Rome
Die Æsthetik der Herrschaftsfreiheit
Trisol (2011)
Die Æsthetik der Herrschaftsfreiheit. A three disc journey into the hearts and minds of the oppressed. An album that has become more relevant to the happenings of this past year than band founder Jerome Reuter could possibly ever imagine. At it's core, it's a record of struggle and of overcoming the boundaries set by those in positions of power. Could … Read more
Rome
Hell Money
Trisol (2012)
Jerome Reuter is becoming ever more prolific in recent times and you may remember last year’s Die Æsthetik Der Herrschaftsfreiheit was a surprising addition to his catalogue in that it was a triple disc album that flowed with majestic coherence and innate boldness. Hell Money was quietly announced yet the shock that was felt by fans in the release of … Read more
Rorcal
Heliogabalus
Cal Of Ror (2010)
Rorcal, from Switzerland, present Heliogabalus , a near-perfect doom/drone album. This record is so dark that the cover can’t even be seen on a computer. Hell, the music is so dark that some may not even be able to listen it. It takes a valiant effort to listen to a 1 song album that clocks in at 70 minutes, especially … Read more
Rush
Clockwork Angels
Roadrunner (2012)
On some days, when I'm really brutally honest with myself, I can safely admit that all of my favourite old rock bands from the 1970s have gone completely past the point of no return; they'll never release an album of the same calibre as those from their heyday, they'll never sell out huge stadiums and get the attention they used … Read more
Sahan Jayasuriya
Don’t Say Please: The Oral History of Die Kreuzen
Feral House (2026)
For those of us who spent the mid-to-late 1980s navigating basement community halls, churches, and loveable, armpit-smelling dive bars, the name Die Kreuzen was a permanent fixture on the punk rock radar. They were the sound of the Midwest underground --too fast for the goths to do their spooky Bela Lugosi "shoo the bats away" interpretive dance, too technical for … Read more
San Salvador
La Grande Folie
Music Development Company (2021)
There’s nothing like a good vocal driven ensemble am I right? Well, I don’t know about you but I find myself impressed to the highest degrees by such bands. It has to do at least partly with the steep mastery curve of the human voice as a musical instrument as well as its phenomenally unique tonal characteristics at an individual … Read more
Seed From The Geisha
Talk Peace to the Wolf
M&O Music (2011)
Don't be turned away by the album cover! I assure you, this review has absolutely minimal content involving werwolves. Probably. I'm actually writing this introduction prior to finishing the last fifth or so of the review, so it's entirely conceivable I could change my mind. Let's assume I don't so that I can talk about the excellent debut from the … Read more
Sharon Jones and the Dap-Kings
Naturally
Daptone (2005)
Generally at the beginning of the year, you'll set your hopes high for a handful of releases and odds are, one of those will be one of your albums of the year. The last two years for me though, has had surprising candidates come out of left field to steal my heart and take home that coveted award. This year … Read more
She Said Destroy
Bleeding Fiction
Mas-Kina (2012)
Let's face it: a lot of the music we listen to is just plain ol' forgettable. Of course, every once in a while, an album will come along that sticks in your mind solely because it makes you wonder just what godforsaken orifice the band pulled it out of. Even more rarely will come the occasion when you make the … Read more
Sleep
Dopesmoker (Reissue)
Southern Lord (2012)
Imagine, if you will, that doom rock band Om and a still-young drone metal band Boris got together in a hallucinogen-induced haze one night. Their inevitable pothead lovechild would undoubtedly be doom/stoner outfit Sleep, as evidenced by their final album, Dopesmoker.Having been released at least four different times (with four different running times, not to mention two different names), this … Read more
Snake Eyes
Snake Eyes
1917 (2007)
Snake Eyes is just another one of those side project bands that doesn't get a lot of love outside of their home stomping grounds of California due the fact they don't get to play out much and never tour. Snake Eyes features members of Betrayed, Terror, Donnybrook, and Internal Affairs. Only Internal Affairs comes anywhere close to the violent intensity … Read more
Sonic Youth
Daydream Nation (Reissue)
Geffen (2007)
When I first heard Sonic Youth, I didn't know about their formidable New York hipster cachet: Glenn Branca confederates, initially hated by Village Voice snob Bob Christgau, ex-No New York alumni (at least before Steve Shelley got behind the skins), etc. I had no idea that this was the band that bridged hardcore and the downtown gallery scene - how … Read more
Soul Control
Soul Control
Rivalry (2007)
Hardcore likes to recycle and reinvent itself about every decade, so yup, 90's hardcore is back. Soul Control sounds like every great 108 riff jammed into every wonderful Quicksand back beat. You know I just love this. Heavy melodic groove orientated hardcore done masterfully. The best thing is when hardcore bands like Soul Control decide to redo the past they … Read more
Stars of the Lid
And Their Refinement of the Decline
Kranky (2007)
When it comes to currently running ambient acts, they do not get any more prolific than Stars of the Lid. Having released material since 1995, the duo made up of Brian McBride and Adam Wiltzie have relocated since releasing their last album and absolute masterpiece The Tired Sounds Of... and found themselves living more than 6,000 miles apart. This distance … Read more
Steven Wilson
The Raven that Refused to Sing (And Other Stories)
Kscope (2013)
Though they all claim lineage to the great acts of the 1970s, no modern progressive band can claim that they sound even remotely similar to them. Bands in the modern progressive rock genre (see Transatlantic, Spock's Beard, Coheed and Cambria) tend to sound closer akin to brightly-polished half-metal than the rock of the 70s, with a loudness and clarity that … Read more
Sunn 0)))
Dømkirke
Southern Lord (2008)
Dømkirke is a live Sunn 0))) album recorded at Bergen Cathedral of Bergen, Norway as part of the Borealis Festival 2007. The twelfth-century cathedral was a perfect setting for the March 2007 performance that also featured Attlia Csihar on vocals, Steve Moore on pipe organ, and Lasse Marhaug on electronics. The double album was a vinyl-only release with absolutely stunning … Read more
Swell Maps
C21
Tiny Global Productions (2026)
This isn't a hologram dancing, marionette corpse, tap-dancing nostalgia trip. It’s a jagged pill, a necessary taser jolt. Jowe Head-- one of the sole surviving architects of the original Solihull Syndicate -- just dropped a record handling legacy like a hot, glowing BTU ember. An organ grinder’s monkey's comeback? Completely antithetical to reality, this is a well-orchestrated calculation of intelligent … Read more
System of a Down
Hypnotize
Sony (2005)
It's official. System of a Down can't spell. I'm sorry to any Americans out there who like to get involved with this whole using a "zed" instead of an "ess" thing, but they can't. And yes, I did say "zed," none of that "zee" crap either. Let's face it. America was born from the remnants of a British people who … Read more
