Swans

Those Darn Gnomes – Calling Whitetails to a Tuned Bow Review

Those Darn Gnomes – Calling Whitetails to a Tuned Bow Review

“Imagine being at a party with your musician pals. They’re all very accomplished. Suddenly, they decide to put on an impromptu jam. Everybody joins in–like, a dozen people. They decide they’re going to play, oh, I don’t know, some weird number, like from Harry Partch or something. Only they all play a different Partch composition at the same time, and add some slam poetry, pound on some homemade instruments, and one guy starts growling death metal vocals. Now comes the choose your own adventure part: do you sit there mesmerized, in awe of the spectacle unfolding, or do you stand up and leave due to your churning stomach, unable to handle the confluence of disparate styles, rhythms, and sounds? Welcome to Those Darn Gnomes.” Chaos is a ladder.

Kollaps – Mechanical Christ Review

Kollaps – Mechanical Christ Review

“After a brief foray into familiar waters courtesy Shotgun Sawyer’s Led Zeppelin riffing, I’m taking a turn in murkier environs once again by visiting Australian industrial mavens Kollaps. If Kollaps are interested in imitating any band, it’s Author & Punisher. Many of their instruments -er, implements- are primitive handmade devices: scrap metal, springs, and other industrial waste.” Waste management.

Atriarch – Dead As Truth Review

Atriarch – Dead As Truth Review

“I’m fed up with wizards, dragons, and leather-cladded warriors in metal. I’m fed up with corpse paint, studs, and leather-cladded necromancers in metal. I’m fed up with groove, headbanging, and flannel-cladded bong wizards in metal. I’m fed up with melody and happiness in metal, that’s why Atriarch – with their fourth full-length Dead As Truth – have arrived at the perfect time.” Celebrate the sludge.

Cult Leader – Lightless Walk [Things You Might Have Missed 2015]

Cult Leader – Lightless Walk [Things You Might Have Missed 2015]

“Any fan of Gaza knows the drama. In early 2013, vocalist Jon Parkin became the target of a rape allegation that, though eventually settled out of court by both parties, ultimately led to the remainder of the Utah-based hardcore outfit cutting ties with Parkin and starting anew. The result was Cult Leader: essentially the same lineup, with bassist Anthony Lucero dropping the four-string to take over on vocals.” Join the cult or refuse the Kool Aid?

Napalm Death – Apex Predator-Easy Meat Review

Napalm Death – Apex Predator-Easy Meat Review

Napalm Death, we meet again. For their last decade or so, these guys have been a model of uneventful consistency. Their notorious lineup changes seem to be a thing of the past (or perhaps not), and their last 4-5 albums have been damn solid. This is certainly a good thing for longtime Napalm fans, but it makes reviewing them increasingly redundant.” You might even say reviewing them is a bit of a…grind?

Culted – Oblique to All Paths Review

Culted – Oblique to All Paths Review

“The Internet is a wonderful thing. You can find pretty much everything via the web: your future ex-wife/husband, unnecessary lists you never knew you wanted to read, questionable porn based on whatever, and yes, even band members. Culted are a unique group. Three-quarters of the band live in Manitoba, Canada, and they’ve never met their vocalist, Swedish-based Daniel Jansson, with the exception of file-sharing and email correspondence. Remarkably, even without ever being in the same room, they craft some seriously cold, bleak soundscapes.” These guys run their band like AMG runs this website. It’s all about distance, isolation and cold, inhuman technology!

Mamiffer & Circle – Enharmonic Intervals (for Paschen Organ) Review

Mamiffer & Circle – Enharmonic Intervals (for Paschen Organ) Review

“There is a tendency, among music critics, to emphasize anything even vaguely related to experimentalism. For them, any album that smacks of avant-garde is either ‘a step forward’ or simply ‘beyond’. The trajectory, the direction and what boundaries the sound has allegedly trespassed are details that are almost always left undisclosed. The end result is that there is no critique, but instead an endless succession of attributes, excerpts and frustration.” Alex indicts the entire music reviewing industry as he digs into the interesting release by Mamiffer & Circle. Give us Hell, Alex!!