The Darkness

Hard to believe there was a time before The Darkness. Eric and Chris look back on their reactions to the day the world changed forever.

Permission To Land

<p>Hmmmmmmmm…. It pains me to say it. But I have to partly—though not entirely—agree with Eric on this one. Whereas Eric is on the fence with The Darkness, I would say I’m over that fence and rocking out in the meadow. This album is by no means flawless, but I tend to think that The Darkness actually justify all the hype they're getting.</p><p>So are the Darkness the saviours of British rock n roll? Well it would seem so. Besides the Wildhearts, I can’t think of anyone else making the national charts such a bright place. Both bands have a penchant for anthemic hand-on-your-heart rock music. But the Darkness takes it that little bit further with Justin's over the top vocals. His voice does at first seem hilarious, but I still liked it straight away, finding it the perfect match for the music.</p><p>Kicking off with the foot stomping, hands in the air rockathon of ‘Black Shuck’ and ending with the lighters-out, sing-along, power balladry of ‘Holding My Own’, <i>Permission to Land</i> is a great listen. I think Eric has covered all the truly great songs on the album, so there’s no need for me to go into more detail. I will say that ‘I Belive In a Thing Called Love’ is one of my all time favourite songs, though I think it would have been better placed as the first track on the album. ‘Love On The Rocks With No Ice’ is just pure fucking genius and so is ‘Growing on me’ and ‘Get Your Hands Off Of My Woman'.</p><p>But like I said, <i>Permission to Land</i> isn’t faultless. I can’t stand the beginning of ‘Black Shuck’. I think Justin is trying too hard to rhyme the lyrics and make them work, and ultimately they don’t. But the rest of the song is fine. ‘Love Is Only a Feeling’ reminds me of Weezer every time it gets to the chorus. Then there’s ‘Friday Night’ which is just down right ludicrous, and frankly just plain cringe worthy.</p><p>Still, The Darkness really are the new saviours of British rock-n-roll. I do hope it goes their way. In a time when the charts are riddled with Emo and Pop Punk, The Darkness stand out like a sore thumb. How long they can keep up this hype, style, and downright silliness remains to be seen. For the moment, I say go with the flow. You’ve got nothing to lose, let yourself get tangled up in the hype machine—you won’t be disappointed.</p><h4>2020 ADDENDUM:&nbsp;</h4><p>Looking back on this review, I really don’t disagree too much with what I wrote or my feelings on the album. I do however think <i>Permission to Land</i> has aged very well—if anything it sounds better now than it did back then. The Darkness still stand out like a sore thumb in the history of British rock. But if anything, the time for big cheesy rock music is now rather than back in the early noughties, and this album still gets plenty of airplay. During these crazy Covid times, ironically the Darkness time is now!</p>

Hmmmmmmmm…. It pains me to say it. But I have to partly—though not entirely—agree with Eric on this one. Whereas Eric is on the fence with The Darkness, I would say I’m over that fence and rockin...

<p>If you read Rolling Stone magazine, and actually read past that cover shot of Britney's vivacious buttocks, you probably already know that America is about to be taken by storm by the latest British sensation, The Darkness. With the amount of buzz coming out of that country, you'd be forgiven for thinking this band was the second coming of Thin Lizzy or even Led Zeppelin. People seem to be taking this shit quite seriously over there, so I approached <i>Permission to Land</i> with pretty lofty expectations. After the first song, I was speechless. I suspect that most people will have the same reaction upon first hearing the band—"What the fuhhhhh...is this a joke?"</p><p>That's the question, isn't it? Vocalist Justin Hawkins' constantly soaring, triumphant falsetto is enough to make Rob Halford blush and probably has Freddie Mercury spinning like a rotisserie at the moment. With cheeky song titles like 'Get Your Hands Off Of My Woman' and 'Love On The Rocks With No Ice', it's pretty clear that the band has a sense of humor about themselves. But Hawkins' earnest delivery makes it hard to do anything but take The Darkness at face value. <i>Permission to Land</i> might very well be a joke, but I suspect it's the sort the band wants us to laugh along <i>with</i>, not <i>at</i>.</p><figure class="media"><div data-oembed-url="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hI9eVW4cTR8&amp;list=RDhI9eVW4cTR8&amp;index=1"><div class="youtube-embed" data-source-id="hI9eVW4cTR8" style="position: relative; padding-bottom: 100%; height: 0; padding-bottom: 56.2493%;"><iframe src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/hI9eVW4cTR8" srcdoc="<style>*{padding:0;margin:0;overflow:hidden}html,body{height:100%}img,span{position:absolute;width:100%;top:0;bottom:0;margin:auto}span{height:1.5em;text-align:center;font:48px/1.5 sans-serif;color:white;text-shadow:0 0 0.5em black}</style><a href='https://www.youtube.com/embed/hI9eVW4cTR8?autoplay=1'><img src='https://img.youtube.com/vi/hI9eVW4cTR8/sddefault.jpg' alt='Play Youtube Video' loading=lazy><span>▶</span></a>" style="position: absolute; width: 100%; height: 100%; top: 0; left: 0;" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen=""></iframe></div></div></figure><p>For the most part, I'm inclined to go along with them. Opening track, 'Black Shuck' will have you laughing hysterically, even as it thoroughly rocks your socks off. Follow-up, 'Get Your Hands Off Of My Woman' is even better, featuring what is without a doubt the most hilarious pronunciation of the word "motherfucker" I have ever heard. The band pulls an impressive hat-trick with 'Growing On Me', a song that—unfortunately—sets a precedent the rest of the album never lives up to.</p><p>Sure, 'I Believe In A Thing Called Love' is fun, but by the time 'Love Is Only A Feeling' rolls around, the what-the-fuck? factor has dissipated and the band has overstayed its welcome. Particularly on the slower tracks, Hawkins' heavy-handed vocals grow tiresome, making the second half of <i>Permission to Land</i> just a tad annoying. Still, you have to respect the gusto with which the band attacks the material. They're on a one-band mission to make rock fun again, and when they're on, The Darkness can be a total blast to listen to. If this were an EP with just the first four songs plus maybe 'Givin Up' and 'Love On the Rocks', I'd probably be scoring this one two or three full points higher. As it is, I'll give them a well-earned Spirit Award.</p><h4>2020 Addendum:</h4><p>Well, a lot has changed in the 17 years since I reviewed this album. The three most relevant changes have been the release of <i>One Way Ticket to Hell…</i>, the release of <i>Hot Cakes</i>, and the birth of my daughter who has grown up to be a Darkness superfan (her first concert at age 9 was seeing the band at a small club in Chicago a few years back). All of these things have helped put The Darkness in perspective for me in a way that just wasn’t possible when <i>Permission to Land</i> first arrived. A handful of the songs on the latter half of <i>Permission to Land</i> have...ahem...really grown on me, and my affection for this album has increased considerably over the years.&nbsp;</p><p>I now appreciate ‘Love is Only a Feeling’ for the solid power ballad it is. ‘Givin’ Up’, ‘Stuck in a Rut’, ‘Friday Night’, and ‘Love on the Rocks with No Ice’ are all really good songs (though still not quite as strong as those in the album’s first half). ‘Holding My Own’ and ‘Makin’ Out’ continue to not do much for me, but that still puts <i>Permission to Land</i> at about an 82% hit rate. It’s an exceptional rock album, though still only my third favorite Darkness album.</p><p>I think it’s to the band’s great credit that so many people (myself included) just couldn’t get their heads around them at first. Justin Hawkins truly is a one of a kind vocalist who revels in the kind of stadium rock excess that even fans of the genre sometimes cringe at. But coupled with their solid riffs and fun, confident songwriting, The Darkness somehow make it all work.</p>

If you read Rolling Stone magazine, and actually read past that cover shot of Britney's vivacious buttocks, you probably already know that America is about to be taken by storm by the latest Brit...

I originally scored this a 6.8, which is unimaginable to me today given how much I’ve come to love this band and album. Forgive me!

Meshuggah

We revisit our 2003 reviews of an extreme metal classic that blew our minds back in the day. Does Destroy Erase Improve still hold up?

