Album Review: “Meet King Leg” by King Leg
The members of King Leg were born in the wrong decade. They are beholden to the music of their forebears. This is a good thing. To be a musician in those times, you actually had to be a musician, a requirement that has been lost to technology.
CD Review: “Alba” by Sleeping Romance
Sleeping Romance's sophomore effort, Alba, is prime with heavy riffs and soaring operatic vocals. “Where The Light Is Bleeding” is a crushing track with pounding guitar riffs interspersed with piano and strings that accentuates the somber mood of this son ...
Review: ‘Psychotic Symphony’ by Sons Of Apollo
When I heard that Portnoy, Sherinian, Sheehan, Soto, and Thal were coming together to present us Sons Of Apollo, this is not what I expected. This is far from a disparaging comment. It’s simply that, after having experienced a number of these talented ...
CD Review: “Sterilize” by Unsane
After a five-year hiatus, New York noise trio Unsane returns to its roots on its eighth album. The dour disposition of the band’s previous release (Wreck) is long gone. Sterilize is raw and angry and relentless. It sounds like a band that’s young and hu ...
CD Review: “Horse of the Other World” by See Through Dresses
Sonically See Through Dresses are as expansive as the Great Plains of their native Nebraska. Ironically, hailing from such a vast geographical space has not impinged this four piece from cocooning themselves in their own place and creating a dense and tex ...
CD Review: “Cold Dark Place” by Mastodon
The Cold Dark Place EP bears the Mastodon moniker and the members of Mastodon are performing the songs, but this is only technically a “Mastodon” album. Fans still high on Emperor of Sand should temper their expectations. That’s not to say this is a ...
CD Review: “The Deviant Chord” by Jag Panzer
Jag Panzer storms the battlefield with its first album in six years. The Deviant Chord is replete with soaring vocals and stellar guitar virtuosity. I admit that power metal is my least favorite sub-genre in heavy metal, but Jag Panzer always possessed a ...
CD Review: “Deep Calleth Upon Deep” by Satyricon
Legendary Norwegian black metal duo Satyricon are back with Deep Calleth Upon Deep, its ninth studio album. “Midnight Serpent” opens with a rollicking guitar riff over a demonic circus of blast beats. It is evil black n' roll with Satyr's harsh vocals sou ...
CD Review: “Love From With The Dead” by With The Dead
The ear piercing, distortion on “Isolation” opens up the second slab of doom released by With The Dead. The lumbering riffs and plodding drums meander like a blind giant in a forest. It is a fitting way to kick things off on Love From With The Dead. “Egyp ...
‘Live At The O2 Arena + Rarities’ by Alter Bridge
Earlier this year, I had the honor to cover one of my favorite bands, Alter Bridge, at a concert they were playing nearby. When I arrived, the line was wrapped around the block, and that was five minutes after the doors had opened. And this wasn ...