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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)

Mouth of the Architect / Kenoma

Split
Translation Loss (2006)

When I started to write this review I wasn't really sure what direction this introduction was going to take. So I decided to let the album play on repeat and just sit back and in my chair and look outside at the rain. I closed my eyes and proceeded to relax, allowing the soft sound of the rain falling to fuse with the lush tones of the album for one extremely comforting experience. Thus, this split has become my official "rainy day album." For their part of the split, Mouth of the Architect deliver a 17 minute and 14 second opus titled "Sleepwalk Powder." The song begins with two plus minutes of very angelic guitar notes not unlike those heard on the most recent Explosions in the Sky album; this is all very soothing to the ears. Those notes continue until the rest of the band chimes in at once with big sweeping riffs, well-mannered drumming, thundering basslines, and rough throaty yells. The song moves in and out of different sequences where certain instruments become the focus of the song. As "Sleepwalk Powder" was transitioning from one of these sequences to another I was pleased to hear the sound of … Read more

Angel Blake

Angel Blake
Metal Blade (2006)

The Crown was a good band; Angel Blake, not so much. Guitarist Marko Tervonen's decision to record a solo album … Read more

Rainer Maria

Catastrophe Keeps Us Together
Grunion (2006)

Finally. This record has taken forever to actually see the light of day. Rainer Maria is normally consistent (at least … Read more

The Sainte Catherines

Dancing for Decadence
Fat Wreck Chords (2006)

D-Beat hardcore is becoming a quite liked genre even outside of the shower-once-a-month hardcore cretins. Hell even one those little … Read more

Human Demise

Whitechapel Demise
xEnvy Recordsx (2006)

This review is an open letter to all the hardcore bands from the United States, consider yourselves called out. The … Read more

Loma Prieta

Our LP is Your EP
Inkblot (2006)

When it comes to jocking, there's no place better to be jocked than Northern California. This magical place is blowing … Read more

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One from the archives

Paco Sala

The Silent Season
Denovali (2017)

Paco Sala is the strange, outsider pop project of producer Anthony Harrison and singer Marie-Pascale Hardy. Having released a series of albums, with their main goal being the tinkering of pop structures and norm, The Silent Season marks their fifth full-length, and is the first of their works to be released through experimental label Denovali.The production of this record is presented as unusual, to say the least. Various circumstances, brought on by a full tibiofemoral dislocation, led to surgery, heavy drugs, isolation and also a sense of nostalgia for the musical influences and roots. It is all described as a fever dream, something that makes a lot of sense when listening to the result of this process. To add a further level of volatility to the work, the music was … Read more

More album reviews

Mean Season

The Memory and I Still Suffer in Love
Indecision (2005)

It must have been over a decade on since I picked up Grace, the debut and what would be the last full-length from California's Mean Season. Out here on the east coast, they have been discussed in low voices and hushed whispers almost as if the band was some well kept secret. You see, Mean Season were around when Unbroken … Read more

NOFX

Wolves in Wolves' Clothing
Fat Wreck Chords (2006)

So here we are, NOFX's 10th studio album, 3 years on from 2003's War On Errorism. Bush got re-elected, so anyone not expecting more political-themed punk rock is probably in need of urgent brain surgery. At 44 minutes, with 18 official tracks, it's one of the band's longest releases to date and could probably benefit from being trimmed of its … Read more

NOFX

Wolves in Wolves' Clothing
Fat Wreck Chords (2006)

At this point, NOFX know where they stand in their musical career. That much is obvious not only when you see them play a show, but also when you listen to the final track of Wolves In Wolves' Clothing, "60% (Reprise)". There's no dancing around the subject with ambiguous or pretentious lyrics that make you think "Yeah, I'm pretty sure … Read more

Cannibal Corpse

Kill
Metal Blade (2006)