Destroy Erase Improve

<p>I'm right with Brian on this one. I remember hearing this at my friend's apartment nearly a decade ago (<i>2.5 decades ago now - 2020 Eric</i>). At the time, there was simply nothing else like it in the world of metal. My reaction that day was something along the lines of, "What the fuhhhhhhhh.....?" Eight years (and several rubber-suit-wearing spazzcore acts) later, Meshuggah's<i> Destroy Erase Improve</i> holds up surprisingly well as one of the most intense extreme metal albums ever recorded.</p><p>I'm not sure why I never listened to any of the band's subsequent releases. Maybe because I honestly believed there was no way they could possibly make a better album. Though from what I've heard, <i>Chaosphere</i> and <i>Nothing</i> are every bit as interesting. So off to the record store with me...</p><h4>2020 Addendum:</h4><p>Well, I did end up going and listening to more Meshuggah 17 years ago, and over the years I've come to enjoy most of the band's albums a fair deal more than this one. I stand by ‘Future Breed Machine’ as being a perfect extreme metal song that needs to be heard by everyone (EVERYONE!!!), but aside from that, I'm rarely drawn back to this album. <i>Nothing</i>, <i>Catch ThirtyThree</i>, and <i>Obzen</i> tend to fit my listening patterns more these days. If you've never heard <i>Destroy Erase Improve</i>, by all means check it out. It's a very cool bridge between thrash metal and the sound Meshuggah would ultimately become known for.</p>

I'm right with Brian on this one. I remember hearing this at my friend's apartment nearly a decade ago (2.5 decades ago now - 2020 Eric). At the time, there was simply nothing else like it in the...

I originally scored this a 9, but am bumping it down to an 8.0. Still an impressive album, but the songs aren't as strong as I remembered.

<p>Any time artistic conventions are chucked out the proverbial window, there is typically a debate, be it internal or external, about the merits of the product. Take, for example, pop artist Andy Warhol. Some say that his soup cans are true pieces of art that make a statement about the constraints of art conventions and truly expand what one considers to be art. Others say that it’s just a frickin’ soup can. The point being that artistic conventions are generally there for a reason, and working outside of them can be freeing or just downright confusing, depending upon your perspective.</p><p>Such is the case with Meshuggah’s <i>Destroy Erase Improve</i>, a mind-boggling record that offers an aural swift kick in the ass of the staid metal scene. Meshuggah essentially destroys metal as we know it and rebuilds from the ground up, creating a metal masterpiece that serves as a blueprint for intelligent metal artists and fans.</p><p>Opener ‘Future Breed Machine’ is a microcosm for the record as whole, combining more time changes than a transatlantic flight, with extremely fast riffing and a guttural yell not unlike that of Max Cavalera of Sepultura. One can’t help but be beaten over the head immediately by the down-tuned guitars that serve more of a rhythmic than melodic function. The lyrics and strange jazz-like guitar breaks help to create a cold, metallic, almost futuristic feel to the record – sort of like Voivod’s <i>Dimension Hatross</i> performed by Napalm Death. The result is a wholly engaging cohesive whole that exudes both testosterone and intelligence in spades.</p><figure class="media"><div data-oembed-url="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IWanW5v_1sg"><div style="position: relative; padding-bottom: 100%; height: 0; padding-bottom: 56.2493%;"><iframe src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/IWanW5v_1sg" style="position: absolute; width: 100%; height: 100%; top: 0; left: 0;" frameborder="0" allow="autoplay; encrypted-media" allowfullscreen=""></iframe></div></div></figure><p>Though it is certainly a watermark in the metal music scene, <i>Destroy Erase Improve</i> is not without fault. For starters, the rhythmic nature of the guitars leads to a noticeable lack of melody in most of the tracks. And although the frequent time signature changes and tempo variability are what makes the album stand out, there are times when they feel somewhat disjointed, as if the drums and guitars are not playing the same sheet of music, so to speak (‘Beneath’ is a good example). Therein lies the artistic debate: does it sound disjointed because my ears have been trained to hear music according to traditional music conventions, or is it because it truly is somewhat disjointed?</p><p>In any case, the quibbles are relatively minor and can be overlooked when the ingenuity of the album as a whole is considered. <i>Destroy Erase Improve</i> is a landmark record and any self-respecting metal fan owes it to him or herself to check it out.</p><h4>2020 Addendum:</h4><p>It's interesting to read what it was like to discover Meshuggah before everyone was down-tuning and your mom was listening to djent. When I'm in the mood for the band, I rarely pull this one out, so I'm inclined to bump it down a half point. However, I'll stand by this review, hyperbolic though it may be, with the note that everything's in 4/4... the polyrhythms only make it feel like the time signature changes.</p>

Any time artistic conventions are chucked out the proverbial window, there is typically a debate, be it internal or external, about the merits of the product. Take, for example, pop artist Andy W...

Quicksand

Old man Eric looks back on 2002 Eric looking back on 1993 Eric listening to Quicksand

Slip

<p>Quicksand's <i>Slip</i> pretty much got me through high school. I guess like a lot of teenagers, I was always pissed off about something, always feeling alienated from the people around me for one reason or another. People tended to cluster together into social cliques that I never felt a part of: Jocks, Metalheads, Geeks, Hicks, Punk/Grunge Scenesters, etc. - kind of a class system. Jocks made fun of Geeks, Scenesters made fun of Jocks <i>and</i> Geeks, Hicks made fun of Scenesters, and the Metalheads hated everything but Slayer.</p><p>It's all pretty silly in retrospect, but at the time, fitting in felt like a biological imperative. And I just couldn't find a way to make it happen. And then I heard Quicksand for the first time. <i>Slip</i> took every ounce of anger, sarcasm, disgust, and alienation I ever felt and put it into words and music. Most kids in the 90's had Nirvana's <i>Nevermind</i>, but I had something better. I had Quicksand's <i>Slip</i>. It was the perfect channel for every negative emotion I had, but more importantly, it offered hope. Here were these badass, pissed off rockers saying it was okay to feel upset, to feel alone, to feel like you wanted to bang your head against a wall. It encouraged free thinking, breaking the mold, just being yourself and saying, "Hey, fuck you guys and your cliques in the cafeteria. I'll Dine Alone on my sloppy joe over here by myself."</p><figure class="media"><div data-oembed-url="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=egzF66hDkFs"><div style="position: relative; padding-bottom: 100%; height: 0; padding-bottom: 56.2493%;"><iframe src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/egzF66hDkFs" style="position: absolute; width: 100%; height: 100%; top: 0; left: 0;" frameborder="0" allow="autoplay; encrypted-media" allowfullscreen=""></iframe></div></div></figure><p>I learned more coping skills from this album than any motivational speaker they ever subjected us to back then. It wasn't forced and it wasn't part of some bullshit scene. It was just an honest, intelligent connection between a band and its listeners. I don't even know for certain that Quicksand's music was really about any of the things <i>I</i> felt it was about. But that's the mark of an album with great lyrics isn't it? The listener gets to make of it what they will.</p><p>All that, and the music ruled too. When most people talk about influential bands in the 90's, they usually mention the Pixies, Nirvana, Jane's Addiction, etc. But Quicksand often gets ignored, despite providing the blueprint for post-hardcore, emo, and everything in-between. Since then, It's been subverted by countless rap metal and emo bands, but it's also been perfected, expanded upon, and honored by brilliant bands like Fireside, At The Drive-In, and the Refused among others.</p><p>I keep trying to write about this actual album, but I'm finding it impossible to do. It's like trying to write a critical review of the movie <i>Star Wars</i>. Sure, you could get all literary about it, but why? It's one of those perfect bits of entertainment that's so immersive that it completely changes your life forever. It becomes more than a work of art or a piece of entertainment. It becomes a part of who you are.</p><p>I can't promise that this album will mean the same thing to you. Especially not ten (<i>or nearly thirty!</i>) years after the fact. But if you're into any of the current wave of emo and hardcore bands, you really ought to be intimately familiar with this band and this album in particular. Every song on <i>Slip</i> rules. It's a classic that I'd score an 11 if I could.</p><h4>2020 Addendum:</h4><p>My love for this album hasn't changed one bit, though I will admit there was a fair amount of cringing while re-reading this review. I was only seven years out of high school when I wrote it, so that was all still fresh. I'd honestly forgotten how frustrating a time that was, and I'm old enough now to see how much of that frustration was of my own making. I'd write a different review today, but I don't think it would do a better job of capturing the impact this album had on me.</p>

Quicksand's Slip pretty much got me through high school. I guess like a lot of teenagers, I was always pissed off about something, always feeling alienated from the people around me for one reaso...

This album has aged like a fine wine. If you somehow missed it, check out 'Fazer', 'Head to Wall', and 'Omission'.

