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
Review: Wordsmith – The Blue Collar Recital
His flow is clean with simple drumbeats and keys, looped with soulful samples that bump the tracks to an almost gospel status. The “day in a life” approach makes The Blue Collar Recital personal and powerful without being over the top. … read more
Review: Xiu Xiu – Nina
This is obviously a work of love. This homage to the late, great soulstress Nina Simone is beautiful and stark. … read more
Review: Young Turks – Where I Rise
“I don’t give a shit, your music means nothing! Your actions speak even less,” yells Matt Koenig at the beginning of “Territo(royally) Pissed.” … read more
Review: Wolves in the Throne Room – BBC Session 2011 Anno Domini
Ethereal as their studio recordings are, the BBC Session provides a different and equally as compelling experience. “Prayer of Transformation” is a slow and whispered black metal trek on Celestial Lineage, but in the live studio setting it shares a kinship with the patience-testing doom of Bell Witch and Samothrace. … read more
Review: Youth Forgotten – Ghost of A Fallen Empire
Youth Forgotten have a lot of influences: speed metal, thrash, early-’00s metalcore, gothic rock and crossover. When YF combines two genres in one song, it sounds good, but this was quite rare. … read more
Review: Xiu Xiu – Angel Guts: Red Classroom
On this most recent Xiu Xiu release, Jamie Stewart has taken a darker, more gothic approach than on other recent albums. Some apt comparisons might be Bauhaus or Siouxsie And The Banshees. … read more
Review: Yasmine Hamdan – Ya Nass
“Shouei” stuck out most for me, evoking the sounds of staring out the window and watching the rain in your cozy setting of choice. The album sways gracefully between the nostalgic sounds, like in “Aleb,” to darker, tormented melodies, such as “Enta Fen, Again” and “La Mouch.” … read more
