Recent reviews

Our latest album reviews, featuring the records we've most enjoyed (or not) over the past few weeks.

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

Goldfrapp

Supernature
Mute (2005)

Sitting at a bar in a pub a couple of years back is a lovely looking young lady. The hero of this fictional and highly clich'd story, Fred, strides forth. He has his game face on and is looking for love, or something similar. 'Hi,' he says, not showing the fear, 'My name's Fred. Can I buy you a drink?' She looks at him and smiles that smile that no man can resist. 'Sure, I'll have a vodka and orange' she replies. Fred catches the bar keeps attention and promptly orders the drink. They get to talking and soon Fred decides to go for the kill. 'Look Alice, I have Goldfrapp's Black Cherry album' But before he can even finish he's been slapped across the chops and looks on confused as she screams 'I'm not that kind of woman!' and storms out. I know what you're thinking, that was a damn fine tale, but it also serves a purpose. In 2003 Goldfrapp made the album for the underpants charleston, Black Cherry. It was a slick sexy album that was as good to dance to as it was to' well you know (I hope). Two years later we now have the … Read more

Of Faith and Fire

Battleborn
Helicopter (2005)

Nevada is one of the last states I think of when it comes to hardcore. This is odd because the … Read more

Saltlick

A Face Only a Mother Could Love
Independent (2005)

In recent years country and folk music have had a significant increase in their influence in the genres of indie … Read more

The Twilight Collective

All in Due Time
Independent (2005)

So lately you've seen a lot of new bands popping up. The first thing you see is 'ex-members of ______ … Read more

How it Ends

Beloved
Thorp (2005)

There's something to be said for bands that get right to the point. Literally within the first ten seconds of … Read more

27 / Twin Zero

27:00
Undergroove (2005)

When quality is superseded by time constrains, one feels a certain degree of relief. If all goes terribly wrong and … Read more

Browse our review archives

Review categories

200 Words Or Less

756 reviews

Book Review

45 reviews

Classic Album

25 reviews

Multiple Authors

300 reviews

Review

5081 reviews

Video/DVD Review

19 reviews

One from the archives

Random Axe

Self Titled
Duck Down (2011)

After a few years of anticipatory mixtapes, the debut album by Radom Axe has finally seen the light of day. A multiregional supergroup of sorts, Random Axe is comprised of three men who have cut their teeth in the hip-hop underground: Detroit’s Black Milk and Guilty Simpson and NYC’s Sean Price. Individually, these three carry lavish resumes, but as a clique they offer an even more impressive product. Sean P’s gruff and rugged voice and Simpson’s penetrating off-kilter flow complement each other well. Milk—a formidable MC in his own right—forgoes rapping this time, and instead concentrates primarily on the production and beat-making side of Random Axe. For anyone not already familiar with these fellows, the first song, “Random Call” serves as an adequate introduction. Simpson—coming off an outstanding collaboration with … Read more

More album reviews

Time for Living

Demo 2k5
Independent (2005)

Doesn't the Bay Area have enough good hardcore bands? It's like they grow them on trees, or breed them in those large crates on the shipping docks. The truth may never be known, and I'm sure as hell not complaining; it's amazing to see these new bands playing music that strays away from the repetitive shit Trustkill profits off of … Read more

Goldie Lookin' Chain

Safe as Fuck
Atlantic (2005)

2004 was an odd year in the United Kingdom. The word 'chav' became part of everyday life, there was an extremely hot summer (the likes of which we had never seen), and a bizarre group of Welshmen came out of nowhere to become the most talked about group of the year (mainly in the tabloids). Goldie Lookin' Chain's Greatest Hits, … Read more

Darkest Hour

Undoing Ruin
Victory (2005)

Metal is getting to be popular again. Its popularity has fluctuated at times, dipping in and out of the pop culture eye, but usually staying under the radar. With the resurgence of thrash/melodic death metal/"hardcore" hybrids popping up everywhere, there is a sense of excitement (or dread) about new metal releases. So many bands seem to be trying to "one-up" … Read more

The Farewell Reason

Demo
Independent (2005)