Shihad

<p>In anticipation of Shihad’s tenth full-length album, <i>Old Gods</i>, dropping later this month, Chris and Eric sat down—oceans apart, but hearts aligned—to craft a 60-minute (or less) intro to Shihad for the uninitiated. The band should need no introduction after kicking ass for over 30 years now, but Shihad strikes us as the sort of band that might have been hanging out in the blind spot of many otherwise reasonable rock and metal fans.</p><p>The band’s genre-bending career has spanned everything from thrash and industrial metal to punk rock and pop. Boiling their catalog down to just one 60 minute cassette-worth of tunes called for some painful and highly-questionable cuts. But after much back-and-forth, and maybe just a little cross-Atlantic cursing, we are pleased to submit this Shihad 101 mixtape for your listening pleasure.</p><figure class="media"><div data-oembed-url="https://open.spotify.com/playlist/5u0nnFQrsGnQElABauIrfI?si=917f36eac3ae4c09"><iframe src="https://open.spotify.com/embed/playlist/5u0nnFQrsGnQElABauIrfI" width="100%" height="330" frameborder="0" allowtransparency="true" allow="encrypted-media"></iframe></div></figure><h4>1. Factory</h4><p>The first song from the first Shihad full length, and it’s an industrial face-melter with a chorus that’s damn near thrashy. While Shihad never fully abandoned their industrial metal roots, you won’t find a purer distillation of the genre in their catalog than ‘Factory’. - <i>Eric Gmutza</i></p><h4>2. Alive</h4><p>The best song from their best album features probably the band's angriest riff along with one of their biggest choruses. I lived in New Zealand when <i>LITNH</i> came out, and I played it so much on CD, I actually wore it out and had to buy another copy! <i>LITNH</i> was the soundtrack to my 20’s and one of those albums that genuinely changed my life. ’Alive’ also ranks in my Top 5 Shihad songs list. - <i>Chris Coleman-Peers</i></p><figure class="image image-style-align-right image_resized" style="width:33.16%;"><img src="https://firesideometer-ad.b-cdn.net/American-ChopperShihadArgument.jpg?alt=media&amp;token=5f83ad17-39f8-432b-91ba-03ada0c564df"></figure><h4>3. The Big Lie</h4><p>With Jaz Coleman producing, it’s not surprising that <i>FVEY</i> is an incredibly focused album with an absolutely massive sound, reminiscent of late-career Killing Joke. One of the album’s many killer tracks, ‘The Big Lie’ is anchored by a gnarly, distorted bass riff, fueling a raw-nerve paranoia that permeates what any fool would have to admit is Shihad’s best album. - <i>Eric Gmutza</i></p><h4>4. My Mind’s Sedate</h4><p>This song is so good it's on<a href="https://firesideometer-ad.b-cdn.net/shihadExhibitA.png?alt=media&amp;token=18720603-084f-4b32-9d47-90ff9b202c6f"> two Shihad albums</a>. - <i>Chris Coleman-Peers</i></p><h4>5. Sleepeater</h4><p>Not many Shihad songs make you want to cut a rug, but it’s hard not to get swept up in this track’s bouncy energy and infectious chorus. Also, there’s something in Jon Toogood’s vocal delivery here that gives ‘Sleepeater’ a distinct and exquisite<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=15dD9nly56c"> Jordan Zadorozny vibe</a>, unlike anything else in the band’s oeuvre. - <i>Eric Gmutza</i></p><h4>6. Think You’re So Free</h4><p>This is my favorite song from <i>FVEY</i> and was also the lead single and most radio-friendly of the album's 11 tracks. If you are not on board with this song after the first 30 seconds and the song’s angular riff hasn’t wormed its way into your skull and made your face muscles relax into a shit eating grin, then I wouldn’t bother continuing with your life! - <i>Chris Coleman-Peers</i></p><h4>7. Day Will Come</h4><p>The opening riff on this track is enough to make PMA Gunnerfeldt jealous. In fact, this song has a bit of a Uomini D’onore-era Fireside feel to it, right up until the first verse kicks in, which is pure Shihad. - <i>Eric Gmutza</i></p><h4>8. Run</h4><p>It’s a shame the <i>Pacifier</i> album had so much negativity around it after 9/11, with band's name change and the impact it had on their mental health, because it’s one of the very best commercial rock albums released in the last 20 years. Up there with any of their peers at the time (Foo Fighters, Muse, Shinedown et al), had it been released at any other time, it would have sent them stratospheric. ‘Run’ is another song where the band just nails the chorus. It is so big you could surf on it and will have you singing along in no time. - <i>Chris Coleman-Peers</i></p><h4>9. Big Future</h4><p>Did I say <i>FVEY</i> is my favorite Shihad album? If so, that must have been yesterday, because today there’s no question that <i>Love is the New Hate</i> is the band’s best album—chock full of barn-burning rippers like ‘Big Future’. - <i>Eric Gmutza</i></p><h4>10. La La Land</h4><p>‘La La Land’ is Punky, spikey, and very bouncy. It’s full of scrappy energy, sounding a bit like a lost Foo Fighters track, circa 1995. It’s also one of the band's shortest songs at 2:28. - <i>Chris Coleman-Peers</i></p><h4>11. Debs Night Out</h4><p>This song doesn’t sound like any other Shihad song on this list, and that’s one of the main reasons it's here. The song was pivotal in shaping Shihad’s future sound and development as a band. If you read any interview about Killjoy or this time period, this song is always singled out by Jon Toogood as one of his favourites. It’s easy to see why too—it's a gorgeous, slow, alt-rock ballad that’s heavy on synths and not so much on guitars. Fun Shihad fact: Killjoy is one of Roddy Bottum’s (Faith No More) Desert Island Discs - <i>Chris Coleman-Peers</i></p><h4>12. Count It Up</h4><p>If forced to list bands that Shihad kinda/sorta sounds like, NIN, Filter, and Killing Joke might top the list, and No Knife wouldn’t even cross my mind. But ‘Count It Up’, with its nervous, angular riffs and Jon Toogood’s pop-punk vocal delivery, sounds like an outtake from <i>Hitman Dreams</i>. Even the buzzing bass solo at 1:25 is pure No Knife. And if you don’t like No Knife... - <i>Eric Gmutza</i></p><h4>13. Shot in the Head</h4><p>“Ok, Eric. You’ve convinced me Shihad is great, but where’s that Foo Fighters-level chorus I’ll never forget? Where’s that radio-rock banger I can recommend to my pedestrian friend who only likes Silverchair?” -<i> Eric Gmutza</i></p><h4>14. Pacifier</h4><p>The absolute quintessential Shihad song. This is mandatory listening for any newbie to the band. It's also their most famous track and was written to sound amazing when played ‘live’. I can confirm it definitely does. It features lots of synths, lots of guitars and oh’ another absolutely massive chorus. Similar to Eric, depending on which day of the week it is, I will argue for <i>The General Electric</i> as Shihad’s best album - <i>Chris Coleman-Peers</i></p><h4>15. In the Future</h4><p>If there’s an album that’s underrepresented on this list, it’s definitely <i>Ignite</i>. In terms of quality, it’s right up there with <i>FVEY</i> and <i>LITNH</i> for me. But the songwriting is subtler than those albums, and the songs don’t lend themselves as well to a list designed to smash you in the face. ‘In the Future’ has one of the bigger choruses on the album, coupled with the slow-grower depth common to so much of <i>Ignite</i>. - <i>Eric Gmutza</i></p><h4>16. Tear Down Those Names</h4><p>The new single, and it’s a grower featuring all the aggression and distorted bass riffs of their earlier material, with the industrial edge of their latter-day stuff. It feels slightly more nuanced than <i>FVEY</i> but it still rips your face off. It all points to the strong likelihood that <i>Old Gods</i> will be another absolute banger and a worthy addition to their catalogue &nbsp; - <i>Chris Coleman-Peers</i></p><p>That’s all folks! Hopefully this mixtape gets you as pumped for the new Shihad album as we are! Thanks for reading, and be sure to give us a follow on <a href="https://www.instagram.com/firesideometer/">Instagram</a> and check us out on <a href="https://open.spotify.com/user/zkbm8hieiwhn5mvm0m9csxxtf?si=947a75e60d084ef3">Spotify</a> for more killer playlists.</p>

Shihad’s new album Old Gods drops August 27th! If you don’t know why we’re excited about that, then this Mixtape Monday is for you.

Shihad 101 - The Playlist

In anticipation of Shihad’s tenth full-length album, Old Gods, dropping later this month, Chris and Eric sat down—oceans apart, but hearts aligned—to craft a 60-minute (or less) intro to Shihad f...

Mix Tape Monday

Gojira

This band is so big, it's going to take two track-by-track reviews to bring it down.

