Bloc Party
Silent Alarm
Vice (2005)
Hype generates a high death count, because critics are merciless. Bands with ridiculous amounts of hype seem to have big white signs with bold red lettering that spell out "KICK ME" on their backs. When these particular bands do not deliver, every minor insufficiency is exacerbated to squelch them out of existence. Giving them a fair listen is nearly impossible, … Read more
Blood Incantation
Hidden History of the Human Race
Dark Descent Records (2019)
By now it’s clear that Blood Incantation are the death metal band of the future, a band willing to push the genre and do things with its base elements that others may be scared of or not capable of. The quartet meld progressive qualities with dirty riffs, speak of their love of science fiction and their quest for the ultimate … Read more
Blood Redemption
Blood Redemption
Genet (2007)
For years, it's been without question that Europe is the breeding ground for so many metalcore acts. Now even more bands seem to be coming out of the woodwork with the recent boom of this style being on the rise. That's not to say these are all your average newcomers; they are seasoned veterans hoping to continue playing a style … Read more
Bloodhorse
Horizoner
Translation Loss (2009)
This review has been a long time coming. Translation Loss Records seems to have a knack of finding the best of the recent crop of stoner or post-metal style bands and giving them a home. This band fits nicely into the first category. Made up of members of Boston area hardcore luminaries of sorts, they have been steamrolling their way … Read more
Bloodletter
A Different Kind Of Hell
Wise Blood Records (2023)
Bloodletter are a four piece thrash metal outfit from Chicago, Illinois and are here to assault your ears in the best possible way with their new album, A Different Kind Of Hell. Formed in 2012 and performing highly toned and proficient thrash/speed metal with melodic undertones and solo's to die for. A Different Kind Of Hell is their third full … Read more
Bloodlined Calligraphy
Ypsilanti
Facedown (2006)
You, the Scene Point Blank readers, are probably tired of reading about how awful metalcore is these days. But as stagnant and formulaic as the genre is, bands just keep putting out albums and apparently there is fanbase that keeps eating this shit up. But somebody has to review them, so here we are. When SPB writers, including myself, review … Read more
Blsphm
Horrors Of Heaven
Dead Accents (2012)
Dark and foreboding pieces of sound are more and more intriguing to me with their tense atmospheres, and blsphm took that same sound aspect and added a physical element in the form of an anti cassette (now, I know that this is not the first anti cassette, but seeing the anti cassette made me really think about and draw me … Read more
Blsphm
Prayer
Dead Accents (2011)
Where did all the artists and bands and projects come from that are attempting to project this bleak hopelessness and horrid despair (well, maybe I am just taking notice of it because Black Metal musicians have been doing it for ages it seems), and why do so many of these musicians just fall so completely short of actually conveying any … Read more
Blue Monday
Rewritten
Bridge Nine (2005)
Let's face it, most hardcore bands don't have it in them to do a "full length" and if they do, it's usually a couple of really good songs with some filler to get it up to the half hour mark. Thankfully, Blue Monday do not fall into this category with their newly released Rewritten. The first thing fans of the … Read more
Blueneck
Repetitions
Denovali (2011)
I wanted to write an introduction that accurately conveyed the sound of Blueneck's new album Repetitions, but my editor wouldn't let me write in size 2 font. Stupid "legibility" rules.I'm not kidding about the comparison, though; Blueneck's brand of post-rock is even lighter than Sigur Rós, featuring incredibly minimalist instrumental and vocal arrangements. Sure, the pieces swell and (eventually) get … Read more
Blunderbuss
Blunderbuss
Escape Artist (2007)
Blunderbuss may at first be notable to some because it contains a member of Don Caballero, Jeff Ellsworth. But trust me, this album ought to stand out in its own right. This is one of the most innovative and refreshing albums I've heard in a while. It draws on a number of genres for inspiration, but truly belongs to none … Read more
Blut Aus Nord
Hallucinogen
Debemur Morti Productions (2019)
Having a twenty-five year long career is an achievement in itself, yet crafting works that can stand as a whole and as a part of each other is another level of talent that many try their hardest to reach, and many fail to achieve. France’s Blut Aus Nord find no problems with reinventing their sound and creating compositions that ring … Read more
Blut Aus Nord
Memoria Vetusta III: Saturnian Poetry
Debemur Morti Productions (2014)
Starting back in the early ‘90s, Blut Aus Nord exists in two intersecting realities. Their earlier releases, which includes the first part of the Memoria Vetusta trilogy (a trilogy so far, I guess it might be extended), showcased an atmospheric black metal band, in the vein of acts such as Norwegian black metal legends Emperor. But soon enough, Blut Aus … Read more
Bob Mould
Sunshine Rock
Merge (2019)
Music is a form of expression and therapy and often times the only way an artist can make sense of the events going on around them. It's something Bob Mould makes very clear when he steps up to the mic. After years of dealing with loss and delving deeper into a darkness that surrounded him, he's letting his new album, … Read more
Bobby Kapp & Matthew Shipp
Cactus
Northern Spy (2016)
Drummer Bobby Kapp and pianist Matthew Shipp are legends of free jazz. Improvisation is their arena, and through a series of albums they have proven unique musicians they both are. Strangely enough, the two have not crossed paths in the past when it comes to recoding, apart from Kapp's album Themes 4 Transmutation. In Cactus the two are thrown into … Read more
Boduf Songs
Stench Of Exist
Flenser (2015)
Started as the acoustic project of musician Mat Sweet, Boduf Songs have been transforming throughout the years. The debut self-titled album of the band featured interesting acoustic compositions, recorded with minimal equipment in Sweet’s own room back in 2004, but soon enough bloomed into a darker, experimental act. Such tendencies were revealed in Lion Devours the Sun as the music … Read more
Body Count
Carnivore
Century Media (2020)
You couldn't keep them on their leash forever, and now that they're back on the streets, it's either ride or die with Ice-T's and Ernie C's hardcore thrash revival, Body Count, and their seventh album, Carnivore. Body Count are well into the second leg of their career, having jump started the group's black heart with 2014's Manslaughter, following an initial … Read more
Bogos
Empty Bottles
Voodoo Rhythm (2022)
Sante, Salud, Prost ,Salute ,Saúde,Proost, Skål,Kippis,3а здоровье,乾杯, 건배,干杯 ,Şerefe ,في صحتك , לחיים , ΥΓΕΙΑ , Na zdrowie ,Na zdraví, Cheers! I sauntered into the dimly lit old man's bar closing the door behind the impeding swirling snowstorm brewing outside. Upon my unnoticed entry(this was no Cheers!-no cries of Norm were echoed by patrons) my eyes were immediately drawn to … Read more
