KEN Mode have always favored a dark and oppressive path for their extreme music aspirations. From their early days up to the release of the seminal Entrench, the act from Winnipeg, Canada has not held anything back. In 2013 it would be difficult to imagine how KEN Mode could surpass their seminal works. The release of Success in 2015 felt like a slight misstep, with KEN Mode returning to a point of origin. The more standard noise rock element was front and center, but the mean strike that defined their style was a bit lacking. All this would be remedied with 2018’s Loved, a work of dark hardcore that not only did not hold back, but also hinted to new, exciting pathways for KEN Mode. It is exactly these labyrinthine passages that NULL has come to unveil. Off the bat, this is as devastating a work as anything you could expect from KEN Mode. Heavy riffs plunged into the sludge pool and combine with the usual post-hardcore fury. Opener “A Love Letter” makes the introductions in masterful fashion, a dark hole warping the state of reality. Erratic math-inspired structures ramp up the aggression, leading to erratic moments like “Throw Your Phone In The River” and the … Read more
Dead Cross consists of only four members. Vocalist Mike Patton, bassist Justin Pearson, guitarist Michael Crain and drummer Dave Lombardo. … Read more
Fields Of Regret is the brainchild of musician Filip Van Lysebeth, a producer based in Belgium. This self titled five … Read more
I mostly enjoy acoustic albums during my cruising time to work by bike. I can't explain what makes the acoustic … Read more
Robby Bloodshed is a musician from New Jersey and has been recording since 2010. With five EP's, seven albums and … Read more
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Pop music usually isn't something that offers much variety in terms of groundbreaking artistic expression, innovation, and, when it all comes down to it, quality. In the MTV generation of plastic creativity, few dare to venture into the realm of experimentation for fear of losing that ever-so-valuable celebrity clothing line, and dropping off the Top 40 charts. For every Björk, there's a thousand Beyonces or Justin Timberlakes; for every lone creative mind, there's a legion of over-commercialized bastards of ingenuity. I guess you could compare it to the high-school social system that everyone reading this is or probably was familiar with at one point. To your right, the popular kids, the Abercrombie and Fitch-wearing muttonheads; to your left, the loners, the rebels. While she's no doubt had loads of commercial … Read more
My first thought on seeing that Drakulas cover The Jim Carroll Band on this was, “Huh, that’s a weird choice.” But about 10-seconds in, everything clicks. You see, Drakulas is a concept band, set in a dystopian, Warriors-esque world of broken streetlights, shenanigans, violence and smut. And, well, let’s just say that 1970s New York inspired a lot of that genre. For the … Read more
I was thrown the first time I listened to this. I came in blind, expecting “the Dirtnap sound.” But what matters isn’t the brand, it’s if the music is good, so it’s a silly bias to begin with. It also took me a few listens before I realized that the files I was sent weren’t tagged right, so I was … Read more
Four piece doom/sludge/death metal outfit VoidOath crawled their way up from the nether realms of San Jose, Costa Rica in 2018. In May 2020 they released a three track EP entitled Illumination Through Necromancy, a 30 minute taster preparing us for the abysmal horror doom of this debut full length album Ascension Beyond Kokytus. Kokytus translates (by the power of google) as … Read more
I've been sitting on this record since it came out, and I wasn't sure exactly where I was with it until now. I really wanted to love this record, but my musical taste is that of a 47 yr old guy who has listened to so much music and been in so many bands, that I was afraid the review … Read more
I was introduced to Night Jobs with The Shape of Bummers To Come tape. I liked it overall, but I did feel there was room from growth. I mean, there always is…but I digress. The band is back in 2022 with the new 7”, Never Happener, featuring four new songs. And I do hear that “growth.” Sure, Night Jobs play somewhat predictable punk … Read more
Oh, Canada! Hailing from Geneva and now back and forth between Toronto and the beautiful city of Montreal, Greg Laraigne weaves well-crafted stories into a tapestry of lore and social commentary. The album apparently was ten years in the making while he also perfected his trade as a well-respected man in the field of tattooing. Easy comparisons are made to Wilco, Uncle … Read more
I can’t help but internally groan when a group is described as a ‘live band’. The phrase is pinned onto many a few semi-famous local bands who are known more for their on stage antics than their musical chops. A ‘live band’ stands in direct opposition of an ‘album band’ who do asinine things like practice and tune their instruments. … Read more
The Raging Nathans owe a lot of their sound to the ‘90s punk scene. One thing they don’t take after, though, is that need to put out an album of 15+ tracks. Still Spitting Blood comes just one year after Waste My Heart and it’s only 10-songs and 20-minutes in length. The quantity is probably there, but the band is spreading it out. And while the … Read more
After 10 years of silence, the hiatus interruptus is no more and The Mars Volta have unleashed a new self-titled album upon the masses. Now, before we go any further, it should be understood that this album does not represent the Volta that was, but rather the Volta that is. This is not a bad thing. This is merely an … Read more
Horrorpunk's Not Dead: Vol.1 is the first of (hopefully) many compilations created by the team behind Horrorpunk's Not Dead radio podcast. Not only are they fast becoming Europes best horrorpunk radio show but they are proving to be a significant force when it comes to promotion within the community, being the busiest and most proactive promoters of horrorpunk in Europe right … Read more
By the time I'm writing this review, I would like to express my condolence for all the families and the victims of the police brutality in Kanjuruhan (Malang) soccer match. And this time we have a submission music coming from Haum Entertainment. Haum Entertainment is a Malang (Indonesia) based label that is known for releasing local notable emo/melodic hardcore musicians. … Read more
The last time I listened to Fallujah was five or so years ago, around the time when they released Dreamless. I can’t say that I was impressed or anything of the sort, but I did spin that album for a short while, until I basically all but forgot about the existence of the band. I wasn’t even aware they made … Read more
Ten albums into their tenure and Death Cab for Cutie are still finding ways to reinvent themselves while maintaining their identity and sound. Their 2018 release, Thank You For Today, was the first to feature members Zac Rae and Dave Depper after long-time member and co-writer, Chris Walla, left the group. This led to the songs on that album being predominantly completed … Read more
Before starting, I would like take a quote from the band's spotify profile” "Went to a Ramones show. Started a band. Pissed a lot people off". The quote tells a lot about the band's history and controversies. Begin with having a beef with many label owners, Fat Wreck one of them, up to the constant changing of its regular and … Read more
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