Fortitude

<p>I’m generally in agreement with Brian here, so I’ll try to keep my comments short.</p><h4>Born for One Thing</h4><p>Not much to add here. If you don’t like ‘Born for One Thing’, you don’t like Gojira. <strong>10/10</strong></p><h4>Amazonia</h4><p>I’ve always granted Gojira’s borderline religious environmentalism about the same attention and moral weight as Immortal’s obsession with Blashyrk or Andrew W.K.'s celebration of partying. A band has to write what they’re passionate about, and as long as it’s done with enough imagination and nuance to leave room for interpretation, I’m good with whatever. Gojira has handled their lyrical themes so artfully over the years, that it’s baffling to see them stumbling so hard here on 'Amazonia'.</p><p>What little the lyrics leave to the imagination is beaten into submission by the—I wish I were making this up—didgeridoo-backed jaw-harp solo at the 2:04 mark?!! Cultural appropriation as a show of solidarity is fine as far as it goes, but when it’s used to deliver such a ham-handed eco-political message, it’s hard not to question the band’s motives. Perhaps this would have played better as a collaboration with a past or present member of Sepultura. As it stands, using a culture’s traditional instruments in the service of a lecture about land usage is pretty rich coming from a band whose success and entire lifestyle is predicated upon the industrialization they’re railing against.&nbsp;</p><p>I do like the groove though. <strong>3/10</strong></p><h4>Another World</h4><p>I don’t have any major problems with this song, but I can’t say it does a lot for me either. I had hoped this would be a deeper cut on the album. Coming off the massive disappointment of ‘Amazonia’, this just isn’t enough to dig me out from the deep sense of unease I get from the first half of this album. <strong>6/10</strong></p><h4>Hold On</h4><p>Oh boy, speaking of unease—the first 30 seconds of this song are ROUGH. But, once that super-reverby, Devin Townsend-esque riff kicks in at the 1:40 mark, I’ve been transported to Gojira playing the first post-COVID open air festival. And by the last minute of the song, I’ve got goosebumps. Has there ever been a more dramatic turnaround from utter shite to sheer perfection in less than six minutes? <strong>8.5/10</strong></p><h4>New Found</h4><p>While I agree with Brian that the constant whammy/pick-raking harmonic thing is a little grating on this track, I happen to really like the chorus to this song. <strong>8/10</strong></p><h4>Fortitude</h4><p>How you feel about ‘Fortitude’ and ‘The Chant’ will depend entirely on how much you like the melody of the vocal line that flows throughout both. I don’t care for it myself, though I will admit it is currently rivaling Warrant’s ‘Cherry Pie’ for songs I CAN’T GET OUT OF MY HEAD PLEASE MAKE IT STOP MAKEITSTOPMAKEITSTOP!!!! <strong>4/10</strong></p><h4>The Chant</h4><p>See above. Add a point for the guitar solos, which are quite nice. Still, this will be my go-get-a-beer track when it inevitably becomes a mainstay of the band’s setlists (cue the crowd sing-along, Gaia help us). <strong>5/10</strong></p><h4>Sphinx</h4><p>This was a slow-grower for me. I spent the first 4-5 listens feeling like this was Gojira-by-numbers and didn’t really do anything the band hasn’t done better before. But somewhere along the way, it got its hooks in me. Solid groove, and the chorus is quite good. <strong>7.8/10</strong></p><h4>Into the Storm</h4><p>Totally agree with Brian here. The second time this album has given me goosebumps. <strong>10/10</strong></p><h4>The Trails</h4><p>Agree with Brian. If the band’s going to push the boundaries of their sound, this is where I’d prefer to see them go. <strong>9/10</strong></p><h4>Grind</h4><p>What Brian said. A terrific album closer. <strong>9.5/10</strong></p><p>On the whole, I think <i>Fortitude</i> is a pretty strong album with a couple of huge missteps. It’s the only Gojira album that has not one, but <i>three</i> songs that actually make me angry. But I’m ok with that, as I felt like they spent the first two albums after <i>From Mars to Sirius</i> repeating themselves and playing things a little too safe. I like that they’ve been taking chances on their past two albums, even if they don’t play to my tastes as much as they did on <i>Magma</i>. This is a band that has earned every bit of the hype around them, and it’s great to see them gaining such a huge audience.</p>

I’m generally in agreement with Brian here, so I’ll try to keep my comments short.

BORN FOR ONE THING
Not much to add here. If you don’t like ‘Born for One Thing’, you don’t like Gojira. 10/10...

Despite a few sizable warts, I’d rate Fortitude in the band’s top three albums, after Mars to Sirius and Magma and juuuust ahead of L'Enfant Sauvage.

<p>Les frères Duplantier reviennent! After five long years, Gojira has finally returned with the follow-up to the excellent <i>Magma</i>, but it isn’t without controversy. Here’s everything you need to know to decide whether <i>Fortitude</i> is a shooting star or it belongs on toxic garbage island.</p><h4>Born for One Thing</h4><p>The quintessential Gojira track, and a perfect way to kick off the album. It has a killer riff, a hooky chorus, some nice fills from Mario, and a crushing breakdown that should get even the most restrained fans headbanging along. They absolutely have to open their live set with this song, and it will tear the roof off of the place. <strong>10/10</strong></p><figure class="media"><div data-oembed-url="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3p85-KtgDSs&amp;t=41s"><div class="youtube-embed" data-source-id="3p85-KtgDSs" style="position: relative; padding-bottom: 100%; height: 0; padding-bottom: 56.2493%;">
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										</div></div></figure><h4>Amazonia</h4><p>The most controversial track in the set that will have family and 20-year friends at each other. The band says it’s their “Roots”, except that Sepultura was actually Brazilian, it actually was their roots, and it was a lot less preachy, even if I agree with the sentiment. Personally, I don’t love it or hate it… it’s kind of a mixed bag. If you’re on board through the jaw harp in the first 30 seconds, you’ll probably be OK with it. <strong>7/10</strong></p><h4>Another World</h4><p>Fortunately, Another World is an excellent palate cleanser with a tasty mid-tempo groove that locks in nicely and a great riff. I absolutely love the layered vocals in the mid-section, and Mario lays down some colorful fills. <strong>9/10</strong></p><h4>Hold On</h4><p>I’ve been trying to learn French for the past 5 years and failing miserably, so I can only imagine the difficulty of writing lyrics in a language that isn’t my first. However, there had to be something less lyrically cringe-worthy than, “I’ve been grinding and grinding,” to open this song. It’s unfortunate, because after a nearly two-minute intro, it shifts to a true banger that will have even the most jaded fan fist-pumping. Here’s hoping they chop the intro live... <strong>8/10</strong></p><h4>New Found</h4><p>This is where things start to lag a little for me. On the whole, this is a pretty pedestrian track that is far longer than it needs to be. The breakdown, in particular, feels tacked on and needless, and the Zakk Wylde harmonics made me cringe. However, this feels like a song that I will appreciate more once I’ve heard it performed live. <strong>6/10</strong></p><h4>Fortitude</h4><p>The requisite short interlude track. I’m generally a fan of an interlude, especially when it serves as a segue into the next song, but this feels like it goes on about a minute longer than needed. If I must rate it, it’s about a <strong>5/10</strong>.</p><h4>The Chant</h4><p>I really didn’t care much for this song on the first couple of listens, but it has grown on me. The choral vocals have been stuck in my head for a bit, and I really like the series of short guitar solos throughout the mid-section. It’s a bit samey and, again, feels a bit longer than it needs to be, but it’s a grower. <strong>7.5/10</strong></p><h4>Sphinx</h4><p>This feels like a throwback to <i>The Way of All Flesh</i>, featuring harsher death vocals and a darker tone. The slower pace makes a nice setup for the rest of the album. <strong>8/10</strong></p><h4>Into the Storm</h4><p>Every Gojira album has a “Holy shit!” moment that reminds me that Mario Duplantier is one of the best drummers in metal, and this is the one for <i>Fortitude</i>. Sure, they’re doing a Meshuggah’s ‘Bleed’ with a Devin Townsend chorus, but it works perfectly. If this doesn’t have you “[putting] your fist in the air,” then you might want to check the pulse on your metal heart. <strong>10/10</strong></p><h4>The Trails</h4><p>The vocals are the highlight here, as Joe sings in cleans only. I absolutely love the chorus: it brings chills every time. Overall, the track has a haunting quality that brings forth the beauty in its restraint. It’s a bit of a different look for Gojira, but it really works for me. <strong>9/10</strong></p><h4>Grind</h4><p>The closer starts taking us out with a bang, replete with all of the things that any self-respecting fan loves about Gojira: great screams, killer fills, and diving guitars. However, about halfway through, the band shifts to a softer, more pensive tone that eventually fades us out to the end. It’s an effective mix of the yin and yang of <i>Fortitude</i>, and a fitting end to the album. <strong>9.5/10</strong></p><p>This isn’t my favorite Gojira record - that’s probably <i>L’Enfant Sauvage</i> or <i>From Mars to Sirius</i> - but there’s no shame in that from a band who’s never really made a bad one. It’s weakened by some experiments that don’t totally work and some questionable lyrical choices, but better to try and fail than to stagnate. Regardless,<i> Fortitude</i> is an album that you really ought to hear, and will likely end up somewhere on my 2021 Best-of. <strong>8.1/10</strong></p>

Les frères Duplantier reviennent! After five long years, Gojira has finally returned with the follow-up to the excellent Magma, but it isn’t without controversy. Here’s everything you need to kno...

