In which members of burly acts like Sumac, Old Man Gloom, and Converge come together to make burly hardcore. Imagine if Mammoth Grinder’s music was playful and the arrangements were influenced by mescaline, and you’re close. Elements of surf, d-beat, post-punk, and ambient permeate galloping (and catchy) compositions and make them more fun (and more interesting) than standard death-punk, while Aaron Turner attempts to cut through the din with his belch-bark. It’s a silly album title (with a sillier cover), yes. It’s also a lotta fucking fun.
Category: album review
Album Review: Palm Reader | ‘Braille’
I wrote about the UK hardcore band’s disappointing new record, which is an abrupt change from their previous work.
“Swarm,” the opening song on the album, is one helluva killer single, though.
Album Review : Black Wizard | ‘Livin’ Oblivion’
Wrote about the fun-as-hell new record from Black Wizard.
If you like your stoner rock and you like thrash, you’ll wanna check this out.
Album Review: Myles Kennedy | ‘Year of the Tiger’
Wrote some words on Myles Kennedy’s debut solo album over at Spectrum Culture.
It’s a solid singer-songwriter record if you can ignore the MTV Unplugged feel of it.
Album Review: Insect Ark | ‘Marrow Hymns’
I wrote about the new Insect Ark record, which is very good.
If you like dark drone music, check it out.
Album Review: Teenage Wrist | ‘Chrome Neon Jesus’
I wrote about the debut LP from Teenage Wrist over at Best Fit. It’s easily my favorite album of 2018 so far. If you like Siamese Dream, check this out.
A behind-the-scenes note on this piece. I set up two rules for myself: 1.) No mentioning other bands in describing what TW does, and 2.) No song titles.
Album Review: Good Tiger | ‘We Will All Be Gone’
Over at SC, I wrote about the great new record from Good Tiger, the non-metal band on Metal Blade Records.
Think Protest the Hero if they were a straightforward rock band and you’re in the area.
Album Review: Brian Fallon | ‘Sleepwalkers’
Over at Best Fit, I did a short piece on Brian Fallon’s second solo LP, Sleepwalkers.
If you like Fallon’s classic rock worship, you’ll like pretty much anything he’s ever done, including this new record.
Here, he throws in a few new flavors to his Springsteen-isms. It’s not a great album, but at least give the fun lead single “Forget Me Not” a try. That, or you could just check out his slightly superior first album, Painkillers.
Album Review: Mammoth Grinder | ‘Cosmic Crypt’
I wrote about the new Mammoth Grinder album, Cosmic Crypt, over at Spectrum Culture.
Solid bit of punky death metal from the drummer of Power Trip. Nothing special and nothing new from the band. It’s a half hour of evil fun, and that’s all it tries to be.
Hundred Word Reviews: Fall Out Boy | ‘M A N I A’
The worst kind of pop record: one that spends its entire runtime insisting on its greatness instead of actually proving it. Yeah, FOB can still write a killer hook, but it’s buried under Top 40 production with an everything-and-the-kitchen-sink mentality. (That they included the album’s title and one song title in all caps suggests partial self-awareness.) Sure, guitars make an occasional appearance, but their function is less songwriting tool than reminder of their existence. At one point Stump asks, “Are you smelling that shit?” Great question, but you should be looking in the mirror when you pose it.