For the love of music
Blood Red Shoes – Water EP http://v2music.com/ http://www.bloodredshoes.co.uk/ Laura-Mary and Steven muddy the waters with a harder, fuzzed-out sound on their latest EP, an emphatic nod to hard rock and garage rock styles. The inherent exuberance and defiance found on their earlier output is bogged down on Water by a sludgy sonic brew … [Read more...]
The remnants of metal music are still trying to find a clear way out. For many bands, metal finds them pigeon-holed and devoid of constructive progress. For Georgia-based Baroness, metal has been an exploration of vivid highs and stirring convictions. Through their first set of EPs and most recently with Red Album and Blue Record, they’ve … [Read more...]
Hello Fiona! How are you doing? Wow, I can’t believe it’s been about two decades since you’re last album, and now, as if no time has passed by at all, you’re back with a spectacular and powerful new album (with your spirited and compelling vocals in top form) titled Unbroken which was released in October. I also can’t believe I’m doing … [Read more...]
I'd like to file this Portland quartet comfortably between progressive and sludge metal. Unfortunately, their sound is not that simple and it would be an injustice for me to label them as such. They are mesmerizing. With a slick, complex production and a swirling, psychedelic personality all their own, this overdriven, fuzzed out metal … [Read more...]
If you are unaware of Voodoo Circle they are basically a super group consisting of musicians known and well respected from their ‘day jobs’ with bands such as Primal Fear, Silent Force, and Sinner. Founded by guitarist Alex Beyrodt, their self titled debut in 2008 heralded cries of mass joy and colossal praise, making the wait for a follow up … [Read more...]
Bang your heads! Valient Thorr is back with Stranger, their sixth release in seven years, on Volcom Records. No punches are pulled on this album and Valient Thorr further solidifies their role as Heavy Metal revivalists (think Mustaine-era Metallica meets Motorhead) on this balls to the wall masterpiece. Now, if one is not already a … [Read more...]
A Family Affair, the new album by Italian power trio Bad Bones, is essentially what would happen if Led Zeppelin, Motorhead and Metallica fused together. It’s somewhat of a mixed bag, though, as Bad Bones seem capable of only delivering the heaviness without the substance or variety. Still, there is a humility to it that brings some charm. The … [Read more...]
The quality of an album depends just as much on the production as it does on the writing and performance. I have often encountered records with some interesting ideas that are ultimately ruined by poor sound, and I wish that the creators could go back and remix it, making it more polished and involving. The Road to Knowledge, the sophomore album by … [Read more...]
There never seems to be any kind of love lost for the hard rock sound that generated some of the greatest hits of the 90s. Absinthe Junk doesn’t certainly feel the need to ignore it in that their music benefits in what appears to be an almost direct second coming of that wave of music. On Living Ghosts, their brand of rock doesn’t necessarily … [Read more...]
There is very little to say about Krokus’ Hoodoo. The album marks the first studio collaboration of the original members in twenty years and its sound dates back even farther. While they can advertise, merchandise and theorize as much as they want about being fierce and fresh, the album is anything but. In essence, it’s a stale and lifeless … [Read more...]