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)

A Silver Mount Zion

Horses in the Sky
Constellation (2005)

A few days after Horses in the Sky was released, *coughtwomonthsagocough*, I sat down and tried to review it. After one listen my review was nearly done. I'd given the album a score of 5.0, dismissing it as "the most frustrating album of the year." I now realize that my review, while being both wildly hilarious and jarringly insightful, was just plain wrong. This really is one of the better releases I've heard all year. I just had to let it grow on me. As a wise man once (probably) said, "My bad." So what was so frustrating about it in the first place? For one thing, the vocals. Since the band's conception three records ago, Efrim's singing has evolved from a creepy finishing touch to another instrument, with as sturdy a place in the fray as any of the string parts. It's hard to see this as a good thing. The vocals could actually be one of the stronger aspects of the group if Efrim didn't always sing like your grandma who recently caught fire. Oh, and there's the whole pretension thing, too. The lyrics are as confusing as ever, often straddling the line between thought provoking and just … Read more

Torche

Torche
Robotic Empire (2005)

Whenever I am having a discussion of music with friends, which happens more often then I'd like to admit, for … Read more

Meshuggah

Catch Thirty Three
Nuclear Blast (2005)

There are lots of ways that one can view the genre of metal and any of its countless sub-genres - … Read more

Final Fight

Under Attack
Straight On (2005)

Lack of sleep, Influenza A virus and a spike through your chest, among other things, cause people to get sick. … Read more

Brain Failure

American Dreamer
Thorp (2005)

Punk is a relative concept. In 1982, shaving your head into a mohawk and wearing studded jewelry was a symbol … Read more

System of a Down

Mezmerize
Sony (2005)

Let me begin with a disclaimer. I don't mean to rant, but in general, I hate political bands. I can't … Read more

Browse our review archives

Reviews by year

Choose a year to view reviews of albums released in that year.

Reviews by artist name

Choose a letter to view reviews ordered by that letter (band name first).

Review categories

200 Words Or Less

754 reviews

Book Review

42 reviews

Classic Album

25 reviews

Multiple Authors

300 reviews

Review

5029 reviews

Video/DVD Review

19 reviews

One from the archives

Heads Held High

So Say We All
Crossface (2009)

200 Words Or Less

So Say We All is the full-length debut from Clevelanders Heads Held High. These five gentlemen have been kicking around in the city for a few years now with a couple of self-released EP's under their belts. For their debut full-length the band has continued to belt out high-octane melodic hardcore, not exactly the norm for the city that spawned Integrity, Ringworm, and Chimaira. So Say We All is packed with eleven cuts of melodic hardcore that draws equally from the bands of the past - Gorilla Biscuits, Lifetime - and modern titans - Bane, With Honor. Musically the band has a reliance on fast guitars, two-step parts, and lots of sing-along moments. Vocally, Heads Held High differs slight from their peers with a more coarse delivery from Elliot Frank. … Read more

More album reviews

Foo Fighters

In Your Honor
RCA (2005)

"When someone comes up to you and asks which Led Zeppelin album they should buy, you should say 'Physical Graffiti'. And in 20 years, when your kid comes up to you and asks which Foo Fighters album he or she should buy, I want you to say 'In Your Honor'." - Dave Grohl, 2005 Strong words, Mr. Grohl. Particularly since … Read more

Multiple Authors

These Days

These Days
In Spite (2005)

"Hey, these dudes are seriously pissed." That's probably the initial thought that comes to mind when listening to These Days debut full-length. Yes indeed, the music is highly volatile and the lyrics are quite hostile at points. But don't write this Norcal hardcore outfit off as just another bro-band acting tough, for These Days are more than meets the eyes' … Read more

Multiple Authors

These Days

These Days
In Spite (2005)

These Days took the time to build a following, and then just after they released their debut full-length, they decided to take a break. This self-titled release is These Days' newest, and their best. These Days is all brand new material, except for one song, "Never Ending," which is re-recorded from their demo. Among the brand new songs is possibly … Read more

Spoon

Gimmie Fiction
Merge (2005)