Fortitude isn't perfect, but even flawed Gojira is better than most, and there are a handful of tracks that belong amongst their very best.

Harem Scarem

Eric takes a look back at Harem Scarem's most progressive album with a track-by-track review.

Voice of Reason

<p>Welcome to part three of my fourteen (or sixteen?) part series of track-by-track reviews of every Harem Scarem studio album. Today, I’ll be looking back at the band’s 1995 prog rock album, <i>Voice of Reason</i>. It’s one of a handful of albums that has divided the band’s otherwise diehard fanbase, and it’s easy to see why. After the mainstream appeal of their first two albums, <i>Voice of Reason</i> takes a pretty hard turn into more complex arrangements and less immediate gratification. We’re not talking 10+ minute prog rock overindulgence here, but these songs require a little more work from the end listener than say, ‘Sentimental Blvd’. Let’s dig into these songs and see if they're worth the extra effort.</p><h4>1. Voice of Reason</h4><p>If you didn’t already know this was going to be Harem Scarem’s prog album, the first ten seconds of the title track would certainly be a strong first clue. The song blasts off with a complex riff that would fit right in on a heavier Porcupine Tree or Dream Theater song, though it settles into a more familiar AOR chug after that. The whole mid section of the song is a good bridge between <i>Mood Swings</i> and what the rest of this album ultimately delivers. It’s a little middle-of-the-road for Harem Scarem, right up until the bridge at the 2:45 mark. The buildup to the solo and re-introduction of the song’s opening riff serve as a solid declaration of intent for <i>Voice of Reason</i>. <strong>8/10</strong></p><h4>2. Blue</h4><p>I can see how this song in particular would be a real head-scratcher for fans expecting a sequel to <i>Mood Swings</i>. It opens with a very Queen-esque vocal harmony before stutter-stepping into the first of its bluesy, 80’s-synth-driven verses. It’s a pretty weird track, made stranger by the fact that the vocal harmonies sound like something out of a not-weird-at-all mainstream radio rock track. It’s this combination of fairly conventional AOR “sounds” with a completely unexpected song structure that makes ‘Blue’ one of my all-time favorite Harem Scarem tracks. <strong>10/10</strong></p><figure class="media"><div data-oembed-url="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6SFxKhJeXp0"><div class="youtube-embed" data-source-id="6SFxKhJeXp0" style="position: relative; padding-bottom: 100%; height: 0; padding-bottom: 56.2493%;">
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										</div></div></figure><h4>3. Warming a Frozen Rose</h4><p>The second half of the one-two punch that began with the preceding track, ‘Warming a Frozen Rose’ is another brilliant subversion of expectations. There’s a fun little bridge that kicks off with a multi-tracked guitar harmony around the 3:38 mark that’s so creative and out-of-the-blue that I smile every time I hear it. The guys wear their adoration for Queen on their sleeves here and it works quite nicely. Also, if you listen closely as the song fades out, you’ll hear a woman singing opera, because...why not? <strong>9.8/10</strong></p><h4>4. Let It Go</h4><p>This is a pretty straightforward 80’s-style power ballad, elevated by Harry Hess’ incredible voice. It’s a smart sequencing choice, as it gives the listener a chance to process a bit after the flurry of creativity on display in the first three tracks. Plus, you really can’t go wrong with a Harem Scarem power ballad. <strong>8/10</strong></p><h4>5. And That’s All</h4><p>This one starts off soulful and a little bluesy, punctuated with whimsical prog flourishes as it builds to one of the catchier choruses on the album. I love the riff leading out of the chorus into the guitar solo around the 2:10 mark. And then the repetition of that riff as the song closes out? Pret-tay, pret-tay good. <strong>9/10</strong></p><h4>6. Breathing Sand</h4><p>I’m not nuts about this one for some reason. The chorus has a bit of that Rascal Flatts country rock vibe to it that will come to irk me more later in the band’s career. There’s still plenty of surprises in the song, including a playful Queen-inspired diversion in the second half. But it ultimately diverts back to that chorus, which just isn’t my favorite. <strong>6.5/10</strong></p><h4>7. Candle</h4><p>Remember when I said you can’t go wrong with a Harem Scarem power ballad? Well, I forgot about ‘Candle’. The song has a nice, dark, heavy riff to it, but the chorus is one of the few by this band that just doesn’t do it for me. Something about the content and delivery of the line, “Your caaaaandle bleeeeds” is a touch too maudlin for my tastes. <strong>5/10</strong></p><h4>8. Paint Thins</h4><p>The most uptempo song on the album and a barnburner of a palette cleanser after ‘Candle’. It’s not the most memorable Harem Scarem song ever, but the second half really takes off with some stellar lead work and a typically-awesome guitar solo from Pete Lesperance. <strong>7.8/10</strong></p><h4>9. I’ll Be Brief</h4><p>Just when the album seems to be losing a little of its hold on me, the band unleashes this slow burn of a blockbuster. As with the best songs on <i>Voice of Reason</i>, the band takes a deceptively simple composition and sneaks in layers of complexity as the song progresses. Of course, it doesn’t hurt that the chorus can make a grown man’s heart ache. One of my all-time favorite Harem Scarem tracks. <strong>10/10</strong></p><h4>10. Untouched</h4><p>While it suffers somewhat from its placement in the shadow of the fantastic ‘I’ll Be Brief’, ‘Untouched’ has a lot going for it, including a killer riff powering an infectious verse and a chorus that will punch you right in the chest. The guitar solo on this song is also pretty damn amazing and showcases just how many different feels Pete Lesperance can bring to his instrument. This, to me, is the proper ending for Voice of Reason. <strong>9.5/10</strong></p><h4>11. Necessary Evil</h4><p>Sadly, <i>Voice of Reason</i> doesn’t end with ‘Untouched’. If my earlier comments about Rascal Flatts didn’t clue you in, I’m not a fan of Harem Scarem’s dalliances with country music. Aside from not being my cup of tea, ‘Necessary Evil’ just feels out of place on the album and probably should have been put in the back pocket for a much later album (cough—<i>United</i>!!!—cough). <strong>4/10</strong></p><p>I’m a little surprised there are so many sub-8-rated songs on this album, because I’ve always ranked <i>Voice of Reason </i>as one of my absolute favorite Harem Scarem albums, right up there with <i>Mood Swings</i>. It’s easily their bravest and most creative effort, and it’s admirable that the band tried such a bold experiment at the peak of their popularity. That experiment really works for the most part. It’s only when the band falls back on their more established songwriting patterns that <i>Voice of Reason </i>falters, but those few missteps are easy to forgive in the context of such an ambitious album.</p>

Welcome to part three of my fourteen (or sixteen?) part series of track-by-track reviews of every Harem Scarem studio album. Today, I’ll be looking back at the band’s 1995 prog rock album, Voice...

Not perfect, but like most great prog-rock albums, VoR is best evaluated as a whole where it shines as one of the band's best efforts.

Pallbearer

A track-by-track review of the latest slab of doom from Arkansas' Pallbearer.

