I don't know much about the Swedish band Naglfar, but I get the impression that they are well respected in black metal circles. But what I do know is that Jens Ryden, ex-vocalist of Naglfar and a veritable black metal jack-of-all-trades, knows how to make an impressive album all on his own. Ryden did it all on Profundi's Omega Rising: … Read more
Ideological stances are polarizing. They come with a set of existing concepts and reference points that are often hard to overlook. I didn't want to talk about religion in this review. I didn't want to talk about religion as much as Project 86 doesn't want to limit themselves as a solely religious band, but it's difficult to ignore a prevailing … Read more
"I'm as straight as the line that you sniff up your nose / I'm as hard as the booze that you swill down your throat / I'm as bad as the shit you breathe into your lungs / And I'll fuck you up as fast as the pill on your tongue / STRAIGHT EDGE REVENGE!" Oh. Fuck. Yes. There's no … Read more
Unless you’ve only just been introduced to Canadian punk music from the past quarter century, you've already come to expect a few things from a new Propagandhi record. There are no pre-release jitters, no faint thoughts tugging at the forefront of your consciousness that maybe this’ll be the one to disappoint. Time and time again, the Winnipeg-based quartet have delivered. … Read more
Canadian punk rockers Propagandhi have undergone many changes in the past few years. For one, they now have a second guitarist known as David "The Beaver" Guillias and they parted ways with Fat Wreck Chords and announced the closing of their own record label, G7 Welcoming Committee. Changes like this happen with bands, and sometimes it effects their music. Thankfully … Read more
Reasoning with Time is the follow-up offering to Protagonist's debut effort, Hope and Rage, which was put out by Blackout! Records back in 2003. It's been sometime since we last heard from these boys, but I'm glad to hear new material. Oftentimes promising acts wait too long to write, record, and release new material and end up being forgotten. So … Read more
I have this friend. We'll call him "Max," because that's his name. Max has said some questionable things in the past ("With Honor are the best straight-edge band ever," "I didn't know Henry Rollins was in Black Flag," "I hate Fugazi,") but I've always let it go. So when Max told me, a while ago, that the new Protest the … Read more
Sometimes bands lose sight of what they originally set out to accomplish. They get whipped up in their popularity and compromise themselves, and in turn can pander to a wider audience for fear of losing their reputation. Protestant is not likely to be one of those bands. This Milwaukee hardcore crossover outfit promotes their DIY roots, and they have no … Read more
At Home With Proud Parents caught me a little off guard, right from the start. While the debut showcased a variety of influences, this one is even more toned back and chill, in contrast to some members’ other work with The Hussy. The opening track on this sophomore album, “Cellophane” is more of a folk-punk or cowpunk vibe with some … Read more
With three singers among the four familiar faces of Proud Parents, isn’t no surprise that the record succeeds on the band members’ ability to meet in the middle between different tones and styles. While the vocals due shift frequently on this self-titled debut, the music itself falls consistently in the jangly power-pop world. Members of the group also play with … Read more
There is not much one can say about Prurient, the project of Dominick Fernow. Throughout the years Prurient have produced an extensive discography that sees them creating a cartography of the dark ambient and noise genres with their own experimental mindset. The project has been going on for about twenty years now, but it seems that the focus that Fernow … Read more
PS I Love You, the heartthrob of the Kingston, Ontario’s indie rock scene, had more than just high expectations placed upon them after the unexpected success of 2010’s Meet Me At The Muster Station. With critical praise and a tour schedule that stretched the world wide, the guitar/drum duo of Paul Saulnier and Benjamin Nelson found themselves amongst the few … Read more
Coming to prominence in 2011 on the strength of the almost unanimously praised debut LP Meet Me at Muster Station, PS I Love You (made up of guitarist/vocalist Paul Saulnier and drummer Benjamin Nelson) popped up at precisely the right time to take advantage of a music community all too willing to embrace an unconventional indie rock duo. Though the … Read more
The main man of Psalm Zero, Charlie Looker, has been/still is part of some great bands. The avant-garde mentality of Zs, with their merge of neo-classical, noise and free-jazz shows a great allure towards experimental music, while his presence in the mathcore trio Period, reveal a high-level of technicality. Well, Psalm Zero continues to unveil different aspects of Looker's musical … Read more
Not to be confused with Neil Diamond's Song Sun Blue and I draw no real comparisons to that classic housewife panty-wetting meandering staple of heart-melting, throbbing, pulsing underlying sexual tension in Diamond’s piercing, crooning, come hither and watch me slither succubus style. Come to me, look into my eyes… look deep into my eyes. This leads me to a small … Read more
So, the three regular adults that make up Psychic Teens has found time in their adult lives to hash out another album of quirky skronking post punk that is somewhat coerced through a heavy (emphasis on the heavy) dose of disaffected charm and maybe some early nineties alternative rock (this is a purposefully broad stroke because there are many little … Read more
“Psychic Teens Are Regular Adults”Let that sink in to your thick skull bit (I know it took me a bit to wrap my head around) because it is one of the singular strangest statements to be made by a “rock” oriented band in many a year; think about it, and I mean really think about that as a statement and … Read more
Look in the middle of the booklet of I.N.R.I.. Right there in the center of the middle page, staring up at you is a little caption. This little caption says, 'Why should I believe if God's not here to save me?' This is how the album begins, with multi-repetitions of this same line. The anti-Christian platitudes don't stop there, though, … 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.