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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)

The Hidden Hand

Devoid of Color
Southern Lord (2005)

Being the latest creative outfit of one Scott "Wino" Weinrich (formerly of The Obsessed, St. Vitus, Spirit Caravan, and more), people have a sound and musical quality that they have come to expect. The Hidden Hand has delivered much more thus far with Divine Propaganda and Mother, Teacher, Destroyer. With that fact in mind, the band drops Devoid of Color, a live DVD that they recorded and included a five-song EP for their fans. With the manner in which bands pump out DVD's anymore, it is nice to see a band do something along these lines. Devoid of Color is unfortunately limited to 3,000 copies. The DVD side of Devoid of Color is pretty good quality video with equally, if not better, sound. For anyone who has not yet witnessed The Hidden Hand, here is your opportunity. The band is a different animal in the live setting and this DVD shows it. There are songs on the DVD that spread out across the full existence of the band's discography, including songs from the included EP. It is a pretty good representation of the band and was fairly enjoyable, as enjoyable as can be as I don't like watching live DVD's. … Read more

Ceremony

Ruined
Malfunction (2005)

Ceremony is hateful and unrelenting hardcore/punk from California. Why people from California are so angry is beyond me, but since … Read more

Stop This Fall

Scream Till You're Free
Independent (2005)

Stop this Fall performs a unique mix of melodic hardcore and punk. The closest contemporaries that come to mind are … Read more

Rubikon

The Hollow Men
Category 5 (2005)

Mainstream music is constantly changing. Congruently evolving with it are the numerous bands attempting to make it big by cashing … Read more

Norma Jean

O' God, the Aftermath
Solid State (2004)

Norma Jean went through a googolplex of vocalists between their last album and O' God, the Aftermath. After choosing one, … Read more

Neglect

The Complete Don Fury Sessions
NGS (2005)

Neglect are one of those bands that I always heard about, but never really took the time to listen to. … Read more

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One from the archives

Alien Nosejob

Once Again The Present Becomes The Past
Iron Lung (2020)

Alien Nosejob is a one-person project by Jake Robertson. On Suddenly Everything Is Twice As Loud, released in January, it was heavily influenced by melodic garage-punk. This time around the word was that Once Again The Present Becomes The Past is a hardcore record.So of course it starts with a short song called “Piano Prelude.” Because even when you know what to expect of Alien Nosejob, it’s full of surprises. After that soothing moment, it’s a fast and fiery “Airborne Toxic Event,” with rhyming couplets shouted over angular chords. After a calm start to 2020, I think this is where we all sit right now.While it’s definitely in the hardcore genre book, Once Again is about the mood more than the volume. This isn’t chugga chugga, loud-for-the-sake-of-loud hardcore. It’s defined … Read more

More album reviews

Mouth of the Architect

Time and Withering
Translation Loss (2004)

It is quite likely that Mouth of the Architect has been flying under your radar for quite some time. This is unfortunate, for both them and you. The Dayton, OH outfit's debut offering is four songs tracking in at an impressive forty-three minutes, with three of them clocking in past the ten minute mark. The songs that make up this … Read more

Kasabian

Kasabian
RCA (2005)

There was a slight revival in retro rock-n-roll a few years ago with the breakout albums from The Strokes and The White Stripes. But in the last year, we have seen a different take on this revival trend come to light. But rather than being limited to simply rock-n-roll, this second wave shares as much in common with New Order … Read more

Gratitude

Gratitude
Velvet Hammer Music/Atlantic (2005)

Those among the cult fanbase of former Far frontman Jonah Sonz Matranga were likely shocked when they heard that his latest project, Gratitude, would be signing with a major label. Matranga is well known for the personal relationships he has developed with his fans through intimate recordings and performances. Signing to a major label seemed to go against everything he … Read more

Dälek

Absence
Ipecac (2004)

