Made Out of Babies - “The Ruiner” [The End] … noisy and angular, melodic and dissonant, modern yet primal, beautiful yet terrifying … an examination of Homo Sapiens, further exemplified by the album art, featuring exhibits from The Museum of Natural History juxtaposed with shots from the Air & Space Museum … as abrasive and acerbic as anything by the Melvins or Jesus Lizard, made more incendiary by vocal phenom Julie Christmas, whose delicacy and ferocity will astonish you … a Best of 2008 pick! FCC OK … Try *1*, 2, 3, 4, 8 … 2008Jun24 01. Cooker 02. Grimace 03. Invisible Ink [...read more]

Judas Priest – “Nostradamus” [Epic] … their 17th album (and 2nd since reuniting) is an ambitious, daunting concept album that–at about 100 min–nearly collapses on itself … they chose a grand approach for a topic truly epic in scope, but the atmosphere is beefed up with way too much synth, throwaway riffing, boring interludes, and lyrics full of threadbare clichés … that being said, this is Priest here, so when that Tipton-Downing guitar work is in full effect and Halford’s hitting those notes spot-on, you know damn well who you’re listening to … FCC OK … Try CDI: 6, [...read more]

  Giraffes? Giraffes! - “More Skin with Milk Mouth” [Loves in Heat] … quirky, arty, mathy kinda music from this Santa Cruz duo … mastered by Dan Rathbum (Sleepytime Gorilla Museum), who only tends to lend himself to worthwhile craft … there is much interesting ground covered on this all-too-brief EP, plenty for fans of Don Caballero and music that refuses to stand still … the longer tracks (2, 5) can get a bit self-indulgent, bu the urgency behind driving standouts 1 & 4 really keeps the album buoyant … FCC OK … Try 1, 4 … 2008Jun17 01. When the catholic [...read more]

Cryptopsy - “The Unspoken King” [Century Media] … more experimentation from the Montréal quintet-turned-sextet, now sporting a female keyboardist and a new vocalist, Matt McGachy … still full of impressive complexity and variety (esp from their MVP, drummer Flo Mounier), but the band’s embrace of Metalcore (however technical) is bothersome … clean vox in particular (see 4, 5, 6, 7, 9, 10) are to Cryptopsywhat Jar-Jar Binks was to the Star Wars saga:  out of place, a hindrance to the greater work, and worse for being included … 11 is a noisy, pointless outro … FCC: 5 … Try 1, 2, 8 … [...read more]

  The Psyke Project - “Apnea” [Lifeforce] … third full length album from this Danish quintet … their unconventional song structures with Hardcore roots draws immediate comparison to Isis and The Ocean with elements of Converge … the vox, lyrics, and instrumentation often fall short in terms of overall effective songwriting and climax-building … they’re not bad, but will be more inspired once they master these traits … FCC: 3 … Try 1, 2, 4 … 2008Jun15 01. The Voice Of Commandment 02. I Get Paralyzed 03. Panic 04. Creating Landscapes 05. Physical Romance 06. Dedication 07. Love Shown In A Handful Of Dirt 08. Poems [...read more]

John 5 - “Requiem” [60 Cycle Hum] … fourth solo album from this popular hired gun … he’s painted up like one of Marilyn Manson’s minions, but this guy has done and can do more … his many influences can be heard throughout, from Joe Satriani worship (1) to Rob Zombie horror shlock (2+3, 6) and even some banjo (4, 7), which may be some Skynyrd residue … cerrtainly worth exploring, cuz the dude can shred, and write good grooves with just enough humor to be engaging … but ultimately it is a guitarist’s album and the unaccustomed may find themselves lost in the instrumental [...read more]