I'm going to start this one by saying that, with very few exceptions, I fuckin' hate metalcore. Has a genre ever spawned so many worthless, generic, formulaic, and uninspired bands? It's seriously riding pop-punk's ass right about now. Now, I don't always mind my hardcore with heavy metallic leanings; I can stand All Out War and Embrace Today, who at … Read more

Cave In

Perfect Pitch Black
Hydra Head (2005)

About a year and a half about I was fortunate enough to catch a Cave In performance at which they debuted a handful of new songs, many of which made their way onto this release. When they played these new songs, they were sprinkled about a set-list of recent songs from Jupiter and Antenna as well as old jams from … Read more

Mad Sin

Sweet and Innocent? Loud & Dirty!
Thorp (2005)

First released in 1998 und das Vaterland, Mad Sin's album Sweet and Innocent? Loud & Dirty! finally gets a "proper release" on North American Shores, courtesy of Thorp Records. A band that's been around for nigh on 17 years, these guys could quite possibly be the only band to have been on more labels than they have albums released. How … Read more

Andrew Bird

The Mysterious Production of Eggs
Righteous Babe (2005)

Andrew Bird is an intelligent and elegant Chicago based musician. He molds his work carefully. To give you an idea of how careful he is, he scrapped his latest album, The Mysterious Production of Eggs, three times to go as far as traveling in-between studios from Chicago, Los Angeles and his hometown in Northern Illinois until he got it right. … Read more

The Spill Canvas

One Fell Swoop
111 (2005)

The Spill Canvas's debut LP Sunsets and Car Crashes showed us that in high school the members of the band were very, very, sad. With their sophomore follow-up, One Fell Swoop, it looks like the boys are out to prove they're still not over it. Self proclaimed as 'intense and emotionally driven,' The Spill Canvas are the type of band … Read more

Send More Paramedics / Zombie Apocalypse

Tales Told by Dead Men
Hellbent (2005)

So you know the story; you wait all your life for a band to sing about zombies and the living dead tearing at your flesh and then two come along at the same time! However, unlike the number 33 bus to Castlefield this is not just a small annoyance that makes you grumble all the way to work. Having the … Read more

Cipher

Children of God's Fire
Uprising (2005)

One of the best jokes ever created was "rap metal." A suburban fusion between nu-metal (i.e. Korn) with a frontman that yelled out words in a "rap" fashion. The result was a golden age of LOL. Remember Limp Bizkit? If you didn't prior to clicking this review, you sure do now. Backwards hats, shaved eyebrows....or maybe I'm just thinking of … Read more

A Wilhelm Scream

Ruiner
Nitro (2005)

A few names come to mind when you hear the term technical punk: Strung Out, Bigwig, and Propagandhi. These bands started off as scrappy punk rockers whose talents progressed as their members became more and more skilled at their craft. A Wilhelm Scream fit perfectly in this category. Formerly known as the band Smackin' Isaiah, A Wilhelm Scream changed their … Read more

Various Artists

Generations: A Hardcore Compilation
Revelation (2005)

I turned 31 about a month ago and at my age a person tends to finally want to "grow up" and get out of hardcore. There's been plenty of lonely Friday and Saturday nights (like tonight) where I've wanted just pack up 90% of my CD collection (the fuck if I'm going to give up my Cro-Mags and Lifetime discs) … Read more

Minus the Bear

Menos el Oso
Suicide Squeeze (2005)

Let's play a game. It's called 'name a better band than Minus the Bear.' Ready, go! Wrong! Ok, you might be right. But let's see you start a review in a more exciting way. You asshole. This is only the second full-length from Minus the Bear. Or as Michael affectionately calls them, 'Amazing' the Bear, nyuk nyuk nyuk. Although, they … Read more

The Fall of Troy

Doppelganger
Equal Vision (2005)

'The Fall of Troy is everything you wish your band could be - younger, faster, louder, and well'better looking. These are the facts, but don't let it get you down. You're a snowflake, unique in your own way.' This is taken from the Equal Vision Records website. With a press release like the above, a band is sure to 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)