album reviews
Reviews of albums old and new from iconic artists and up and coming musicians alike.
The Ocean—Phanerozoic I: Palaezoic
The Ocean (or sometimes known as The Ocean Collective) was founded in 2000 by guitarist and songwriter Robin Staps. The often referred to collective based on in their first two years as a band they went through something like forty members outside of Staps. It seems like it took the full two years to make their first established line up and dropping their first album “Islands/Tides” which was one thirty minute song which would establish themselves as a very progressive post metalish band. This was followed by an instrumental EP called fogdiver released on Make my day records but did not truly become the band you hear today until in 2005 they signed to Metal Blade records, subsequently releasing Fluxion and Aeolian.
By Rip Mitchell7 years ago in Beat
A Review of Joyce Manor's Fifth Studio Album
I think one of the most cop-out arguments when someone doesn’t like a band’s new record is because they say all their music sounds the same. Despite that, I’ll be honest in saying I definitely would think of Joyce Manor’s early work in that same light. Cody definitely stepped outside of that bubble and their most recent record, Million Dollars to Kill Me, followed suit.
By Kacie Riordan7 years ago in Beat
It Came from BandCamp Volume 1
When doing three hundred and sixty-five albums in three hundred and sixty-five-day challenge I have heard a lot of odd things on the old Bandcamp. So I started to think, hey some of these are pretty good! But not a lot of these get much exposure, so I am starting monthly list and micro-review of a few of my favorite three or four finds from the dredges of Bandcamp!
By Rip Mitchell7 years ago in Beat
Into Eternity—'Sirens'
Formed in 1997 Into Eternity is a five-piece Canadian progressive metal band from Regina, Saskatchewan, Canada by Tim Roth, Scott Krall, and Jim Austin. Over their long time as an active band, they have gone through a long list of members and have released five albums in 1999’s Into Eternity, 2001’s Dead or Dreaming, 2004’s Buried in Oblivion, 2006’s The Scattering of Ashes and 2008’s The Incurable Tragedy leading up to this album Sirens. The line up for “Sirens” features the only original member Tim Roth long time members, bass player Troy Bleich, and drummer Bryan Newbury are joined by new members in guitarist Matt Cuthbertson and a lead vocalist Amanda Kiernan who started as a touring member and came on full time for this album. This album is seemingly their comeback album after nearly a decade since their last album was released, always known as a unique and interesting band from the late 2000’s how will they fair in this all but a completely new landscape of metal? Let us dig in and find out!
By Rip Mitchell7 years ago in Beat
Hate Eternal - 'Upon Desolate Sands'
Hate Eternal is a death metal band from Saint Petersburg, Florida that was formed in 1997 by Guitarist, Vocalist and renown death metal producer Erik Rutan (formally of Morbid Angel). Upon Desolate Sands is the band's seventh album and fourth on Metal Blade following other releases on this label including Fury & Flames, Phoenix Amongst The Ashes and a follow up to the techy affair that was Infernus. On the note of techy, Upon Desolate Sands is a relentless blur of tech fury somehow contained in a space that somehow feels like you are within a sandstorm. So put on your brutal goggles as we wade into this sandstorm upon the desolate sands!
By Rip Mitchell7 years ago in Beat
Horrendous—'Idol'
Formed in 2009 Horrendous is a former four-man old school death metal band turned progressive death metal band from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. With three out of four founding members in co-guitarists and vocalists Matt Knox, Damian Herring, and drummer Jamie Knox old fans will still get staples of the writing quirks of the first few albums. Now with the relatively new addition of bass player Alex Kulick adding his own take and bass flare to the overall sound. Before this release, they had three full-length albums in The Chills, Ecdysis, and Anareta that was upon checking a lot more death metal than any kind of prog that people might think of. Idol is their first release on their new record label Season of Mist and is a large departure from their old sound in the best way, a change like this can show how a band can truly evolve from their roots to something impressive. So let us venture in and see how far Horrendous has progressed towards or even beyond their Idols shall we?
By Rip Mitchell7 years ago in Beat
Day6 - ‘Unlock’ Album Review
Korean rock band Day6 are no strangers to shattering expectations. Their two full-length albums consisting of songs released as part of the Every Day6 project helped earn them public praise and expanded their passionate fanbase. Due to their originality, the quintet have set a high bar in terms of consistent releases through ideas that in an industry that could easily be described as formulaic, set them apart from the rest of the pack. Add two mini-albums to the mix, and you can see that their extremely solid Korean releases alone have built the band solid foundations, and have proved to people that there is no limit on how far they can go.
By Nathan Sartain7 years ago in Beat
Behemoth - 'I Loved You at Your Darkest' - Review
If for some reason you have been living under a rock for the last few decades, or who knows you might just be getting into the heavier side of music? If this is the case, welcome things are about to get really heavy! Behemoth is a three-piece blackened death metal from Poland, led by the only original member and architect Adam "Nergal" Darski. Nergal, who founded the band originally as a traditional black metal band in 1991 eventually filled out the lineup with a metal award-winning rhythm section in members know as Orion and Inferno. Being around that long they have accumulated a large back catalog that has helped lead the way in the evolution of extreme metal’s evolution. The album I Loved You at Your Darkest is their eleventh studio album and a follow up to the excuse the pun but behemoth of an album in 2014’s “The Satanist” which was a groundbreaking album not only for them be the album was a milestone in showing how far extream music has come. So how did they follow up something that has more accolades seemingly then words in this review? Let's dig in and find out!
By Rip Mitchell7 years ago in Beat
Adam Hopkins - Crickets
Adam Hopkins is yet another creative composer/bassist who steps out on his own, not only with a debut of his sextet but also with a new label that is not only to focus on creative music but also limited runs of visual art. Of course, Hopkins opens the doors of Brooklyn’s OOYH Records (Out of Your Head Records) with the self-titled release of his Crickets.
By Ljubinko Zivkovic7 years ago in Beat
