Issues: Issue 198 - June 2005
Review: Winter Solstice – The Fall of Rome
Winter Solstice The Fall of Rome Metal Blade Records Ooh, tricky—I thought by the title and statue on the cover, this would be gothic metal or power metal, but it’s just another piece-of-shit screamo metalcore band. Fuck this waste of plastic. And I wish these fags would stop trying to trick people into thinking their
Review: Usurper – Cryptobeast
Usurper Cryptobeast Earache Records Usurper started out as a band called The Dead Youth, a very unpromising grindcore band. Since then, they have reformed as essentially a faster, heavier version of Celtic Frost. Usurper have endured a few lineup changes since the release of their first few records, and it seems as though they have
Review: Various Artists – Soundwave Assassins 2
Various Artists Soundwave Assassins 2 Backscatter Out Now With so many talented Salt Lake acts producing new music all over the place, it’s always welcoming to have a single disc that showcases the variety of their efforts. The second volume in the Soundwave Assassin series offers 13 compelling tracks balancing experimental, noise, harsh electronics and
Review: Various Artists – A.L.P.H.A
Various Artists A.L.P.H.A Geska Records Out Now It’s hard enough to keep up on the new music coming out, but then you pick up something like the double-disc A.L.P.H.A. compilation and suddenly there’s a plethora of new talent to discover. The Geska label provides more than a music service, but also a bank full of
Review: Starflyer 59 – Talking Voice VS. Singing Voice
Starflyer 59 Talking Voice VS. Singing Voice Tooth & Nail I’ve listened to this album for a couple months trying to sort out how I feel about it. I’ve come up with this: Starflyer 59 make sugar-coma pop music. It’s epic in a small box theater, but not exactly made for big booming stadiums. It
Review: Peter Murphy – Unshattered
Peter Murphy Unshattered Viastar Odd how a Peter Murphy album can be released and some six months later, they’re finally sending it out to the press. I’ve had the album for quite some time now and even though my opinion of it has improved over time, Unshattered is a little hard to swallow. Still fresh
Review: Meat Beat Manifesto – At the Center
Meat Beat Manifesto At the Center Thirsty Ear Out Now Jack Dangers will always keep you guessing with what he is going to do next. In the two decades that he has been making music, the consistencies are exhibited in his brilliance for music writing, reinvention and really doing something that has never been done
Review: Kasabian – Self-Titled
Kasabian Self-Titled RCA Kasabian have been a guilty pleasure of mine since hearing the opening of “Club Foot.” Granted, they aren’t completely original. You can pinpoint various points in Manchester’s history of music that pop up in abundance throughout the album, fitting in somewhere post-Happy Mondays and the Charlatan’s happier days with a dash of
Review: Jon Cutler ft. Michael Watford – Watcha Gonna Do
Jon Cutler ft. Michael Watford Watcha Gonna Do MN2S Currently on a roll heading up MN2S 10th anniversary celebrations, New York-based Jon Cutler delivers another killer vocal gem showcasing the infamous singer Michael Watford. First heard in Miami WMC, this raw and back-to-roots melody is already hot in the boxes of Tony Humphries, Louie Vega,
Review: Heimataerde – Gotteskrieger
Heimataerde Gotteskrieger Metropolis Out Now One word: Bagpipes. As one of the latest acts to sign to Metropolis, Heimataerde is going to drop explosions with the four-on-the-floor beats and interesting choice of instruments. The chanting and whispered German in the intro, “Non Nobis,” along with sword sharpening and horses, sets the mood for Gotteskrieger—a follow-up