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

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

Mans' Gin

Rebellion Hymns
Profound Lore (2013)

Led by multi-instrumentalist Erik Wunder (also of Cobalt,) Man’s Gin are releasing the follow up to their debut album (Smiling Dogs,) entitled Rebellion Hymns. If you believe that the band is similar sounding to Cobalt, you are gravely mistaken. Accompanied by an arrange of great musicians such as Bruce Lamont (Yakuza,) Jarboe, John Lamacchia (Candiria) and Phil McSorley (Cobalt), Man’s Gin’s music is influenced by a wide range of different genres, some of which make almost no sense putting together, but the result not only does it work, but is fucking brilliant. In its core, Rebellion Hymns, is an acoustic album that incorporates elements from folk, gothic, blues, country, southern rock and psychedelia among many more. The tone of the album is quite melancholic and distressed, with songs that manage to retain certain openness about them giving the whole album a more grand feeling. The incorporation of unconventional of instruments such as cello, accordion and harmonica further increase the diversity of the band.From the nice opening track of the album, “Inspiration” the southern aura of the album is present in all its glory, with the accordion adding another flavor to the atmosphere of the track. It is then followed by … Read more

Scale The Summit

The Migration
Prosthetic (2013)

To understand why Scale the Summit's newest release The Migration is so fascinating, you first need a bit of background:Scale … Read more

Portugal. The Man

Evil Friends
Atlantic (2013)

Portugal. The Man thrives in a music scene often reluctant of drastic change in a band's sound. Meanwhile, the Alaskan … Read more

Dessa

Parts Of Speech
Doomtree (2013)

A while back, I asked a friend of mine to introduce me to some new music. I was feeling burnt … Read more

Alice In Chains

The Devil Put Dinosaurs Here
Capitol (2013)

I'll admit, I'm a bit of a purist; though I didn't think it was a bad release, Black Gives Way … Read more

Lesbian

Forestelevsion
Translation Loss (2013)

Talk about false advertising. As far as I can tell, the self-described "PsychoProgDoom" band Lesbian is based out of Seattle, … Read more

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One from the archives

Thursday

No Devolución
Epitaph (2011)

It’s comforting when a band can successfully progress. Some stay stagnant—resulting in some stale and boring music. Thursday’s a band that has been progressing since they started writing Full Collapse. Slowly, they’ve been redefining what Thursday should sound like. With their sixth studio album, No Devolución, not only has the band’s songwriting gotten even better, but they’ve taken their biggest step forward yet. Loud beats and piercing guitars kick things off on “Fast to the End,” which sets up the album perfectly. The band’s gracious enough to give their fans enough of what we’ve come to expect from Thursday--while wetting our appetites with what we can expect from No Devolución. They pull pointers from their past few efforts, and make the atmospheric effects more prominent this time around. Following the … Read more

More album reviews

Horna

Askel lähempänä Saatanaa
World Terror Committee (2013)

Replacing a vocalist is always a huge ordeal and turning point for a band, particularly when needing to do to it for a third time as Horna found themselves in the process of during 2009 when Corvus left his duties at the mic stand behind to concentrate on his other projects. This Finnish group have been at the forefront of … Read more

200 Words Or Less

Dave Hause

C'Mon Kid EP
Sabot Productions (2012)

We’re close to the end of Dave Hause’s 7-inch series. The fourth in the series comes from Sabot Productions. Hause decided to tackle his friends in None More Black and a more predictable Lucero track. Let's see how it went.First of the originals. “C’mon Kid” was turned into a piano ballad. It’s a beautiful one at that, but it’s probably … Read more

Mothlite

Dark Age
Kscope (2012)

Mothlite's Daniel O'Sullivan has spent his time away from his personal project collaborating with some of the world's most well known post-progressive acts. Ulver, Æthenor, Guapo and Grumbling Fur are but a few of the groups O'Sullivan has somehow found time to participate in but Mothlite is his completely and as such the second record from this project, Dark Age, … Read more

The Maine

Forever Halloween
Rude Records (2013)

