Well it’s been five years since their reunion album Collideøscope, and thankfully, one of the music world’s great welders of funky, bluesy, experimental metal has more to offer.
Living Colour continues to prove necessary as––at the very least––a quality standard for those that dare follow.

Nebula – Heavy Psych released August 18, 2009 on Tee Pee Records Emerging from the depths of the gravity bong in the garage, this is fuzzed-out electric stoner blues that almost seems anachronistic, but who’s counting? (I guess I will…) A dozen years after their inception, they return to the label that spawned ‘em, with a new rhythm section in tow behind founder/ex-Fu Manchu guitarist, Eddie Glass. At 35 min, it’s also about as long as Let It Burn. Playing out like a long jam session, the album starts with a trifecta of goodness that ranges from spacey noodling [...read more]

Porcupine Tree – The Incident released September 15, 2009 on Roadrunner With Porcupine Tree, Dream Theater and Opeth now all under the Roadrunner banner (not to mention PT and DT releasing albums within months of each other that both contain a car crash motif), we may have even loftier hopes from these progressive powerhouses. This daunting enterprise from the British quartet succeeds in generating atmospheres, delicately balancing the heaviness, and never losing sight of the grander album picture. Still largely constructed by Steven Wilson, the whole band is credited with some of the music on the main disc (xi, xiii) [...read more]

Kittie – In The Black released Sept 15, 2009 on E1 Entertainment You ask people to name one all-female metal group that’s still in existence, and those that don’t first hark back to Drain STH or any various riot grrl acts of the 1990s will default to Kittie. This is the issue most take up with the band: they have a lot to answer for amidst post-milennial estrogenicidal metal. Let’s get this out of the way: In the Black is Kittie’s best album to date. Of course, you have to remember that we’re judging by Kittie standards here, so [...read more]

Howl – Howl released July 21, 2009 on Relapse This is the music you would create if you got High On Fire ripping bingers from a Bongzilla and satiated the munchies with Soilent Green. Dredging dirge after dirge from a swampy black mire somewhere in the nether regions of Rhode Island(?!), they scrape off the crusty decomposition from their found artifacts and forge something fine enough for a Baroness, yet filthy enough for a Goatwhore. With a full length on the horizon and so much promise already, the ravenous masses will undoubtably be baying until the release. Until then, [...read more]

Your Demise- “Ignorance Never Dies” released May 4th, 2009 on Mosh380 Your Demise is a hardcore band from St.Albans, United Kingdom influenced by Hatebreed, Sick Of It All and Suicidal Tendencies. “Antipode” is fast, uncompromising and has the feel of a Hatebreed song. Standard sludgy hardcore. “Black Veins” follows in the same way with sludgy, metal-like bass and drums standing out like a sore thumb. Reminds me more of a cross between Ministry and Sick Of It All. “Dreaming Of Believing” is more what I’m looking for with a fast, blistering hardcore feel. To get to the point, this [...read more]

Death Before Dishonor- “Better Ways To Die” released July 29th, 2009 on Bridge Nine Records Death Before Dishonor is a hardcore band from South Boston, Massachusetts. This is their third full length album. “Remember” starts out with trudging guitar and bass and the drums kick in the middle, thrash-like with a good touch of metal. A bit like Hatebreed. “Coffin Nail” follows a similar path and the drums also tend to be thrash-like. Dark and brooding with just enough crossover appeal. “Boys in Blue” has more of a Sam Black Church feel to it and it pretty much sticks [...read more]

Gallows- “Grey Britain” released May 5th, 2009 on Reprise Records Gallows is a band from Watford, UK that formed in 2005. The band members cut their teeth in various punk/hardcore bands before coming together. “The Riverbank” starts out with a haunting melody and works its way up. It’s eerie and an interesting way to start. “London Is The Reason” has a decent thrash-like feel to it, reminiscent of early Metallica with a dash of Sick Of It All thrown in. The bass dominates this song with precision drumming throughout. “Leeches” has the feel of a Black Flag song and [...read more]

Municipal Waste- “Massive Aggressive” clean 3 song sampler released August 25th, 2009 on Earache Records Generally described as thrash metal from Richmond, Virginia. This is their fourth album and this CD includes 3 clean cuts from the new album (Massive Aggressive). “Wrong Answer” starts out with a vibe similar to early Metallica and then the drums speed up and it gets a bit more aggressive, taking on a hardcore feel in the middle. “Shredded Offering” is much of the same but it sounds polished with a definite thrash feel to it. “Divine Blasphemer” seems like the best of all [...read more]

Lullabye Arkestra- “Threats/Worship” released September 1st, 2009 on VICE Music Lullabye Arkestra are a husband and wife duo that play stripped down music that has a dark/primal feel to it. “Get Nervous” is loud with an emphasis on dark, foreboding guitar riffs ala Black Sabbath or even In Flames with thundering drums to back it up. “Surviving The Year Of Wolves” continues with the killer riffs and drums and adds in strings and keyboards as well to give it more depth. “This Is A Storm” is fast, unrelenting and has more of a hardcore feel to it with the [...read more]