John Hoffman’s vocal plasticity, which ranges from harrowing shrieks to guttural bellowing and intermittent grooving (“Yes Way” and “Broken Mirror”), compares to others of the ilk. Ultimately, though, the band plies their wares where the most bread gets buttered: punishing power violence with an occasional metal flourish. … read more
Brooklyn psych band with personal and label support from Anton Newcombe—that tagline should be enough of a selling point for many people interested in this record. Reverb and overdrive are more prominent effects than fuzz on Healing, setting it apart somewhat from previous Weird Owl releases. … read more
Though Empires Collapse is certainly a capital “T” Thrash record, it also incorporate more doom, punk and even industrial influences than any previous record, as made evident on ominous pounders like “The Turning of the Gears” and “Leviathan.” … read more
Remaining true to their sound, VNV Nation have stuck with their trendy, almost mainstream, future pop style that created their popularity. … read more
Soma echoes the smoke-wreathed incantations of Electric Wizard with their heavy, powerful riffing and foreboding atmosphere. However, Windhand tones down the grooviness of the British black wizards, aiming instead for something closer to a traditional doom sound. … read more
Winkie’s inclination toward the melodic structure buried beneath the fuzz is what places them alongside their already established peers. Was mbv too full of love for your horizontal head? Eat at Winkie’s! … read more
Musically minimal and delicate, juxtaposed with dense lyrics, William Fitzsimmons manages to create an album that is both contemplative and intense without being dull or impenetrable. It is clean without being overproduced, emotional without being cliché and is personal while still being relatable. … read more
While you may roll your eyes at the pretense of a concept album about an astronaut emerging from a black hole as a limitless superbeing, it is hard to fault the ambitious scope of this project—two musicians from Louisville, KY scoring these massive, soaring, 10-minute-plus epics with symphonic scores, brawny psych guitar work and droning atmospherics. … read more
The demos presented here are more sparse in sound and instrumentation than the tracks that later appeared on 1982’s La Varieté, the only album released by the band. This is a short set of songs, but it’s rather beautiful, and without any moments wasted. … read more
White Suns encapsulate destruction par excellence with Totem. One may first recall works like Jane Doe with opening track “Priest in the Laboratory,” with its contra-time signatures and cacophonous electric-guitar malfunctioning and anti-chords—it’s sporadic, broken movement. … read more
New Gods is the second release from the Edinburgh-based Withered Hand. Dan Willson brings his folk-rock ness to the table once again, and this time, it’s all about the love. … read more
Polish death metal giants Vader enter the summer release chaos with Tibi Et Igni—meaning “For You and Fire” in Latin. Tibi Et Igni isn’t a bad album, though it struggles quite a bit. … read more
