win Us Over, their third full-length, the band delivers equal parts stoner metal dirge, guitar-rock speed, and punk attitude. As with most bands of this genre, it is the guitars that take center stage. Bands like ASG are about rocking out, … Read more

Teenage Bottlerocket

Warning Device
Red Scare (2008)

Bark Like a Dog by Screeching Weasel was the first punk rock album that I ever fell in love with, which means (in theory) that any album that reminds of Bark Like a Dog will serve me as a romantic rehashing of why I fell in love punk rock. This means that by the absurd logic I just put forth … Read more

Earth / Sir Richard Bishop

Split
Southern Lord (2008)

Being a memento type release to commemorate the tour that these two parties undertook in the early part of 2008, I am surprised to see and hear that the music - at least the Earth song - is exclusive to this release. This makes collector nerds like myself get fussy (and a little bit lighter in the wallet) as they … Read more

Austin Lucas

Putting the Hammer Down
Magic Bullet (2008)

To be completely honest, I know more about Austin Lucas than I do about his current residence in The Czech Republic, which doesn't attest too much besides my ignorance of The Czech Republic. I know Lucas was born in the United States and moved, has played in crust and grind bands, and has worked with Chuck Ragan. Not necessarily the … Read more

Jet Lag Gemini

Fire the Cannons
Doghouse (2008)

Doghouse Records used to be one of my favorite labels. Their early roster included Endpoint, Falling Forward, Split Lip, etc. who in the 90's defined the vastly underrated Louisville/Midwest hardcore sound. It was emotive but heavy, melodic but hard; the sound was just everything great about the middle part of the country that happened in the last decade. Owner Dirk … Read more

Murder By Death

Red of Tooth and Claw
Vagrant (2008)

With their fourth full-length album, Murder by Death has finally brought all their varying influences together. Each of the band's previous recordings focused on a general indie rock sound, but they also flirted with various musical styles: folk, country, Americana, classical, and post-punk, among others. But with Red of Tooth and Claw all the band's previous flirtations and even some … Read more

Earth

The Bees Made Honey in the Lion's Skull
Southern Lord (2008)

Luckily for fans of Earth, Dylan Carlson and company are very productive of late with Hex: Or Printing in the Infernal Method, Hibernaculum, and a host of smaller releases all being released within the last three or so years. This is a tremendous increase in recorded activity for the band considering how long they have been active. The Bees Made … Read more

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