Forgotten Days

<p>I can still remember hearing Candlemass’ <i>Nightfall</i> as an impressionable tween in 1987 and having my musical life changed. From that time, I’ve always been a fan of doom metal of all shades, from the godfathers Sabbath, to Trouble and St. Vitus, to Sleep and Electric Wizard. So when I first heard Pallbearer’s debut album back in 2012, I was immediately hooked and have followed their career with great interest ever since. I wasn’t enamored with 2017’s <i>Heartless</i>, which seemed to dial down the intensity and stray a bit too far from the proper doom of the first two records. Fortunately, the band’s fourth is a return to form that carries on the best of their early albums, but with some of the expansive flair of their third.</p><p>Here’s a track-by-track rundown of <i>Forgotten Days</i>:</p><h4>1. Forgotten Days</h4><p>We open things up with a dark, punchy track that shows that much of the lighter fare from <i>Heartless</i> has been left behind. There’s a great chugging riff, a catchy chorus that will stick with you, and a nice solo midway-through that is vintage Pallbearer. The band is known for opening with a bang, and the title track doesn’t disappoint. <strong>9.5/10</strong></p><figure class="media"><div data-oembed-url="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OuH3pX8tqCg"><div class="youtube-embed" data-source-id="OuH3pX8tqCg" style="position: relative; padding-bottom: 100%; height: 0; padding-bottom: 56.2493%;">
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										</div></div></figure><h4>2. Riverbed</h4><p>The next track slows things down a bit, and after the energetic opener, the juxtaposition feels a little jarring. However, all is forgiven once the vocal harmonies kick in, and the emotive solo at the 3:30 mark seals the deal. <strong>8.5/10</strong></p><h4>3. Stasis</h4><p>Not a bad song by any stretch, but it’s very similar in tone to ‘Riverbed’ and, as such, drags the energy down a bit. I wish they’d sequenced this later, perhaps switched with ‘Rite of Passage’. Nevertheless, it’s another great vocal performance, and I really like the breakdown with the keyboard drone in the middle. <strong>8/10</strong></p><h4>4. Silver Wings</h4><p>At over 12 minutes, ‘Silver Wings’ is the centerpiece to <i>Forgotten Days</i>, both literally and spiritually. It’s a perfect amalgamation of the power of the first two records and the progressive tendencies of the third. There are so many songs that I love in their catalogue that I have difficulty coming up with a consistent top 5 list, but ‘Silver Wings’ absolutely earns a spot. Truly among the very best songs the band has ever done. <strong>10/10</strong>, only because I can’t go higher.</p><h4>5. The Quicksand of Existence</h4><p>After the rich meal of ‘Silver Wings’, ‘The Quicksand of Existence’ offers a short four minute palate cleanser. It features a simple riff that doesn’t do anything flashy, but has found a way to stick with me on repeated listens. I love the extended solos in the mid-point and the dark outro. <strong>8.5/10</strong></p><h4>6. Vengeance &amp; Ruination</h4><p>This is an interesting track that finds the band stretching their formula a bit. There’s some interesting textures in the guitars and chords that are atypical, but still match nicely with their signature style. The vocals on this track are some of the best on the album. <strong>8.5/10</strong></p><h4>7. Rite of Passage</h4><p>Another shorter track that is pretty standard fare for the band. It’s elevated with a great chorus, where the vocals almost sound like later Queensryche. Overall, a solid track that is a grower. <strong>8/10</strong></p><h4>8. Caledonia</h4><p>Pallbearer has a knack for ending their albums with a bang, as ‘Given to the Grave’ from <i>Sorrow and Extinction</i> and ‘Vanished’ from <i>Foundations of Burden</i> are two of the band’s very best. I wouldn’t put ‘Caledonia’ among those two, but it’s a damned fine ending to the album. There’s a strong psychedelic vibe at the beginning that morphs into something more reminiscent of the melancholy of Katatonia. <strong>9.5/10</strong></p><p>With three songs under 5 minutes and only one over 10 minutes, <i>Forgotten Days</i> might be the perfect gateway album for the new listener or someone without the patience to stick with the slow pace of your standard doom record. The band has evolved enough to make things fresh, but kept one foot still firmly planted in their roots. It’s not quite up to the stratospheric standard of <i>Foundations of Burden</i>, but it’s more consistent than <i>Sorrow and Extinction</i>, which I also adore. It has certainly earned a spot on my year-end list.</p>

I can still remember hearing Candlemass’ Nightfall as an impressionable tween in 1987 and having my musical life changed. From that time, I’ve always been a fan of doom metal of all shades, from...

Forgotten Days is the perfect gateway album for those new to the band or without the patience for your standard doom record.

Armored Saint

Is Punching the Sky the album the world needs to triumph over 2020, or just another gut punch keeping us on the ropes?

Punching the Sky

<p>2020. The shittiest of shitty years. Death, disease, riots, political corruption, and murder hornets all run rampant with no end in sight. Our leaders disappoint us at every turn while our institutions crumble. If only one man could rise above it all and light our darkest hour. If only that man had a voice with the steel and grit to remind us that we’re never truly fucked—a voice that yelled, “I see something wrong, and I fix it with my hands!” And if only that man came backed by a band of grizzled veteran rockers ready for the fight of their lives. Well wake up, because that dream is your reality. Armored Saint are back, and they brought some serious jams with them.</p><p>“But Eric,” you say, “I’ve never been a huge Armored Saint fan, and I was always Team Belladonna!” Well, never you fret. You don’t have to have heard a single Armored Saint song in your life to appreciate this album (and I will make you a killer Bushthrax mix tape we can debate some other day). For now, just set aside 6:47 minutes of your life and listen to ‘Standing on the Shoulders of Giants’. It’s really all you need to hear to decide whether <i>Punching the Sky</i> is worth your time. Listen to that chorus. If you don’t feel better about your life afterwards, then by all means, put on your funeral doom and continue your descent into full blown despair. But if you suddenly feel like the world’s a little less dark, like you just might be able to take on the day? Stick around, because this album is chock full of blockbusters that will make you want to <i>LIVE</i>!!!</p><figure class="media"><div data-oembed-url="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k4bAwDmT7ME"><div class="youtube-embed" data-source-id="k4bAwDmT7ME" style="position: relative; padding-bottom: 100%; height: 0; padding-bottom: 56.2493%;">
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										</div></div></figure><p>With your spirits suitably lifted by that could-have-been title track, it’s time to get this party raging with ‘End of the Attention Span’. This song is a belter from start to finish. While Bush has never sounded better, it’s apparent now that the entire band is on fire. These songs are a big step up from 2015’s <i>Win Hands Down</i>, which had many fine moments, but failed to hold my attention all the way through. That’s not a problem here. Even as the band settles into more mid-tempo tracks like ‘Bubble’ and ‘My Jurisdiction’, the hooks and the song craft don’t let up. There are highlights all over the album, with canine-themed deep cuts like ‘Lone Wolf’ and ‘Bark, No Bite’ being particularly invasive ear worms.</p><p>So is it album of the year material? Not quite. There are a few tracks in the second half that land just a bit off the mark for me. ‘Missile to Gun’ has gusto to spare, but I’m not as sold on the oft-repeated chorus as the band apparently was. And ‘Fly in the Ointment’ is fine, but isn’t one I find myself itching to hear again. But even these songs are solid enough for <i>Punching the Sky</i> to maintain its “not a bad song on it” status.</p><p>Fortunately, the album ends very strongly with the final three tracks. I already mentioned ‘Bark, No Bite’, which is so jaunty, fun, and full of super cool guitar leads that I just can’t imagine anyone disliking it. Then there’s ‘Unfair’, which took me right back to the black lodge where I lived back in the 90’s. And my only beef with album-closer ‘Never You Fret’ is that it’s so damn great, I wish it could have landed earlier in the album. Then again, it’s always nice leaving your listeners wanting more, and ‘Never You Fret’ does indeed bring the house down.</p>

2020. The shittiest of shitty years. Death, disease, riots, political corruption, and murder hornets all run rampant with no end in sight. Our leaders disappoint us at every turn while our instit...

Armored Saint have never sounded better, and John Bush still makes me want to be a better man.

Supercrush

Supercrush bring back the 90’s power pop sound with a sprinkle of shoegaze. It's great, but is it one of the greatest?

SODO Pop

<p>Apparently Mark Palm, the lead singer and songwriter of Supercrush was in the heavy metal band Black Breath. You would never guess by listening to the band's debut album, <i>SODO Pop</i>. Supercrush worships at the alter of fuzzed-out 90s power pop luminaries such as Teenage Fanclub (one of the greatest bands ever!), the Posies, and Velvet Crush, as well as dipping a toe into shoegaze. So, about as far from Black Breath's brand of crusty death-thrash as you can get.</p><p>While this is their first full-length album, Supercrush have been around since 2012 releasing singles and EP’s here and there alongside Black Breath. There is no question that the band are an outlet for Mark’s softer side. What’s impressive though is how amazingly good the songs are. This album is a throwback in every way and will appeal to all those who fell in love with any power pop and early shoegaze bands of the 90s.</p><p>Interestingly, on first listen it doesn’t actually sound that impressive. The album‘s production makes it sound very quiet when played at low volume, and the fuzziness is toned down somewhat. It’s very reflective of the era but not necessarily of 2020. Which is why I think it caught me off guard. It’s definitely a grower. However give it a few spins, play it loud and the album begins to reveal the brilliance of the band and just how clever the record actually is. The songwriting is top notch. ‘On the Telephone’ the lead-off single is fast, catchy and features one of the best guitar solos of 2020.&nbsp;</p><figure class="media"><div data-oembed-url="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n09vLL23YWM"><div class="youtube-embed" data-source-id="n09vLL23YWM" style="position: relative; padding-bottom: 100%; height: 0; padding-bottom: 56.2493%;">
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										</div></div></figure><p>‘Have you called Him by my Name’ features a low slung steel guitar and a chorus that keeps building until Mark unleashes a gratifying climax with further guitar histrionics. ‘Grace’ is probably the finest example of the album’s experimentation—it starts out reminiscent of the Beatles before the song evolves into a hard rock riff and chorus akin to Cheap Trick. It then delivers an absolute monster of a guitar solo before worshipping at the door of Teenage Fanclub circa Grand Prix, and then into almost an Elton John style piano ballad. There is no other song released this year that could be included in the dictionary definition for ‘cool’ more than this one.</p><p>Mark’s time in Bad Breath can be felt across the album. Supercrush bring a harder edge to their songwriting when necessary. A great example of this is ‘Parallel Lines’, with a riff that could easily sit on the new Deftones record, <i>Ohms</i>. However, it's the interplay between the band members that impresses the most—the call and response between guitar, drums and bass, the placing of the melodies, the timing of the quiet-loud formula, and the position of those solos in each song. It really is perfection…….well nearly. One thing I hate on albums is tracks that use a ‘fade out’, Its almost always in the middle of a huge solo too. Unfortunately this is what happens to ‘Fair Weather Fool’ and I just cannot fathom why you would do it. It doesn’t necessarily ruin the song but it ruins the album’s flow in my opinion. That’s it though, that is the only fault I can pick with SODO Pop.&nbsp;</p><p>SODO Pop is without a doubt one of the finest power pop records of the last 30 years and one of the very best rock albums released in 2020.</p>

