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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)

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 their split 7"s with KC Milan, The Pine, Catena Collapse, Apoplexy Twist Orchestra, and Acrimonie, compilation contributions, a demo, and two previously unreleased tracks. Time to nerd out on La Quiete or begin a lovely listening relationship. From the get go there's a ferocious sound that quickly springs into your pores and rattles your skeleton around walls like frozen flakes in a snow globe. While this chaos reigns, bands like Orchid and Pg.99 are reminiscent. This ain't no normal shaking, there's a raw driving feel similar to Portraits of Past crushing those plastic walls into these disturbed waters. Then when you feel the jostling has had its toll, the melody seeps into the lead with the kind of beautiful/epic guitar work that makes Envy so beautiful. And just as you're getting used to one rhythm, one melody, or one mental … 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 … 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 … Read more

Resplendent

Am I Free? I Am Free
Mixx Tape (2005)

You might not have heard of Michael Lenzi, aka Resplendent, but if you have, you're probably wondering how a guy … Read more

Magrundergrind / Shitstorm

Split
Robotic Empire (2006)

A few years back, I used to be friends with this kid Lee. He played drums in a few local … Read more

Let Planes Circle Overhead

Let Planes Circle Overhead
Motivesounds (2005)

Tantric music has its charms, but more often than not, it's boring as shit. What's tantric music you ask? Well … Read more

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One from the archives

Dave Hause

Resolutions EP
Side One Dummy (2012)

We've finally come to the last of Dave Hause's EP series. The final EP comes from Side One Dummy and features covers of Flogging Molly's "Whistles the Wind" and Audra Mae's song, "The River." I'm sad to say, this was probably the most boring of the 5 EPs, but the covers save it. The acoustic version of "Resolutions" present on this EP doesn't quite hold up to the album version. "Melanin" retains its electric guitar with Hause by himself giving less of an emotional performance than the album's recording.For the covers, I was happy to see Hause didn't go with a Chuck Ragan cover. That would have been an easy way out. Audra Mae was unexpected. Hause adds a vibrato to his guitar and a harder vocal performance to counter … Read more

More album reviews

New Bruises

Transmit! Transmit!
Kiss of Death (2005)

I don't think there's anyone on Scene Point Blank's staff that remembers Mid Carson July besides me and maybe Bob, but I'm grasping at straws there. Mid Carson July was mid-tempo emo band from Pennsylvania that went on to be a mid-tempo melodic punk band from Florida. I owned a couple of CD's from Mid Carson July but never thought … Read more

Cathedral

Garden of Unearthly Delights
Nuclear Blast (2006)

If you are into doom, stoner, or sludge metal and you don't know who Cathedral is, you fail at life. For the sonically impaired, Cathedral are one of the progenitors of the modern doom and stoner metal movement. They have released some of the most enjoyable records of these genres in their lengthy existence. Their first album, Forest of Equilibrium … Read more

Anti-Flag

For Blood and Empire
RCA (2006)

Read more

Anti-Flag

For Blood and Empire
RCA (2006)

Punk rock has always been centered on the voicing of ones opinion, with the vast majority of those opinions taking direct aim at politics. In the 70's and 80's, leaders like Jello Biafra and Joey Shithead got so involved in political happenings that they found their way into jails and courthouses on frequent occasions. These encounters only added further fuel … Read more

Rocky Votolato

Makers
Barsuk (2006)

Seattle artist Rocky Votolato has been a busy man of late. His debut record for Barsuk, Makers, has already seen an episode of cult teen series The O.C. use the opening track, "White Daisy Passing", on its soundtrack. Such lofty heights for the Texan-born singer were hard to imagine back in his Second Nature Records days. Makers is a record … Read more

A Wilhelm Scream

Diver
Jumpstart (2006)

Ok, so it's no secret that I really like A Wilhelm Scream. Like, a lot. I gave their most recent full-length, Ruiner, an 8.5 out of a possible 10. The full-length has yet to leave regular rotation in my listening habits, and the thing's been out since August! There had been talks from Jumpstart Records for a long time that … Read more

Lahar

Provide & Conquer
Spook City (2005)

The Northwest is breathing new life into its hardcore scene. They've got a lot of great bands right now - Go it Alone, Shook Ones, The Answer, Sinking Ships, Betrayed, Daggermouth, and so on. And while those bands lean towards the traditional side of hardcore, there are others that aim for something a bit more metal. Seattle's Lahar deliver just … Read more

Souvenir's Young America / Spylacopa

Split
UndeRadar (2006)

Whether a record is really good or really bad, it can be very inspiring to write about. You can either go on about how "amazing" it is or stoop on how much it "sucks." But in between, there isn't much inspiration and writing about one of these types of records can be boring in itself. Such is the case with … Read more

The Appleseed Cast

Peregrine
The Militia Group (2006)

Rising from the wreckage of a failed record label and the departure of their drummer, The Appleseed Cast makes their return with Peregrine. This record marks their first with Casket Lottery drummer, Nathan "Nate Jr." Richardson. This band has many expectations to live up to on this record, especially considering the mixed reactions that their last album, Two Conversations, received. … Read more

Lion of Judah

Soul Power
Lockin Out (2005)

Despite the obviously hippie-drawn, almost Narnian cover art, and a band name perhaps more likely to evoke visions of reggae or, even worse, Christian rock, Lion of Judah sound much more interested in the likes of Bad Brains and Fugazi than Bob Marley or Creed. Putting the DC back in hardcore - rightfully making it "harDCore" once again - Lion … Read more

Lifetime

Somewhere in the Swamps of Jersey
Jade Tree (2006)

Somewhere in the Swamps of Jersey is a two-disc set of everything Lifetime released besides Hello Bastards and Jerseys Best Dancers. It's awesome to have the song "Somewhere in the Swamps of Jersey" on a CD. The re-mastered versions of the Seveninchesare a great listen, especially for newer fans that wanted to hear exactly when Lifetime perfected the precise mixture … Read more

Yeah Yeah Yeahs

Show Your Bones
Interscope/Polydor (2006)

In wake of the hurricane of hype that followed the landing of The Strokes, I did my best knee jerk reaction in 2002 and flat out dismissed the Yeah Yeah Yeahs. In fact, anything with a pair of ripped jeans and a NYC zip code got the preverbal Ricky Lake hand for a while. 2003 rolled around though and the … Read more

Spitfire

Self-Help
Goodfellow (2006)

Before we begin, allow me to digress and give a bit of background on the monstrosity that is Spitfire, because I want to get some things out of the way immediately. On their first album, The Dead Next Door, the band was vastly different from the current incarnation. This was 1999 or so; the record was recorded with Steve Evetts … Read more

Ambitions

No Limits
Independent (2005)

Demos can be funny sometimes. They are called a demo for a reason; it's by no means a finished product. And yet many times these demos end up becoming just that. Ambitions will see No Limits mass-produced in both 7" and CD format in the near future, but with good reason. Over the course of these four songs, Ambitions have … Read more

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