Halloween can be an inspiring topic for musicians. The Misfits' "Halloween" evokes dark autumn evenings with snarling vocals and captivating riffs, while AFI's Misfits-influenced All Hallows EP is a punk-rock filled love letter to the holiday. The Maine's Forever Halloween takes a sombre look, presenting Halloween as an emotional state and not just a passing holiday.So far three singles have … Read more

200 Words Or Less

Various Artists

Toys That Kill/Future Virgins - split
Drunken Sailor (2013)

Pairing Toys That Kill and Future Virgins in a single record, this Drunker Sailor 7” teams up bands that have released some of my favorite records of 2011 (Western Problems) and 2012 (Fambly 42). That’s a lot of quality, an intriguing pair-up and, honestly, a lot to live up to.Does the three song EP live up to expectations? More or … Read more

Modern Baseball

Sports
Run for Cover (2013)

There are a select few records in my collection that I can always count on to produce an unbridled sense of nostalgia. A classic to turn to when in need of some youthful energy, that little rush of euphoria when singing along with a favorite group-chorus, or that story to remind us of when life was much simpler. Emo and … Read more

Jasper TX

An Index Of Failure
Handmade Birds (2013)

I cannot explain how much I needed to listen to this right at this moment when my heart rate is racing and it feels as if my chest is going to explode, the calming feeling that the final recordings of Jasper TX are literally helping me to breath semi normally; An Index Of Failure is quite simply a pretty album … Read more

Purson

The Circle and the Blue Door
Metal Blade (2013)

Retro-lust is fucking brilliant. For the past years, unbelievable bands have shown their musical endeavors by wedding the psychedelia of the 60s with the heavier rock of the 70s. Artists such as Jex Thoth, The Devil’s Blood and Blood Ceremony are showing the way, to be quickly followed by dreamers of the same utopic principle. Bands such as Jess and … Read more

Kwaidan

Make All The Hell of Dark Metal Bright
Bathetic Records (2013)

One of the wisest moves you can make when your band lies within the ambient music scene is to construct a certain aura for it that will attract the prospective listener before he even hears a single note from your band; the easiest way to attract attention comes from the very name of the band. Ande Foisy (of Locrian,) Mike … Read more

I Am Kloot

Let It All In
Shepherd Moon (2013)

Truly happy yet honest albums are in short supply. If they’re happy they’re usually over-the-top and use cringe-worthy lyrics, but if the album’s songs are bathed in sadness then there’s a risk that it will sound whiny and dull. On Let It All In I Am Kloot have struck a beautiful balance; the album can be best described as giving … Read more

Locrian

Return To Annihilation
Relapse (2013)

Holy mother of god I was clearly not ready for Return To Annihilation from Locrian, and I guarantee that “Eternal Return” will do the same to you; now, my reaction has more to do with the shockingly uplifting sound and mood that the song seems destined to pop on people as they press play for the first time than the … Read more

Plow United

Marching Band
Jump Start (2013)

After a run from 1992-1998, Plow United reformed in 2011 and they return with new material in the form of Marching Band (Jump Start Records). Plow United hasn’t just re-formed, they’ve written the best 1990s record of the 2010s. Brian McKee’s voice has matured with the years and the songs are tighter and more polished than their early output. Some … Read more

Lifeforms

Multidimensional
Life Force (2013)

I have made some questionable decisions in my lifetime, such as sticking a fork into a live electrical socket, investing in Bernard Madoff, and (briefly) voting Republican. But never have I made a decision I so viscerally regretted as much as I did when I decided to listen to the album Multidimensional, the debut from metal (?) band Lifeforms.Lifeforms are … Read more

Long Distance Calling

The Flood Inside
Superball (2013)

German rockers Long Distance Calling have always occupied an interesting musical space—though they started out unabashedly as a post-metal act, their slow slide into post-rock has been so slow that, by the time their eponymous third album was released, almost no one noticed the difference. And that's part of what makes their newest album, 2013's The Flood Inside, so intriguing—the … Read more

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