Recent reviews

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

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

without

Be Corny
Raft Records (2022)

To me, the Japanese orgcore scene has always been an interesting thing when you're talking Asian scene and I see many great Japanese 90s-'00s melodic hardcore/orgcore bands as my early influences. What's been so good about the bands is that Japanese bands have always made accomplishment through their music or sound compositions despite the band itself having difficulties with the English grammar. Many Japanese bands and their songwriting were trying so hard to have an English-spoken song though they have trouble putting up the correct grammar for their songs and vocal pronunciations. I do not know why they do so and in my honest opinion, they'll be good as well if they sing their tunes in Japanese. without is a band that I discovered on a regional music webzine called "Unite Asia" where they put out their first music video from a single called Wasted and from that time without just blew me away with their songs. In 2022, the band just put out their first full-length ever, after an EP, a magnificent split release with good friends, and a bunch of booked shows. Well generally, I would like to be honest that the materials on Be Corny were much … Read more

Municipal Waste

Electrified Brain
Nuclear Blast (2022)

Professional party metal/thrash crossover ragers Municipal Waste are back with their seventh studio album and what a triumphant return it … Read more

Crowning / Naedr

Rayau
Left Hand Label, Zegema Beach (2022)

If you are a frequent visitor of this site, perhaps you remember my glowing review of Naedrs debut album Past … Read more

Camp Trash

The Long Way, The Slow Way
Count Your Lucky Stars (2022)

Camp Trash is a band that impressed me from the first second I heard them on their first single ”Weird … Read more

Grumpster

Fever Dream
Pure Noise (2022)

Grumpster are a relatively young band from Oakland. They released a debut on Asian Man and jumped to Pure Noise … Read more

Video/DVD Review

Iván Castell

The Rise Of The Synths
9AM Media Lab, Castell & Moreno Films (2022)

The Rise Of The Synths is not an album but it has everything to do with music... synthwave to be … Read more

Browse our review archives

Reviews by year

Choose a year to view reviews of albums released in that year.

Reviews by artist name

Choose a letter to view reviews ordered by that letter (band name first).

Review categories

200 Words Or Less

754 reviews

Book Review

42 reviews

Classic Album

25 reviews

Multiple Authors

300 reviews

Review

5020 reviews

Video/DVD Review

19 reviews

One from the archives

The Resinators

Recorded In 2005 By Jay Reatard
Independent (2024)

200 Words Or Less

Interesting little slab we got sent to SPB by a Mr. Ed Young. Two originals and a cover, recorded in Jay Reatard’s living room back in 2005 as the title suggests. So that would be around the time of The Reatards’ Not Fucked Enough for anyone keeping track. Jay had apparently just switched from analog to digital recording but it didn’t change his production style- preserving the raw in punk rawk. Ed tells me they were really proud of the recording but couldn’t find anyone interested in putting it out at the time. “Too Punk for the metalheads, too rock n roll for the garage scene, etc…” My favourite thing about this band is that they’re from Normal IL. I feel like it should be the setting for the next … Read more

More album reviews

Football, Etc.

Vision
Independent (2022)

I never thought that I would review a Houston-based band. It seems Football, Etc is my first. The band just put out this new EP this year which is a surprise, as the band is focusing on Overo now (which includes 2/3 members of Football, Etc). The last thing the band put out was 2017's LP Corner, taking 5 years … Read more

Psycroptic

Divine Council
EVP Recordings (2022)

We expect only greatness from the best of bands, right? My expectations were high for the new Psycroptic album as soon as they announced it — that much is certain. I think that it’d be hard not to, given their track record. The Australian phenomenon cornered a very nice piece of real estate in the metal territory, fusing thrash influenced … Read more

Forests

Get In Losers, We're Going To Eternal Damnation
Dog Knights Productions (2022)

Singaporean trio twinkle band, Forests, just put out their 3rd full- length entitled Get In Losers, We're Going To Eternal Damnation. I guess the title itself explains what would lie in the theme of the lyrics. It Ssounds stupid but serious at the same time. The band still encapsulates what's good from 2010's emo scene, and some words to describe … Read more