Apparently Mark Palm, the lead singer and songwriter of Supercrush was in the heavy metal band Black Breath. You would never guess by listening to the band's debut album, SODO Pop. Supercrush wor...

Supercrush worship at the 90’s fuzzed-out power pop alter and deliver one of the very best rock albums of 2020.

<p>I'm with Chris on this being an excellent power pop album, but I'm not as convinced it's one of the all time greats. For me, I think it would need one or two songs that punch me in the soul the way a &nbsp;<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kSOoPk2q280">‘Flavor of the Month’</a> or <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SmJ3zOn9RD8">‘What You Do To Me’</a> does. While Supercrush definitely know how to write a good hook (and <i>SODO Pop</i> is chock full of them), I can't say the album makes me feel much more than a sense of admiration and warm nostalgia.&nbsp;</p><p>Then again, I was a teenager when <i>Frosting On The Beater</i> and <i>Bandwagonesque</i> came out, so my opinions of the albums that I consider true power pop classics are undoubtedly flavored by the passion of youth. I'm now a crusty old man, mostly dead inside. It takes a lot to make me feel anything more than the faint sense of dread that percolates beneath my every waking moment.</p><p>All of that said, the fact that we're debating whether this is a great power pop album or <i>one of the greatest power pop albums of all time(!!!)</i> shows just how expertly Supercrush have nailed the fundamentals. It really is good to hear this genre being executed at such a high level. If you're a power pop fan, <i>SODO Pop</i> is—at a minimum—well worth your attention.</p>

I'm with Chris on this being an excellent power pop album, but I'm not as convinced it's one of the all time greats. For me, I think it would need one or two songs that punch me in the soul the w...

SODO Pop scratches itches I'd forgotten I even had. Chris says it's a classic, and time may prove him right. But for now...

Enslaved

Any new album from these black metal legends is a major event. Eric goes track-by-track with Utgard to see if the band's still got it.

Utgard

<p>Enslaved are one of a handful (or two) of bands who have changed my tastes in music. My first exposure to them was 2006's <i>Ruun</i>, which was the first album to convince me that black metal could be more than just shrill, raspy shrieking over tremolo picking and blast beats. It was a gateway to many other amazing black metal acts, and it also precipitated a deep dive into every Enslaved album that came before and after it. <i>Below The Lights</i>, <i>Isa</i>, and <i>Ruun</i> remain the holy trinity for me, but I've enjoyed every album since and still consider each new release to be a big deal.&nbsp;</p><p>While <i>E</i> and <i>In Times</i> didn't blow my mind, there was still enough magic there to keep me excited about what this band would do next. So let's dig into <i>Utgard</i> and see how it goes.&nbsp;</p><h4>1. Fires in the Dark</h4><p>This starts off about the way you’d expect, with some good old-fashioned Nordic chanting. But then it quickly segues into an acoustic intro which is a little <i>un</i>expected for Enslaved. The two merge together before transitioning into a <i>Monumension</i>-esque bridge that finally gets us into the song proper, which is a driving, uptempo track peppered with a pretty cool, slightly videogame-y melody. There’s a lot going on here, and it’s great to hear the band stretching themselves right from the start.&nbsp; <strong>7.8/10</strong></p><h4>2. Jettegryta</h4><p>A nice back and forth here between a gnarly intro riff, a galloping bridge, and a swirling black metal tempest that charges into the chorus. It all hums along nicely for the first three minutes, before an abrupt transition to a rather tasty riff that plays out for a full minute of proggy goodness. A somewhat formulaic Enslaved song, but it’s got enough flourishes to be engaging throughout. <strong>7/10</strong></p><h4>3. Sequence</h4><p><i>Now</i> we’re talking! Killer riff on this track, with a propulsive rhythm that drags you along for the first minute without letting up. The solo around the 1:50 mark is really nice, and I love all the little bass, rhythm guitar, and drum flourishes going on behind it. Things start to get a little weird in the second half, and I’m not sure the off-tempo videogame level-up sound fx do anything but clutter the song. Fortunately, that driving rhythm comes back and finishes this one off strongly. <strong>8.5/10</strong></p><h4>4. Homebound</h4><p>After nearly 30 years and 15 albums, what’s reasonable to expect from a band like Enslaved? When it comes down to it, I guess I want to hear something that doesn’t sound quite like any song Enslaved have done before but still sounds exactly like the sort of thing Enslaved <i>would</i> do. ‘Homebound’ is a perfect example of this. It’s exciting and completely original, but still sounds like Enslaved through and through. The opening riff is killer, the melody over top is gorgeous, and the song structure is flawless from beginning to end. I love everything about this song. <strong>10/10</strong></p><figure class="media"><div data-oembed-url="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=92ptxt1FQiU"><div class="youtube-embed" data-source-id="92ptxt1FQiU" style="position: relative; padding-bottom: 100%; height: 0; padding-bottom: 56.2493%;">
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										</div></div></figure><h4>5. Utgarðr</h4><p>I could take or leave this one. It’s almost entirely spoken word with just a hint of ambience behind it. I’ve listened to the album with and without it, and it’s fine either way. It’s a nice lead up to the next track, and adds a sense of grandeur to the album if you’ve got the patience for it, but it does detract from the momentum building after the excellent 'Sequence' and ‘Homebound’.<strong> 5/10</strong></p><h4>6. Urjotun</h4><p>Nice keys kicking this one off. Again, this sounds unlike any other Enslaved song I can think of, but still feels just right. I like the break from harsh/soft, quiet/loud, black metal/Pink Floyd dynamics the band tends to lean on these days. ‘Urjotun’ would work fine as an instrumental, but the bridge in the midsection brings in vocals, and layers the guitars and ambiance in a way that builds tension quite effectively. <strong>8/10</strong></p><h4>7. Flight of Thought and Memory</h4><p>If some up-and-coming metal band dropped this song, I’d be screaming from the rooftops about them. But the standard is so high for Enslaved that a song like ‘Flight of Thought and Memory’ is a little underwhelming at first. It uses a lot of very familiar dynamics, and would be right at home on just about anything post-<i>Ruun</i>. But it <i>does</i> have a lot going for it—including a lovely chorus and a guitar solo at the 3:34 mark that takes you on a sweet ride. If there’s a sleeper hit on <i>Utgard</i>, this is it. <strong>7.5/10</strong></p><h4>8. Storms of Utgard</h4><p>Solid rock riff starting this one off, and I love the haunting melody played over it. Like the track that precedes it, this is post-<i>Ruun</i> Enslaved by the numbers, which isn’t necessarily a bad thing. I love that dirty riff that kicks in at the 2:25 mark, and the transition back to the intro riff with the solo over it at the end is not too shabby. <strong>7.0/10</strong></p><h4>9. Distant Seasons</h4><p>The final track finds the band flying the Pink Floyd flag again. This is not my favorite song on <i>Utgard</i> by any stretch, but I do appreciate the dramatic weight it adds to the album. It’s a fitting album-closer, with the callback to the acoustic guitar from the beginning of ‘Fires in the Dark’ being a particularly nice touch. <strong>6.5/10</strong></p><p>So <i>Utgard</i> is a solid album, but that’s to be expected with Enslaved. The real question is whether or not the band still has the capacity to surprise fans after a handful of albums that were perhaps a little too consistent. The answer for me is a qualified yes. I think the album is strongest in the mid-section where the more adventurous compositions give it a character of its own. It also helps that the songs on <i>Utgard</i> are shorter than those on any of Enslaved’s full lengths since <i>Ruun</i>. Enslaved excel at creating little pockets of awesome within songs that might otherwise grow stale, so the (relative) brevity works in their favor. Time will tell how <i>Utgard</i> stacks up to the rest of their catalogue. For now, I can say that I've enjoyed my time with it more than<i> E</i> and <i>In Times</i>, but less than <i>Axioma...</i>, <i>Vertebrae</i>, and <i>RIITIIR</i>.&nbsp;</p>

Enslaved are one of a handful (or two) of bands who have changed my tastes in music. My first exposure to them was 2006's Ruun, which was the first album to convince me that black metal could be...

