It's going to sound silly, but in recent months, Scarling has taken on Moby Dick-like proportions in my life. They were that band that everyone told me I absolutely had to listen to, and each time I heard this, I grew a bit more reluctant to bother for no solid reason other than the fact that I hate to be told what to do. As per usual, though, I caved under pressure and gave So Long, Scarecrow, Scarling's latest offering, a try. I won't say I wasn't skeptical. If song-titles are anything to judge by - and let's be honest, we all do this from time to time - all the visual cues were present for a tedious flashback to the worst moments of the rocking, radical feminist agendas of the 1990's. Being somewhat past those adolescent years of unadulterated and self-absorbed anxiety, I found myself wondering what songs called "Stapled to the Mattress" and "Manorexic" could possibly contribute to my life as a music fan. It all seemed a bit painfully obvious at first glance, and I found myself kind of willing the album to failure. I had to ask myself: is there anything left to add to a … Read more
Was it really only two years ago that Since By Man unleashed their debut CD, We Sing the Body Electric? … Read more
I have a boom box where you load the CD's on the top, so when I put in This is … Read more
Propaghandi has always held a place in many people's hearts for their impassioned and political stances that they take on … Read more
The time is 7 a.m. as I pace frantically across empty parking spaces towards a vacant Tower Records. I know … Read more
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What more can be said about Dylan Carlson and his outfit, Earth (and long time drummer Adrienne Davies), that probably has not been said many times over ad nauseum? Personally, Earth has become a touchstone and jumping off point for a ton of incredible music (Carlson and company certainly broadened my musical horizons and palette) while at the same time acting as a barometer to hold other music up against in many ways. That being said, there are those out there who are ceasing their attention paid to Earth because they have been progressively going soft, which is unfortunate that they are waiting for the sequel to Earth 2 and or their other earlier records; but for some other people, Earth is continuing to grow and expand their sonic bag … Read more
Recently I was talking with (read: bitching to) my friend Brian about how there hasn't been any new bands lately that have really caught me and pulled me in. Granted, there have been many bands I've really gotten into over the last year or so, but none of them really caught my ear and made me love them. It's not … Read more
I'd like to begin this review by thanking the kind people at Dictionary.com and Google.com for their unwitting assistance in the writing of this here review. God bless you. boring adj. Uninteresting and tiresome; dull. boring adv. boringness n. Synonyms: boring, monotonous, tedious, irksome, tiresome, humdrum These adjectives refer to what is so uninteresting as to cause mental weariness. Boring … Read more
Hey Immolation, I just received a call from 1989 and they want their music back. Harnessing Ruin is the sixth release from legendary death-metal act Immolation, and they show us once again why they're "legendary." The nine songs off this CD deliver 2005 a blast from the past. This death-metal time-warp makes me think back to when death-metal bands came … Read more
If you were to randomly walk into a concert venue while American Werewolves were performing you would be extremely fortunate. The four-piece punk outfit from Cleveland delivers a unique blend of Misfits-worship punk, but with an oh so sweet twist. That twist is their incorporation of early - I'm talking 1950's - rock-n-roll, B-movie keys, and hints of early hardcore. … Read more
On Notes, A Day in Black and White's debut full-length, they get to point quickly; in one minute and twenty seconds to be precise. After an at-times impressive first release, My Heroes Have Always Killed Cowboys released on Level Plane in 2004, A Day in Black and White looked like it would slowly join the hardcore-band graveyard as member changes … Read more
Is Sweden even cold? Whenever I think of Northern Europe, I think of mountains, yodelers, and folks with Princess Leia hair wandering around in big coats. Yet the continent keeps popping out some of the ââ¬Â¦well, warmest albums I've ever heard. Par example: the new album from Logh, a band I didn't care about until this year. I started caring … Read more
Have you heard the myth about prisoners stubbing out cigarettes into a bucket of water in order to create enough poison to use on their fellow inmates? Evidently, someone slipped a copy of the mastertapes to Ulver's latest sonic delivery into that foul brew as well. Opening with the slow-burning near opera of "Dressed in Black," the stage is thoroughly … Read more
A spotlight can show a lot about a person. Over the course of her career Maria Taylor has been, arguably, the driving force behind both the bands Azure Ray and Now It's Overhead, as well as lending her talents to various other artists including Crooked Fingers and Moby. Despite gaining moderate recognition for her work with groups, Taylor's delicate style … Read more
"I'm as straight as the line that you sniff up your nose / I'm as hard as the booze that you swill down your throat / I'm as bad as the shit you breathe into your lungs / And I'll fuck you up as fast as the pill on your tongue / STRAIGHT EDGE REVENGE!" Oh. Fuck. Yes. There's no … Read more
It wasn't too that ago that Killing the Dream was just a band with a demo. Upon first hearing said demo, I shared it with every single person that I knew telling them "this band is going to be huge." So maybe they're not selling out amphitheatres, but Killing the Dream are signed to one of hardcore's largest labels and … Read more
Joie Blaney is, or at least, was a musical anomaly. Under the guise of Joie Dead Blonde Girlfriend, he plays an acoustic guitar faster and louder than any punk band. He sings his songs with the soul of a poet and with the voice of a cement mixer. He writes from the heart. He writes honestly and never once complains. … Read more
When middle-school seemed too far away and Goosebumps represented literature, birthday parties were the fucking shit. I'd eat cake, party hard and take the occasional peak up a dress. Okay, 33% of that was a lie. The only negative aspect was having to get a birthday present for the little sucker. But, by the end of the night I would … Read more
If you believe the hype currently going around then you must think that the UK music scene is at its strongest since Oasis and Blur fought over the Brit-pop crown or perhaps even when The Stone Roses and The Happy Mondays were teaching the kids to take drugs and dance. Test Icicles are seen to be one of those leading … Read more
At a recent Coliseum show, vocalist/guitarist Ryan Patterson made mention that Glenn Danzig was a big influence and source of inspiration for him for years. On Not of This World both Coliseum and Doomriders pay tribute to that man. Although short by most standards, this split EP packs enough of a wallop that it shames a majority of the full-lengths … Read more
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