Black Flag

Lucid Grave – Cosmic Mountain Review

Lucid Grave – Cosmic Mountain Review

“I have recently come to the conclusion that it is sometimes a good exercise to deliberately review two records of the same genre back to back. Not to directly compare the two but to get one into the right mindset and to think about makes a great record in this particular field. And so it is that I find myself reviewing two stoner metal records in consecutive weeks. It’s lucky that I am not trying to compare them, however, as Copenhagen, Denmark’s Lucid Grave could not be more different—within the confines of stoner metal, anyway—from last week’s Holyroller.” Where the mountain meets the desert.

The Bearer – Chained to a Tree Review

The Bearer – Chained to a Tree Review

The Bearer reflects the turmoil in its hometown of Austin, Texas, lyrics protesting the affluent takeover of their city. The trio losing its practice spaces to Tesla showrooms and offices fuels its humanistic message, a reminder to value the people before they are trampled in the onslaught of capitalistic progress. Dabbling in mathcore, beatdown, and technical elements, Chained to a Tree is aflame with hardcore punk counterculture pulsing through its veins.” Bear markets.

Karloff – The Appearing Review

Karloff – The Appearing Review

Karloff is a “metal punk” band, a phrase that doesn’t mean much to me. Military Shadow is “metal punk” too, but they sound nothing like Karloff. What does The Appearing sound like, then? To me, this is firmly in the Swedish realm of metal, specifically what post-Wolverine Blues Entombed was doing, including and especially Entombed A.D..” Coffin punk.

Superjoint – Caught up in the Gears of Application Review

Superjoint – Caught up in the Gears of Application Review

“Longtime metal fans may remember Superjoint Ritual as the nadir of Philip Aneslmo’s career, if they remember it at all. The band’s general concept — mid-’80s hardcore filtered through the depravity of the New Orleans metal scene — was an interesting one, and the resulting album, 2002’s Use Once and Destroy, was a satisfying blast of spite. 12 years later, Anselmo and guitarist Jimmy Bower (also of Down) have decided to resurrect the project, with half of the original lineup and half of the band name.” Phil is back and his gears are grinding.

Tutti I Colori Del Buio – Initiation Into Nothingness Review

Tutti I Colori Del Buio – Initiation Into Nothingness Review

“One of the most intriguing aspects of metal music is the incredible breadth of its various influences and styles. In fact, there are so many subgenres that some websites (mapofmetal.com) are entirely dedicated to their explanation and catalogue. This week I was introduced to another type of extreme music in the form of powerviolence. Characterized by hyper-aggressive, super-fast riffage and anti-establishment lyrics and themes, I have learned through experience that powerviolence is an excellent way to scare off potential dates and traumatize small children.” Will no one think of the children?

Sektemtum – Panacea Review

Sektemtum – Panacea Review

“I’ll be honest: as a reviewer, I often don’t care how original a band is. Give me a thousand groups like Nails, who take a well-tread style and play it damn well, over any wacky group that artificially cobbles together disparate influences in vain pursuit of originality. To me innovation is something that should result from a band playing the music they love and want to hear, not an end goal in itself. And that’s exactly why I find Sektemtum’s sophomore LP Panacea so refreshing – not because it isn’t original, but because it seems to achieve originality without really trying that hard.” There is nothing new except what has been forgotten.

Prong – Songs From The Black Hole Review

Prong – Songs From The Black Hole Review

“Being a Prong fan can be a confusing exercise in cognitive dissonance. I am acutely aware of their many musical shortcomings, and yet I keep coming back for the awesome riffs and mosh-worthy aggression. The band’s track record with other people’s songs is pretty bizarre, and when I saw the tracklist for their covers album Songs From The Black Hole, my initial reaction was equal parts glee and dread. This has the potential to either be fucking awesome, or hilariously bad.” Read along as Mr. Fisting attacks the black hole that is an album of cover tunes by Prong.

Corrosion Of Conformity – IX Review

Corrosion Of Conformity – IX Review

“Considering that the band was left for dead after 2005’s In The Arms Of God, North Carolina’s Corrosion of Conformity has been on a fucking roll these last few years. The band’s original trio reconvened in 2010 and embarked on heavy-duty touring, followed by 2012’s excellent self-titled LP and the hastily-assembled Megalodon EP for Scion A/V. Just two short years later, COC is back again with their 9th album, creatively titled IX.” Old stoner/hardcore bands never die, they just get more garage-y.