Hurry Up

Dismal Nitch
Comedy Minus One (2022)

“American Weirdos” sets the tone quickly on Dismal Nitch, the second album from Hurry Up, with a refrain of “American weirdos/ Don’t need no more heroes.” A three-piece from Portland, OR, the lineup features Kathy Foster (Thermals), Westin Glass (Thermals), and Maggie Vail (Bangs), each sharing songwriting duties and vocals. Recorded shortly before the pandemic hit, this record does sometimes … Read more

Florida Men

Florida Men
Morning Wood Records (2022)

Oh Florida Man, you strange and magnificent creature of legends. Or at least it seems to be something unreal, reading what he did. Who comes up with stuff like that? And now three of these Florida Men united in one band. Nothing good can come from that! Perhaps you can’t help yourself and you read some of the crazy things … Read more

Bent Knee

Frosting
Take This To Heart Records (2021)

I rarely sit this long on records before reviewing them but this one was kind of a rare exception. It’s been some good months since Frosting was released. The reason I did this was my love for Bent Knee’s music. My first contact with the Frosting, on the day of its release, was like going to a Michelin star restaurant, … Read more

No Pressure

No Pressure LP
Ice Grill$, Triple B (2022)

Well to be honest I'm not a Story So Far fan and would not add their albums into a “Favorites” playlist, but I can tell you that No Pressure is Parker's new music project and it just put out a banger tune this year. As has previously been told, No Pressure is a new musical project led by several members … Read more

Night Court

Nervous Birds! Too
Debt Offensive, Snappy Little Numbers Quality Audio Recordings (2022)

Night Court may have a silly name, but the band feels sincere and (mostly) serious. Rooted in garage-punk, the sounds are familiar in form but each track on this 12-song record gives a different energy. Generally speaking, it’s melodic and positive punk with a lo-fi DIY vibe. There are elements of the old Plan-It-X sound but with a little more … Read more

SepticFlesh

Modern Primitive
Nuclear Blast (2022)

I have been listening to and following SepticFlesh for over a decade now. It only made sense that a new album from them on the horizon got me excited. I honestly didn’t know what exactly to expect given that Titan and Codex Omega didn’t do much to expand further in any direction than the mapped realm by Communion and The … Read more

Tipper

Insolito
Tippermusic Records (2021)

One of the pioneering acts in the glitch/IDM area of music, Tipper, hit us up with yet another record. Right off the bat, I can’t vouch that it has the same kind of punch as say Jettison Mind Hatch or Forward Escape. Although, I think it’s a little unfair to compare it to said records, as Insolito is just an … Read more

ExxoStack

Terramygdala
Independent (2022)

Instrumental progressive metal pretty much died out in the late 2010s, right? Wrong! While it can feel like that at times, there are still plenty of bands out there toying with the legacy of the genre in interesting ways. One of them is ExxoStack, on which I’ll be focusing today, particularly the latest record, Terramygdala. ExxoStack took off as the … Read more

Ditches

Drunk Dial #9
Drunk Dial Records (2022)

The Drunk Dial series is a 7” concept where the label hooks up with a band, gets them inebriated, and records. Side A is an original, Side B is a cover. I guess the point is a spontaneous, live feel with a glimpse into influences. This time around we get Ditches, a power-pop/garage trio with a great catalog thus far. … Read more

Saor

Origins
Season of Mist (2022)

Saor is back and this brings me a lot of joy. I only started digging into the band at the recommendation of a friend for folk infused metal sometime late in 2020. The first thing I started listening to was Forgotten Paths and it really managed to lure me in with “Monadh”. I wasn’t exactly thrilled with the general emphasis … Read more

Various Artists

Talk Show Host/Cluttered - Enemy Us
Independent (2022)

First off, I’m not going to bother comparing this EP of Enemy You covers to the originals. Why? Because that’s not the point. A covers record that’s only about the originals is a novelty record that you play for a lark. I’m interested in records that hold up on their own merit. Lucky for us, Cluttered and Talk Show Host … Read more

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