March 2005
Local Review: Yaotl Mictlan – Self-titled demo
Yaotl Mictlan Self-titled demo Yaotl Mictlan = Mayhem + Mexico Yaotl Mictlan deliver black metal with a primal, South American heart, what Rene Gomez, lead singer, calls “pre-Colombian metal.” The opening track, “Decendiendo al Xibalba” starts with the sound of wood flutes, beads shaking, and what sounds like the deep yelling of an immense crowd.
Local Review: Tragic Black – The Sixx Premonitions
Tragic Black The Sixx Premonitions Tragic Black = Cinema Strange + The Cadavers Sociopolitical death rock never tasted so good. Tragic Black is back with this six-song EP, recorded at Arrogant Hipster Studios, which is tighter, crisper and boasts more cohesive production than Articulate Lacerations. The songwriting has also progressed a lot; the guitar riffs
Local Review: The Wolfs – Lights Out +4
The Wolfs Lights Out +4 PseudoRecordings The Wolfs = Iggy & the Stooges + The Germs The Wolfs remind you of all the tough, grimy reasons you fell in love with rock n’ roll and/or punk—and it didn’t have anything to do with romance, money, status or fashion. “The Baroness” is my favorite track on
Local Review: Gaza – East
Gaza East Exigent Records Gaza = Soilent Green + Today Is The Day + Eyehategod + Pushing Up Daisies Probably unfairly lumped in with many of the metalcore bands coming out these days, Gaza are unique and don’t deserve such categorization. Elements of raging, pissed hardcore are evident, but with a very kick-ass mix of
Local Review: Gigi Love – Turning to Gold
Gigi Love Turning to Gold Gigi Love = Gina French + Lucinda Williams + Sheryl Crow You know, it’s always nice when people write old-fashioned handwritten notes. Thanks, Gigi. Bittersweet alt-country goes down smooth as warm buttered rum, or better yet, buttered rum Lifesavers. Everything on this album is so perfectly written, executed and produced
Local Review: Circuit Surgeon – Self-Titled
Circuit Surgeon Self-Titled Self-released Circuit Surgeon = Skinny Puppy + Noise Unit + Twilight Transmissions + Download Ever wondered what happened to Skinny Puppy? They broke up and reformed as Circuit Surgeon! OK, not really, but this disc sounds like it! This two-man industrial brain surgeon has so much going on in each song that
Local Review: Almost Undone – Sugar & Despair
Almost Undone Sugar & Despair Combining the best of Evanescence and Kittie, Almost Undone present a choppy, chunky metal cocktail that’s a little bit nü, a little bit jagged core (Crisis, Otep, Kittie). I never liked Evanescence, but Brenna White does a better job than Amy Lee or Morgan Lander combined, especially since Kittie has
Review: Funerus – Festering Earth
Funerus Festering Earth Ibex Moon Records The first demon to escape the gates this month is Funerus, a side project of Incantation mastermind John McEntee. Funerus play abysmal and turgid death metal, with the occasional outburst of speed. They usually keep things slow or mid-paced, though. This is a good example of what
Review: Estuary – To Exist And Endure
Estuary To Exist and Endure Ibex Moon Records Also from back east is Estuary, with To Exist and Endure. This band started out as Estuary of Calamity, and had a more melodic beginning, adding keyboards and black metal vocals, among other effects. Now, they’ve stripped down their sound, ditched the pretty keys and sissy black
Review: Drop the Fear – Self-Titled
Drop the Fear Self-Titled Drop the Fear The comparisons to the Cocteau Twins are going to be rampant even though they aren’t exactly accurate. Neither the guitars nor the vocals are anywhere as layered or complex, but still there is something there that does recall the cascades and swirling tide that defined 4AD in the
Review: Bloody Sign – Vana Vingala Loits
Bloody Sign Vana Vigala Loits Ibex Moon Records Like their fellow death-metal countrymen Mercyless and Phazm, Bloody Sign manage to combine the speed with guttural heaviness while keeping things interesting the whole way through the disc. You might say they come across as sounding like a slightly less sepulchral and less down-tuned version of Incantation.
Review: Augie March – Strange Bird
Augie March Strange Bird Spin Art When Elbow’s vocalist Guy Garvey sings the praises of Australia’s Augie March, you can’t help but feel like he’s being narcissistic. It isn’t that Strange Bird steals from Elbow as much as it implements the same mumbled vocals over a down-tempo atmosphere that dominates Elbow’s recordings. While many might
