Authors: Megan Kennedy
Review: Psalm Zero – Force My Hand
It’s tough to rate the band on this debut single, because one of the two songs is a cover of Today Is The Day’s “Willpower,” which they transformed from its distorted, noise-metal roots into a gothic dirge with what the band calls “medieval vocal harmonies.” … read more
Review: Old Wounds
There is a certain, special je ne sais quoi about the sound that Jersey-based Old Wounds deliver. It’s not new or groundbreaking, nor is it a completely tried-and-true homage to some old hardcore sound. Devastatingly simple, it is heavy music stripped to its rotted bones and delivered without pretense or gimmick. … read more
Review: Myrkur – Self-Titled
Myrkur—Icelandic for “darkness”—is making waves in the black metal community. All we know of this mysterious act is that a single Danish woman has created a gorgeous atmospheric black metal album, which is apparently controversial, because what would black metal be without its constant bitching about authenticity spiced with a little misogyny? … read more
Review: Myrkur – M
Myrkur = Agalloch + Darkthrone … read more
Review: Lamb of God – VII: Sturm Und Drang
Lamb of God = Chimaira + Pantera … read more
Review: Lie In Ruins – Towards Divine Death
Hail Satan, hail death, indeed. This album is the band’s second full-length since they were resurrected from the heyday of early ‘90s death metal to bring back what is a decidedly old-school sound to the genre. It’s longer on both song and album length than most death metal works, which seemed to give the whole thing a more cohesive feeling. … read more
Review: Helms Alee – Sleepwalking Sailors
Sleepwalking Sailors is fun, melodic and disjointed post-rock that gathers many influences without committing to any of them. There are constant shifts from moments that are heavier and metal-adjacent, to discordant, sludgy aggression, to traditionally comfortable melodic lines. … read more
Review: Gloria Morti – Lateral Constraint
Gloria Morti = Negator + The Forsaken … read more
Local Reviews: The Staff
– Self-Titled
The Staff have still managed to conjure up the spirit of the genre and its homeland on this well-polished EP. Lead guitarist/vocalist Will Roney has the kind of deep, honey-soaked voice that is perfect for the melodious, jazzy trip his band is taking you on.
Local Review: Turned to Stone – The Memory I’ve Become
This is a beautiful EP by one of the valley’s most exciting melodic death metal acts, in the opinion of this humble critic. … read more
Local Review: Tiger Fang – Endangered
This album is what it sounds like to pound a 12-pack of Pabst by yourself, jump around on your bed shredding on air guitar until you get sick and puke into a pile of week-old laundry, and knock over your foot-tall bong because you were too busy headbanging to pay attention to anything but the music. … read more
Local Review: The Ditch And The Delta – We Rust
The Ditch And The Delta We Rust Gypsy Blood Records Street: 02.26 The Ditch And The Delta = Neurosis + Baroness We Rust merges Elliot Secrist, Charles Bogus and Kory Quist together like an angry Voltron of SLC musicians rising from the desert waste, bringing forth their dirty stoner-prog gospel. Both Secrist and Quist share
