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Pride Kills

Deep in the Heart
Thorp (2005)

I was having a conversation the other day with a close friend. We were discussing music, as we normally do, and I started quoting some lyrical excepts from Deep in the Heart. He chuckled and told me that he thought it was kind funny that I listen to "all those tough guy bands," and yet I am such a nice … Read more

Team Sleep

Team Sleep
Maverick (2005)

When I was 15, I remember thinking Korn was the greatest band on the face of the earth. I was angry. I was rebellious. I felt alienated just like Jonathan Davis. But in all fairness, Limp Bizkit was a close second. And while bands like Korn and Limp Bizkit refused to change their nu-metal riffs, and their "Are you ready?" … Read more

Blue Monday

Rewritten
Bridge Nine (2005)

Let's face it, most hardcore bands don't have it in them to do a "full length" and if they do, it's usually a couple of really good songs with some filler to get it up to the half hour mark. Thankfully, Blue Monday do not fall into this category with their newly released Rewritten. The first thing fans of the … Read more

The Warriors

War is Hell
Eulogy (2004)

Three months back I attempted to review War is Hell, but something more pressing came up to displace the debut full-length from The Warriors from atop my review pile. On occasion after occasion, I passed over reviewing the album in favor of something else. Then, last week I took in a show that The Warriors happened to be playing and … Read more

Dead Meadow

Feathers
Matador (2005)

Dead Meadow, hailing from the D.C. area, formed out of The Impossible Five when they broke up in 1999. Jason Simon (guitar/vocals) Steve Kille (bass) and Mark Laughlin (Drums) went on to form Dead Meadow. Laughlin quit the group in '02, and Steve McCarty joined the group for Shivering King and Others and their newest addition, Cory Shane a few … Read more

Cold World

Ice Grillz
Lockin Out (2005)

I had heard so much hype about this band, so I was kind of weary about checking them out. Everyone was talking about waiting for their pre-orders, and avid record collectors were searching out every color of their newest record. This phenomenon only happens with few bands. When I finally got around to listening to Ice Grillz, I was actually … Read more

Feersum Ennjin

Feersum Ennjin
Silent Uproar (2005)

Feersum Ennjin is the work of essentially one man with the assistance of a few close friends. All the songs were written by former Tool bassist Paul D'Amour, who has been floating around from project to project since his departure in late 1995. But before you Tool fans get too excited, it is my duty to inform you that the … Read more

The Abi Yoyos

The World is Not My Home
Riisk (2005)

I've always wondered when "classic" albums first came out how people reacted to them. For the most crucial bands it seems people fell in love with the music after the band broke up. Spinning on my record player is what will become a "classic". It's made of black vinyl. Nothing about it visually separates it from any other 7". But … Read more

The Decemberists

Picaresque
Kill Rock Stars (2005)

Besides getting started, the hardest thing about writing reviews is coming up with original ways of putting things. Not stealing ideas from other magazines is tough, and it becomes especially hard when the album you're reviewing is unquestionably great. This is exactly my dilemma with the new Decemberists album. It's super, but I have no idea what to say about … Read more

Above this Fire

In Perspective
Life Sentence (2005)

Above this Fire is a band that I have known since their very inception, a band that I have been able to watch as they have grown from relative obscurity as local act into one that could easily eclipse their peers with the right promotional push. With In Perspective, this five-piece hardcore/metal hybrid can stand proud and declare that they … Read more

Sole

Live from Rome
Anticon (2005)

Decrying hip hop's more self-obsessed, corporate, "bitches n' bling" oriented side has become somewhat of an expected formality in the discussion of any Anticon release. Such is the "thinking man's rap" reputation the San Francisco based label has established for itself amongst the more discerning part of the record buying public that it's often held aloft as the antithesis of … Read more

The Locust

Safety Second, Body Last
Ipecac (2005)

On hearing of The Locust's signing to Ipecac, one might be inclined to call this an unexpected pairing. But if you were to take into consideration the label's sheer willingness to work with daring and thought-provoking artists that push the boundaries of modern music, it really shouldn't be that much of a surprise. For ten years, the members of The … Read more

Kill Your Idols

From Companionship to Competition
Side One Dummy (2005)

he new Kill Your Idols record, From Companionship to Competition, is the best mediocre record since Shutdown's Against All Odds was released in 1998. I don't know about you, but I listened to that record constantly, I was psyched about the Brooklyn Youth Crew, and I rocked my Shutdown summer tour shirt until I accidentally turned it pink bleaching my … Read more

Bloc Party

Silent Alarm
Vice (2005)

Hype generates a high death count, because critics are merciless. Bands with ridiculous amounts of hype seem to have big white signs with bold red lettering that spell out "KICK ME" on their backs. When these particular bands do not deliver, every minor insufficiency is exacerbated to squelch them out of existence. Giving them a fair listen is nearly impossible, … Read more

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