Rating: 4.5/5
Where other bands in Kollwitz’ neighborhood might be regarded as one-trick ponies, this Norwegian band has something hidden up their sleeves: tristesse. They have managed to fuse heavy metal with a dark sadness, and that is the glory of Kollwitz. It is not ear-shattering mayhem, but rather beautiful melancholy, which portray depths more common to Neurosis than any of their followers.
Rating: 3.5/5
… Suicidal Angels are about to stake a blue-and-white flag in the thrash world. Though I am unclear as to how an angel may be suicidal, nor do I understand why darkness needs sanctification, the album is solid.
Rating: 4/5
Stranglehold. The Norwegian death rock band Kvelertak give the listener the proper feel for their music with their name and self-titled debut album. The band borrows the explosive energy from underground hardcore, the riffs from 21st century metal and the chorus anthems from hard rock.
Rating: 4.5/5
Fleshwrought offers balls-to-the-wall brutal technical death metal, but also channels a rare creative streak, demonstrating excellent writing and instrumental mastery from someone known only for drumming proficiency.
Rating: 4/5
Decrepit Birth’s third studio album begins with a melodic guitar arrangement almost reminiscent of The Fucking Champs. The similarities, as you might expect, stop there. The band waste no time whipping out Schuldiner-esque riffs and guttural growls. The sound in general is still pretty much what you have grown to expect from Decrepit Birth––a modernized version of later Death material––but Polarity sees the band in their best form yet.
Rating: 5/5
Iron Maiden are peaking just as high––if not higher––than they did in their heyday. Each album for the last ten years has been a cut above the last, a feat rarely achieved by a band of their age. “The Final Frontier” certainly doesn’t stop this trend and should remain a classic for years to come.
As curator, Sunn O))) will personally select the bands that will play during their special event as well as perform a headline show.
Rating: 2.5/5
I appreciate Zeuss’ full production, and the control that Joey and Wednesday have over the final product, but perhaps wanted to give too much. With better focus and judicious editing, their next effort may be deadly.
Rating: 1.5/5
Empty emphatics, clichés, redundancy, and imitation: the tools unashamedly employed by The Acacia Strain. They are a band that instills anger for all the wrong reasons; catharsis for morons at best. Now on their fifth album, the Massachusetts quartet(?*) opts for Meshuggah-miming to lull the listener into believing the band is capable of progression.
Conducted outside The Monkey House in Winooski, VT on 2010Aug07 after their show with Constants, City of Ships, and Burrows. We talk about the pros and cons of one-man projects, the digital music shift, and his attitude towards cute kittens named Nermal.
