Wilderun – Epigone
Looking back on Wilderun's discography is a very interesting exercise. Both Olden Tales & Deathly Trails and Sleep at the Edge of the Earth (what hagiographies of the band will know call their "early era a... Read More...
Fit For An Autopsy – Oh What the Future Holds
Oh What the Future Holds finds Fit For An Autopsy with a little more patience, finally hitting their veteran stride in their sixth studio album. Tracks are given ample space to come alive in the pensive, bestial way only Fit can paradoxically achieve, instead of constantly clobbering you with The Big Riffs. It’s a commanding, inspired outing, far removed from the languor of their prior work. So what does the future hold for their direction after Beasts, exactly?
SOM – The Shape Of Everything
Shoegaze act SOM arrived in 2018 and melted hearts with their debut album The Fall, then blew us away from the stage at POST. Festival the following year. The act (featuring members of Junius, Constants, and Caspian) has been described as "doom pop," which isn't inaccurate; the baseline SOM modus operandi consists of colossal low-end, lush guitar layers, and airy vocal hooks delivered through a wash of delay and reverb, without pretense or complication.
SEED – Dun Pageant
It has been a while since I pointed out the underappreciated and subtle art of album or track names. It's an often overlooked part of making and releasing music for obvious reasons: these naming conventions se... Read More...
Plebeian Grandstand – Rien ne suffit
French blackened hardcore outfit Plebeian Grandstand have continuously cultivated an ever-building hype and air of mystique about them, reaching back to 2010 with their debut album How Hate Is Hard To Define, ... Read More...
Devin Townsend – The Puzzle / Snuggles
Devin Townsend's The Puzzle is certainly going to be a controversial spot in his discography, but ultimately serves a real utility for Devin's psyche and artistic process. These are not your standard studio albums with traditional songs with pesky things like structure. The Puzzle amounts to idea vomit; by Devin's own admission, this was a dumping ground for random emotional impulses that reflected this entire weird period we've experienced the last two years. And honestly, it's kind of incredible the way it worked out.
Cynic – Ascension Codes
Cynic have long achieved legendary status in extreme metal and prog, introducing jazz fusion influences to death metal in 1993 with their monumental debut album Focus. Previously, core Cynic members Paul Masvi... Read More...
So Hideous – None But a Pure Heart Can Sing
So Hideous are a band that are no strangers to transformation. A name change that could have been just superficial ended up being so much more than that when the band followed up their 2014 debut with Lauresti... Read More...
Monolord – Your Time To Shine
As I was listening to Your Time To Shine, the newest release from Sweden’s Monolord, a nonsequitur thought went through my head. I started thinking about peanut butter. As “The Weary” turned to “To Each Their ... Read More...
Glassing – Twin Dream
Over time there’s been an increasing number of bands blurring the lines between blackgaze, atmospheric sludge metal and a screamo leaning post-hardcore. For them, those lines have become arguably irrelevant, a... Read More...