Bangers
Bird
Specialist Subject Records (2015)
Bird is the Bangers record I wanted in 2013. Crazy Fucking Dreams is a good record, it was just a little less direct than I wanted from the band, being a little more on the introspective and drawn out (in punk terms) side of things than an aggressive and, er, banging approach. It was good, but Bird is better.It gets aggressive fast with “No!” and then rumbles into the deeper toned “Mannequin,” where some bass distortion gives a nice heavier vibe that gives punch without doom. The deeper pitch keeps the punk aggression going forward but with a little extra kick. The best songs rumble and plow, accelerating instead of spinning the wheels.Where Bangers mixes up the tempo, it has a little less punch. Yes, it’s essential to vary the pace on an album—even a 4-song single for that matter—but when the songs slow down, as in “Vibrate,” it come across as more repetitive and redundant whereas the hard charging songs keep their momentum. It’s often best when the band culls these two styles into a middle concoction. “Half Human,” a middle song on the record that takes a repetitive and catchy chorus but adds a unique up/down complexity within … Read more
Skepticism
Ordeal
Svart Records (2015)
Recording a live album isn’t a new concept, but for Skepticism, who don’t do anything by halves, recording their brand … Read more
Queensrÿche
Condition Hüman
Century Media (2015)
At the time of the release of their eponymous 2013 full-length album, the Geoff Tate storm had passed and cleanup … Read more
Extinction A.D.
Plague Prophecy
Good Fight (2014)
A storm has ostensibly been brewing in Long Island, New York beneath the surface of the hardcore outfit This Is … Read more