Music elitists say that excellent music has not come out since the 70's; that the past thirty odd some years have been regurgitated, diluted crap. Some might admit that there have been some good bands in the past couple of years, but none of those bands are groundbreaking or memorable. And in the end, those bands are just extremely influenced … Read more

Multiple Authors

Hollow Ground

Cold Reality
Organized Crime (2005)

I can't possibly make this a lengthy review. I can't! I've tried to think of creative ways to give my opinion on this piece of melodic, tough-guy hardcore, "in the vein of Comeback Kid, Hatebreed, and Terror." But I keeping finding myself back at that very phrase which sits mid-page on the band's bio that Organized Crime sent out. "...in … Read more

The Pogues

Ultimate Collection
WEA (2005)

I've never really been a fan of "best of..." collections. Too much of the time, they are released mid-career without justification or necessity, or to fill an unusually long gap between albums. Even more often, they are used as cynical marketing ploys, or worse, in order to milk the cash cow of any given artist whom lacks longevity. At times, … Read more

The Frames

Burn the Maps
Anti (2005)

The Frames are five Dubliners, with a handful of releases already. They use a variety of instruments, ranging from piano to horns and strings, effects, concepts and atmospheric layers shaping their music around human emotion often similar to that of Radiohead and Coldplay. The Frames is: Glen Hansard (Vocals/Guitar), Colm MacConlomaire (Violin/Keyboard/Vocals), Joseph Doyle (Bass/Vocals), Robert Bochnik (Guitar), and Johnny … Read more

Multiple Authors

Hollow Ground

Cold Reality
Organized Crime (2005)

An open letter to Hollow Ground and Organized Crime Records I'm not a detective or a mind-reader. I am neither Columbo, Criswell, nor Veronica-fucking-Mars. I'm just a guy who gets a meager paycheck working with kids that likes to review albums in his spare time. Don't make me search all over the internet for information on your band. Did you … Read more

Gang Gang Dance

God's Money
The Social Registry (2005)

Rare is music that can evoke a time and a place in the mind of the listener. Rarer still is when that time and place are of an otherworldly nature, subtle and peculiar, yet strangely settling. Of course, such music is often difficult to embrace, but with enough patience it is often the best. Gang Gang Dance's second LP, God's … Read more

Hangedup

Clatter for Control
Constellation (2005)

Every so often an album seems to come out of nowhere and totally blindsides you. This is one of those albums. I initially put this on with little knowledge about it other than the fact it was released by Constellation Records (home of Godspeed You! Black Emperor, A Silver Mt Zion, Fly Pan Am etc.) Within a matter of seconds … Read more

The White Stripes

Get Behind Me Satan
V2 (2005)

The very First time I heard White Stripes I honest to God thought I was hearing a Led Zeppelin bootleg. I walked into a record store and a minute later was telling a clerk "I'll take it". It wasn't Led Zeppelin. "I'll take it anyway". That was their sophomore album De Stijl, the album I still consider as one of … Read more

Colin Of Arabia

Illegal Exhibition of Speed
Rock Vegas (2004)

The first thing I noticed when pulling this CD out of the tray, was that it was one of those full size compact discs that only uses three inches in the middle. The outer ring of the disc was clear plastic. The image screened onto the disc looked pretty menacing with the clear background. I also noticed that the band … Read more

A Day To Remember

And Their Name Was Treason
Indianola (2005)

We've all done it - you mention a band unfamiliar to your friend and they'll ask "What does it sound like?" and being lazy North Americans we'll often reply with a barrage of noteworthy names just recognizable enough to wipe the inquisitive look from our hapless chum's face, and just obscure enough to retain "street cred" with the remainder of … Read more

Nine Inch Nails

With Teeth
Interscope (2005)

Pretty Hate Machine, The Downward Spiral, The Fragile - you name any of these titles to a Nine Inch Nails fan and they could probably give you a whole host of reasons why it's their favorite album. Then, of course, they'd inundate you with any number of words to describe front man/founder Trent Reznor: Genius, brilliant, twisted, brilliantly twisted genius … Read more

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