The history of Black Metal has been told ad infinitum. We know that groups like Venom, Posessed, Mercyful Fate and Sarcofago planted the seeds that stretched like a dark vine across Europe and taking hold in Norway. By now, we all know the story of groups like Darkthrone and Mayhem, but lesser known is the story of Old Funeral.The band … Read more
These last few weeks I've started to notice that the creases in my forehead are deepening. It's a subtle change to my face, but it's progressively becoming more noticeable. My pores are becoming more visible as well, and my skin doesn't have the same spongey, moist quality to it that I remember it having in my early twenties. And of … Read more
After an extensive delay, the rabid and hopeful fans sporting various Hydrahead affiliated t-shirts can finally rest. Old Man Gloom's Christmas brings an end to a three year drought since the simultaneous release of full-lengths Seminar II: The Holy Rites of Primitivism and Seminar III: Zozobra back in 2001. The delay is excusable due to the busy schedules of the … Read more
“THEY PLAYED ‘ZOZOBRA’! THEY PLAYED ‘ZOZOBRA’!” Thank you for allowing me to get that out of my system as the shock of seeing Old Man Gloom resume the gloom only just recently is still fresh and firmly entrenched in my mind, and seeing as my wait to see the Old Man Gloom Institute for Simian Research has been much more … Read more
THIS IS A FAKE REVIEW!! Old Man Gloom sent out a fake version of the album to the reviewers in order to avoid the actual albums (yeah that’s right! Albums!) from leaking before the release date. So what can I say? The Gloom and The Ape got me. Still, in order to showcase the degree of my ignorance I am … Read more
Fat hasn’t been releasing many new bands lately. Thus, when they do expand the roster for a debut, it draws some attention. Guts n’Teeth comes from the eight-piece California band Old Man Markley, named after washboard player Ryan Markley who, in truth, is quite young. Other members have been/are in bands such as Youth Brigade and Angel City Outcasts. But … Read more
It's been about four years since the last Old Man's Child record and it seems we've been waiting forever for it. The current Dimmu Borgir guitarist Galder has gotten a little more exposure since joining the well-known symphonic metal group, but he hasn't forgotten about his original melodic black metal project, now on album number seven, titled Slaves Of the … Read more
The line between dark ambient and dungeon synth has always been blurry. Since Mortiis’ departure from Emperor and his stellar, first-era works in Født til å Herske and Ånden som Gjorde Opprør, many have traveled the same path. Amongst the newest additions to this merry group is Old Tower, the obscure project from the Netherlands. Since the mid-10s, Old Tower … Read more
New Jersey's Old Wounds come out of the gate bolting for the finish. After a handful of eps and a few choice covers the band finally releases their full length debut on the public. The band play a style of hardcore that combines the demonic, metallic thrust of Disembodied and the barely contained rage and guitar noise torture of Kiss … Read more
When a band or label is as difficult to track down as Olekranon or Inam Records, then you know you're in for an experience. The chap behind Olekranon - Ryan Huber - is also the chap behind the label but getting a hold of them via the magic of the internet has proved to be a fruitless endeavour. There's a … Read more
Having piqued the interest of Jack White while handing out demos at a Dead Weather show in Detroit, Olivia Jean was quickly initiated into the Third Man Records family. She became the frontwoman of garage rockers The Black Belles, and has backed an assortment of Third Man Records signings, such as Karen Elson and Wanda Jackson. Now, armed with her … Read more
Right now there are too many bands running around using descriptors like "post-hardcore" or "post-rock" that when you get around to hearing the band you are treated to yet another run of the mill rock band like Vanna, Aiden, From First to Last or any other ripe for Warped Tour fodder. I was hearing rumblings of this band called Olympia … Read more
Everyone's favourite stoner rock band with a flair for the religious Om has been on a roll lately, releasing the incredible Advaitic Songs just last year. But they aren't stopping anytime soon--in addition to a planned single from frontman Al Cisneros to hit later this year, two of the band's tracks from their latest release have been handled by British … Read more
Om is one of those offshoot bands that wound up better than it had any right to be. Borne from the ashes of stoner metal giant Sleep, Om managed to create a two-piece band whose hypnotic tunes were much more powerful than they would appear on the surface. What could a band really do with just a rhythm section? Yet, … Read more
There is little disputing that Sleep was the quintessential stoner metal band. After breaking up due to the band's now infamous falling out with London Records, the members went on to form two bands that are insanely heavy in their own ways. Forming High on Fire, guitarist Matt Pike upped the tempos and the technical ability. Meanwhile, bassist Al Cisneros … Read more
Everyone's favourite stoner rock band with a flair for the religious Om has been on a roll lately, releasing the incredible Advaitic Songs just last year. But they aren't stopping anytime soon--in addition to a planned single from frontman Al Cisneros to hit later this year, two of the band's tracks from their latest release have been handled by British … Read more
Sleep was great. High on Fire is pretty good. But Om consistently impresses me, and seems to gain momentum with every album. Om seems to be getting closer than ever to carving out its own unique corner in the psychedelic genre that I could simply call "zen doom." These days "hypnotic" is a much-overused word in review writing, especially since … Read more
Fans of the bespectacled Omar of At The Drive-In/Mars Volta fame will already have an idea of how this record will sound thanks to Rodriguez-Lopez's creative and original guitar work in both bands. More notably in The Mars Volta (where Rodriguez wrote most of the songs) his passion for synths, drum machines, strange vocals and heavily effect-laden guitars was documented … Read more
Looking for the SPB logo? You can download it in a range of styles and colours here:
Click anywhere outside this dialog to close it, or press escape.