I initially prefixed the heading of this review as "Neil vs. Cannibal Corpse"; such was my preemptive assumption that I would hate Kill. I set myself ready for war. God knows from the off I was handed a plethora of ready material to systematically destroy the band. I mean, just look at any of their promo photos. Fucking fruits. A … Read more

Pink Razors

Waiting to Wash Up
Robotic Empire (2006)

Do you remember when pop-punk wasn't sung by guys with swooping black'n bleached haircuts wearing button-up shirts and girl pants? Do you remember when pop-punk didn't have over-produced, mirror-polished, fake-as-hell vocals? Remember when pop-punk had some attitude? Yes, I also remember Screeching Weasel, and more recently, Dillinger Four. Now here's another band that gets it right. Pink Razors are a … Read more

Changing Face

Our Last Chance
Escapist (2006)

Changing Face's debut EP, Our Last Chance demonstrates a side of hardcore that is most commonly looked down upon. The side of hardcore that has been left in the frying pan for far too long, and flipped one too many times by tough guys in camo-gear. However, Changing Face keeps these seven songs nice and short, and put in more … Read more

Streetlight Manifesto

Keasbey Nights
Victory (2006)

In 1998, Catch 22's first, and defining album, Keasbey Nights was released by Victory Records. The release was a departure for the label, as they were known at the time for releasing mainly hardcore records. Earth Crisis, Integrity, Snapcase; these were bands Victory was known for releasing landmark records from. Catch 22 shifted the momentum of the label, as a … Read more

Set Your Goals

Reset
Eulogy (2006)

Deje vu. Nearly two years ago I was writing a review of the original release of this EP. I closed that review stating that the band could "either stay close to home and continue on as local sensations or keep pursuing their dreams and make the jump to the inevitable stardom that is within their grasp." They opted for the … Read more

Integrity

Those Who Fear Tomorrow (Reissue)
Fractured Transmitter (2006)

Growing up on a steady diet of Sabbath, the darker aspects of music always held so much appeal to me. Yeah, I liked punk rock, still do, but I was looking for something heavier, darker, and as cheesy as it sounds, more evil. I am not talking about Slayer's fake evil. I am talking about visceral scare the shit out … Read more

Ennio Morricone

Crime and Dissonance
Ipecac (2005)

This is a biased review. Fuck you, you don't know me. I refuse to review this on the same bell curve as your lame little emo band. Genius is genius, period. And now, the review...... There are few living composers spoken of with more reverence than Ennio Morricone. Arguably (don't argue) the most famous film composer since the birth of … Read more

Go it Alone / Blue Monday

Split
Rivalry (2006)

I know very little of Vancouver, British Columbia other than the fact that the bulk of X-Files was filmed there and that it has the nickname of "Rain City." I may not be well versed in Canadian culture (everything I know was learned from repeated screenings of Strange Brew), but I do know that Vancouver is home to some stellar … Read more

La Quiete

Tenpeun '01-'05
The Perpetual Motion Machine (2006)

For whatever reason, the Italian La Quiete is supremely underrated. They've been putting out releases since 2001 and for whatever reason dudes and dudettes alike are sleeping on them. Well, now's your time to wake up, because their newest release, Tenpeun '01-'05 is a discography of sorts that includes their OOP (out of print) material. Included are their song(s) from … Read more

Ghost Buffalo

Ghost Buffalo
Suburban Home (2006)

Ghost Buffalo is an alt-country-ish band from Colorado. They lean more to the "alt" side of that genre as they don't really use (at least on this record) lap pedal steel guitar, banjo, or any other instrumentation that one would expect to hear on a country record. The record is also largely absent of country twang. This is a good … Read more

Omar Rodriguez

Omar Rodriguez
Willie Anderson (2006)

Recorded between shows on The Mars Volta's recent European tour, Omar Rodriguez' second solo outing is a different beast from his previous release on his GSL label, 2004's A Manual Dexterity: Soundtrack Volume 1. Recorded with a band partially recruited from Mars Volta personnel and other musicians, present to bolster the instrument count, the record serves not just as a … Read more

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