There's rap and there's hip hop, or at least that's how things used to be. Now there's Dälek and there's everything else. Dre, Outkast, and Lil' Jon aren't worthy enough to share a mixed tape with this trio. Collectively known as Dälek, Dälek, Oktopus, and Still work together to create an original recipe of hip hop that at times shares … Read more

Armor for Sleep

What to do When You are Dead
Equal Vision (2004)

Armor for Sleep is a band that for me failed to live up to the potential they were capable of on their debut album, Dreams to Make Believe. They had recorded a great demo, but when the record came out those re-recorded songs were the only shining moments. A few years have passed and now we have a new album … Read more

All Hell Breaks Loose

All Hell Breaks Loose
Surprise Attack (2004)

South Florida must be a breeding ground for hardcore bands. It seems every three months I'm hearing about another band featuring members of past bands I enjoyed. This usually means that I'll be stoked as hell or extremely disappointed with what I hear. All Hell Breaks Loose, the latest culprit, features members of notable bands Until the End, Santa Sangre, … Read more

The Sword

Age of Winters
Kemado (2006)

Wow, talk about under the radar. Friends of mine have been telling me about this band for sometime, including IDB's (Industry Douche Bags) at that. So, I was a bit skeptical. Plus these guys are from the Texas. So, again anything that comes from the country of Texas is suspect (see the Vanilla Ice debacle for proof). When The Sword … Read more

Isobel Campbell and Mark Lanegan

Ballad of the Broken Seas
V2 (2006)

I must admit that I was shocked to hear of this collaboration, being familiar with Mark Lanegan and his work in Screaming Trees, Mad Season, Queens of the Stone Age and as a solo artist. A great deal of his material is dark, harrowing, and tends to exemplify the dirty, gravel cut images that the sound of his voice so … Read more

Fallen from the Sky

Tune Out the World
JMB (2005)

Fallen from the Sky are a five piece band from Boca Raton, Florida. The band plays a style of melodic punk/hardcore with an aggressive edge reminiscent of Friends, Lies, and the End of the World-era Reach the Sky or The Movielife's Forty Hour Train Back to Penn. At one time or another, those bands had defined a heavier sound in … Read more

Bitter End

Mind in Chains
Malfunction (2006)

Bitter End is a five piece hardcore band from Helotes, Texas of all places. Helotes is a smaller city that is just northeast of San Antonio. Right now, this is the farthest place I can think of that I would find a band playing NYHC in the vein of Leeway and Killing Time. Okay, I know there are other bands … Read more

Shook Ones

Slaughter of the Insole
Revelation (2006)

In 2005, Shook Ones quietly released their debut LP Sixteen on Endwell Records. Okay, so maybe quite a few people noticed, but I'm just trying to cover my ass for not reviewing it when I damn well should have. As a result of that stellar release this Washington state group ended up signing with Revelation Records and subsequently released this … Read more

Himsa

Hail Horror
Prosthetic (2006)

In 2003 Himsa dropped Courting Tragedy and Disaster on an unsuspecting hardcore and metal scene. It was an intense follow up to and a major stylistic shift from their first full-length album, Ground Breaking Ceremony. The five piece went through a bit of lineup shuffling (Nothing new to a band that has replaced everyone but the bassist at least once … Read more

Death is Not Glamorous

Demo
Independent (2005)

Death is Not Glamorous comes at you from the swamps of...Oslo, Norway? Yes, that's right, Norway. The country most well-known for producing myriad Black Metal bands has given us one of the best up and coming melodic hardcore/punk bands currently going. Having released this demo in late 2005, the band has since gained quite a following here in the United … Read more

Queens of the Stone Age

Over the Years and Through the Woods
Interscope (2005)

Live albums aren't worth purchasing 99% of the time due to two reasons: 1) the band doesn't deserve it; 2) the recording quality is atrocious. Over the Years and Through the Woods defies both of those with ease. Josh Homme and his current cast of Queens of the Stone Age, in my opinion, are the best rock band playing out, … Read more

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