Don The Reader - “Humanesque” [Deathcote] … having carefully studied the Mathcore blueprint drawn up by Botch, Isis, and early Dillinger Escape Plan (to name a few), the South Bay quintet draws from this dense, dissonant palette and unleashes their full fury on their debut LP … good variety in terms of riffage, and the guitar dynamics are the band’s strongest suit, but they could stand to either mix up or clarify the throaty yelled vox a bit … FCC: 5, 9 … Try 2, 3, 4, 6, 8 … 2008Oct14 01. 328 02. Malfunction 03. Teethgrinder 04. Humanesque 05. Con-Sciolist 06. Hotwar 07. Pre-Self [...read more]

Exodus - “Let There Be Blood” [Zaentz] … this will certainly polarize whoever was on the fence on this latest incarnation of the Thrash legends: a re-recording of their seminal 1985 classic Bonded By Blood … nostalgia be damned, cuz this benefits greatly from Andy Sneap’s crystal clear modern production … new(er) vocalist Rob Dukes thankfully makes no attempt to mimic the late Paul Baloff, and the band is as tight as they come … it is a welcome homage, akin to Testament’s First Strike Still Deadly (also mastered by Sneap) … 10 is a new recording of an old unreleased song!  FCC: 7 … [...read more]

  Book Of Black Earth – “Horoskopus” [Prosthetic] … a dreary dose of Blackened Seattle Sludge that focuses on “hidden astrological elements of the Christian Church” (someone was watching Zeitgeist!) for their sophomore release … many factors are at work in order to create their sound, blending Death, Doom, and Melodic Black Metal with sparse atmospheric keyboards into a dense wall of sound, fronted by throaty growls that are fairly understandable … you’ll probably notice that the drums undeniably drive the album, arriving high in the mix (with an almost uncomfortably hollow snare) … it can be a bit [...read more]

Cradle Of Filth - “Godspeed On The Devil’s Thunder” [Roadrunner] … detractors be damned, these guys are recording excellent material these days … no stranger to concept albums about the world’s most nefarious figures, they now embrace Gilles de Rais (aka Bluebeard), the French noble who once fought aside Joan of Arc before succumbing to unfathomable depravity, the depths of which include the rape and murder of possibly hundreds of children … CoF’s blackened roots reach deep into the annals of history, with Dani’s famous vocal range spitting and howling his Gothic poetry about this fallen monster over their lush symphonic [...read more]

Droids Attack - “Fatal/Error” [Crustacean] … the artwork of the Madison, Wisconsin power trio’s sophomore effort is key; warm and intriguing, but also exciting and promising impending doom … dishes out more of their post-Sabbathstoner crunch of Sleep by way of Corrosion of Conformity’s [Pepper Keenan fronted] Southern stomp from the opening 11 min epic pastiche to Steven Seagal worship (2) to cheatin’ woman “solutions” (4) and the obligatory drug song (5) … the one we got is thankfully edited, so FCC OK … Try 1, 2, 5, 6 … hell, just pick whatever intrigues you cuz they’re all pretty good … 2008Oct13 [...read more]

Lords - “Fuck All Y’all Motherfuckers” [Blackmarket Activities] … follow-up to their debut album, “Swords,” finds the Louisville, KY natives continuing the tradition that they and neighboring bands like Coliseum and Breather Resist have established in recent years … with D.I.Y. Punk ethics, stalwart Hardcore roots, and a week-old, beer-soaked crust, Lords pummel you with vicious sociopolitical commentary and have a rockin’ good time while they do it … however, with an average song length of 90 seconds, songs can blow past w/o real impact … FCC: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 9, 13, 15, 16 … Try 7, 8, 10, 12, 14 …2008Oct07 01. [...read more]

Young Widows - “Old Wounds” [Temporary Residence] … from the ashes of Louisville, Kentucky’s Breather Resist formed this Rock trio, with a sound clearly reminiscent of Helmet,  Jesus Lizard, and the Melvins … produced by Kurt Ballou (Converge), who was brought on tour to record their sophomore album in different environments … there’s a mellower track w/o drums (4) but you’re gonna want those driving songs with the heavy drum & bass enveloped in feedback, right?  If so, check out *1*, 2, 5, 8, 11 … FCC OK … 2008Oct07 01. Took a Turn 02. Old Skin 03. Mr No Harm 04. The Guitar 05. Lucky [...read more]

Misery Index - “Traitors” [Relapse] … sometimes I wonder if Death Metal can still shock and surprise you … then these guys come and release a new album, and it’s the heaviest material they’ve recorded … still TIGHT and very much percussively driven, their songwriting has become even more cohesive, and are as lyrically acerbic as ever … *5* is probably the best example of all this band has to offer, and I think is their finest song to date … RIYL: Dying Fetus, Suffocation … FCC: 2, 4, 6, 8, 9 … Try 3, *5*, 7, 11 … 2008Sept30 01. We Never [...read more]

Hollow Corp. - “Cloister of Radiance” [Prosthetic] … heavily drum and bass driven, with the forward-thinking ferocity of fellow Frenchmen, Gojira, and the expansive experimentation of Isis, this quintet’s North American debut is a challenging and rewarding journey that takes you through good old fashioned Satanic Doom (2) to more driving tracks (5), some with brilliant melodic, groovy breaks (*3*), and a ~12 min centerpiece (4) to showcase the band’s impressive range … and truthfully, I think they really takes it to the next level on the second half on the album, a mark of confidence for this daring group, who has [...read more]

Amon Amarth – “Twilight of the Thunder God” [Metal Blade] … those with a penchant for vehement Viking valor know to look to this Swedish quintet, who have hacked and slashed their way to become one of the most distinguished names in Metal … their ninth album plays out much like their last: a trio of barnburners, a couple of okay tracks, a great centerpiece, and at least one more standout before the album closes (this is 9, which also features some cello by Apocalyptica) … also listen for a solo by Roope Latvala (Children of Bodom) on *1* [...read more]