Issues: Issue 297 - September 2013
Reviews: Hawthorne Heights – Zero
Featuring their first foray into concept album territory, it’s too bad that the dystopia-themed lyrics don’t form the most coherent concept in the world, and it’s all fairly forgettable in the long run. … read more
Reviews: Havok – Unnatural Selection
Havok’s rocked a cut above the feckless ‘80s imitators since day one, shamelessly copping chunks of top-tier bay area mayhem into their casserole, while freely adding their own ingredients. … read more
Reviews: GWAR – Battle Maximus
GWAR are metal to the teeth, even if you count their dabbling in punk rock and other musical diversions. … read more
Reviews: Ghost Wave – Ages
Everyone loves songs about getting drunk and breaking stuff, romanticizing self-destructive behavior like a poorly written Bukowski novel. This album gives me none of those feelings—it is about as visceral as a Ryan Adams song. … read more
Reviews: Get Dead – Bad News
Intense, growling vocals swoon wonderfully over heavy acoustic rhythm instrumentation and an electric lead guitar. … read more
Reviews: Gauntlet Hair – Stills
It starts with “Human Nature,” a fist-pumper with an awesome build-up to a glorious hook. What follows is a collection of songs that are grungy, crystalline, sexy and ugly. … read more
Reviews: Front Line Assembly – Echogenetic
Returning somewhat to their early 1990s sound, but with a detour through dubstep—it’s sort of impossible not to get that particular peanut butter wub in your electronic chocolate these days—Echogenetic is a very workable, even strong bit of electronic industrial/ebm. … read more
Local Review: Young Yet Brilliant Sleuths/Guides & Braves – Self-Titled...
Young Yet Brilliant Sleuths/Guides & Braves Self-Titled Split Self-Released Street: 06.04 YYBS/Guides & Braves = Imbroco + Real Estate + Track Star It is weird that this split record sounds vintage to me. As vintage as, say, the early aughts, when emo fractured into two very disparate camps. Both YYBS and Guides & Braves follow
Local Review: The Red Light Commandos – Self-Titled
The Red Light Commandos Self-Titled Self-Released Street: 06.02 The Red Light Commandos = Incubus + The Mars Volta I am incredibly torn on how to represent this album. With heavy, blues-influenced progressive rock, soft and soothing vocal stylings sound both forced and discordant. For moments in every song, you can hear the vocalist singing in
Local Review: The Vision – Love Propaganda
The Vision Love Propaganda Self-Released Street: 05.02 The Vision = Tracy Chapman + Sublime + Fleetwood Mac The Vision present a wonderful six-song EP of funk and reggae-infused folk rock—a delicious cake of music frosted with the warm, sultry vocals of Chandra Marie. It’s not an album that sounds like any other album, per