Well folks, it’s that time once again: Album of the Year content is just ahead of us and the list-making engines have already been watered with the blood of magazines and blogs who think the year ends in November. As for us, we’re only getting things arranged and calculated out.…
The question of what exactly makes post-rock what it is is a hotly debated one. But, as with all forms of discourse, there are usually a few “points of truth” on which everyone (more or less) tends to agree. For post-rock, some of these include the lack of vocals (although…
Perhaps some of you have noticed that I’ve been a bit less loquacious in these intros of late. At the very least I’ve noticed it and feel a bit guilty for it. Truth be told I simply have not had nearly as much time to dedicate to this column as…
One of the most exciting releases of the year, Detach The Island’s The Burden To Become Fact is one of the sleeper-hits of the year, blending the magical mayhem of chaotic post-violence with the stuttering, savage rhythmic battery of math metal. I’ve helped premiere music from the record and written…
The Load In August may have been a relatively quiet month in terms of the volume of events I attended, but there can be no doubt that the quality has been exceptionally high. Having already spoken at length about Radar festival in my last column, I only have three more…
Each month, we always seem to come to the same conclusion when it comes to our Editors’ Picks column: Friday release days open the floodgates and unleash a seemingly endless stream of quality new music. But while some of our Editors and Contributors sit down gleefully each week to dive into this newly stocked treasure…
One thing I can say about Russian Circles is that they have always been consistent. I’ve seen them open for Minus the Bear in Brooklyn in 2006, headline a tiny club in Milford, Connecticut in support of Geneva in 2009, open for Coheed and Cambria and Between the Buried and…
As a general rule, a metal band that takes the decision to remain instrumental is more likely to be a proggy or mathy affair. When listening to them, it’s more common to find oneself swaying to twinkly explorations or twitching to movable-feast time signatures than outright headbanging. But rules are meant…
Despite the seemingly straightforward nature of drone, the style is a great deal more varied in practice. For drone metal in particular, the idea of drawing out doom to an even more low, slow and meditative state relies on each individual band’s interpretation of the genre they’re extrapolating from. As…
Some bands understand the value in an explosive opening to an album. Brutus have that down to a tee; their newly released, and highly anticipated album Nest starts with three of the strongest tracks the band have made today. Using that burst of energy which sets things going, Brutus ride…