Utgard flows well, doesn't overstay its welcome, and is eminently listenable. Check out ‘Fires in the Dark’, ‘Sequence’, ‘Homebound’, and ‘Urjotun’.

Toehider

Maniacal multi-instrumentalist Mike Mills is back to test your limits with another collection of irreverent prog metal musical theater. 

I LIKE IT!

<p>My first exposure to the madness of Mike Mills (aka Toehider) came via his performance as TH-1 on Ayreon’s fantastically nerdy 2017 album, <i>The Source</i>. That album was so fun and batshit crazy that it demanded a deep dive into the music of just about every contributor to it. This brought me to Toehider’s 2014 album <i>What Kind of Creature Am I?</i>, one of the coolest mashups of prog metal, electronic, classic rock, 80’s pop (and Queen, lots of Queen!) you will ever hear. Follow up, <i>GOOD</i>, was a bit of a letdown for me, perhaps because <i>WKoCAI</i> set the bar so impossibly high. That album was such an explosion of musical genius that it would be perfectly understandable if Mr. Mills’ needed a tweener album to refill the tank.</p><p>Which brings us to Toehider’s latest effort, <i>I LIKE IT</i>, which gets off to a rousing start with the positively ripping, ‘GO FULL BORE!’. It sounds a bit like if The Darkness joined forces with Squarepusher and Dragonforce, but occasionally forgot what they were doing and became a blistering black metal band or 80’s synth pop act. This spastic, musical identity crisis is what makes Toehider so fascinating and it’s great to hear it in full effect right out of the gate.</p><figure class="media"><div data-oembed-url="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fx3rYwCuB98&amp;feature=youtu.be&amp;autoplay=1&amp;mute=0"><div class="youtube-embed" data-source-id="fx3rYwCuB98" style="position: relative; padding-bottom: 100%; height: 0; padding-bottom: 56.2493%;"><iframe src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/fx3rYwCuB98" srcdoc="<style>*{padding:0;margin:0;overflow:hidden}html,body{height:100%}img,span{position:absolute;width:100%;top:0;bottom:0;margin:auto}span{height:1.5em;text-align:center;font:48px/1.5 sans-serif;color:white;text-shadow:0 0 0.5em black}</style><a href='https://www.youtube.com/embed/fx3rYwCuB98?autoplay=1'><img src='https://img.youtube.com/vi/fx3rYwCuB98/sddefault.jpg' alt='Play Youtube Video' loading=lazy><span>▶</span></a>" style="position: absolute; width: 100%; height: 100%; top: 0; left: 0;" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen="true"></iframe></div></div></figure><p>Follow up, ‘wellgivit’ is a bright bit of 80’s electro-pop—reminiscent of <i>United</i>-era Phoenix—catchy as hell and an all-around good time. Then, just when you think you’ve got a feel for where the album is going, ‘Rancorous Heart’ comes along and it’s...a little hard to put a finger on. It’s as serpentine in structure as any of Mill’s more audacious experiments, but folkier and surprisingly earnest when the chorus hits. It’s a good song, but one that introduces a handful of slow growers to the album’s mid-section.</p><p>It’s not until ‘The Ultimate Exalter’ rolls in that the album regains the head of steam it had going at the end of ‘wellgivit’. It’s a slower song, but has a welcome focus to it after a string of Ayreon-esque musical theater that’s a bit much at times. These songs aren’t bad, but they’re of a different type than the more immediate songs on the rest of the album. This is the fine line Toehider often walks—the man’s unbridled creative energy is what makes his music so exhilarating, but he does sometimes go off on a tangent or three that detract from the flow of the album.&nbsp;</p><p>Apparently, this collection of songs was selected by <a href="https://www.patreon.com/toehider">Toehider’s Patreon</a> supporters, so I missed my chance to dictate the album’s tracklist. But if I were calling the shots, I’d have preferred a shorter, more focused effort that saved tracks like ‘Moon and Moron’, ‘Concerning Lix &amp; Fairs’, ‘The Guy That No-One Really Knows’, and ‘Bats Aren’t Birds’ (maybe? It's growing on me) for a super nerdy EP to tide us over between full lengths.</p><p>Fortunately, there are plenty of hits in the second half of the album. ‘Died of Dancing’ is a bona-fide blockbuster. Any time Mike Mills channels his <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M5iO21xdkW0">inner Lionel Richie</a>, you know it’s going to be a good time, and ‘Died of Dancing’ scores pretty high on the Toehidionelrichie-ometer. The final three tracks on <i>I LIKE IT</i> are all pretty exceptional as well. ‘He’s There...And Then He Does THAT’ has a joyous, beautiful melody to it, ‘How Much For That Dragon Tooth?’ out-Darknesses The Darkness (of late), and the chorus of the title track is so goddamn heartwarming that you just want it to go on forever.</p><p>Scoring this one is going to be a challenge. If I were to rate the album as it has been presented by its creator, I’d give it a solid 7/10. However, if I narrowed it down to <a href="https://open.spotify.com/playlist/7vbaBTNO5TxfXArox0MwGy?si=KACW5VYPSTGDsOpDGbhDbA">my own 40 minute cut</a> sequenced just how I like it, then it’s easily a 9/10. I’ll split the difference then and give it an 8.0, which hopefully conveys that <i>I LIKE IT</i>, while not flawless, is an album that deserves your attention.</p>

My first exposure to the madness of Mike Mills (aka Toehider) came via his performance as TH-1 on Ayreon’s fantastically nerdy 2017 album, The Source. That album was so fun and batshit crazy that...

It could use a good editor, but it’s still really nice and I like it. I like it. I’M OBLIGATED TO LIKE IT!!!

Eric checks in with a track-by-track review of Harem Scarem's 2013 re-recording of their arena rock masterpiece, Mood Swings.

Mood Swings II

<p>Welcome to part two (and three?) of my fourteen (or sixteen?) part series of track-by-track reviews of every Harem Scarem studio album. Today, I’ll be looking back at <i>Mood Swings II</i>, the 2013 re-record of the band’s 1993 album, <i>Mood Swings</i>. It also happens to be the first Harem Scarem album I ever heard, and kicked off a love affair that has only grown stronger over the past seven years. Re-recordings of fan favorite albums are pretty much destined to <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nCS-bgoHVGY&amp;list=PLei3xLELfPBndKz9UO9Htm76aqEy5zko2">end in disaster</a>, but Harry Hess and Pete Lesperance eat cynicism for breakfast, lunch and dinner, so anything could happen. Let’s dig into it and see if Harem Scarem somehow, against all odds, manage to pull if off.</p><h4>1. Saviors Never Cry</h4><p>The album kicks off with a playful little lick before ripping into what is probably the heaviest, gnarliest riff of Harem Scarem’s career. Based on that opening riff, I honestly thought the band might be a melodic death metal act along the lines of Soilwork or Scar Symmetry. That, of course, turned out to be laughably off the mark, but fans of those acts who appreciate their melodic rock influences will probably enjoy this track.&nbsp;</p><figure class="media"><div data-oembed-url="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7fvyAgeAG0Q"><div style="position: relative; padding-bottom: 100%; height: 0; padding-bottom: 56.2493%;"><iframe src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/7fvyAgeAG0Q" style="position: absolute; width: 100%; height: 100%; top: 0; left: 0;" frameborder="0" allow="autoplay; encrypted-media" allowfullscreen=""></iframe></div></div></figure><p>I could write an entire post about this song alone. Great chug in the verses, Harry’s voice sounds amazing, and the chorus is the kind of thing Hot Rod hums to himself while using the matrix of leadership to <a href="https://youtu.be/7xU74NlU4vA?t=55">destroy Unicron</a>. If this song doesn’t do it for you, then Harem Scarem might not be the band for you. While their catalog is deep with high quality bangers, I can’t think of one that’s better than ‘Saviors Never Cry’. It’s the standard by which all other Harem Scarem songs are judged...by me, anyway. <strong>10.0</strong></p><h4>2. No Justice</h4><p>Pure Hagar-era Van Halen, from the song’s a capella-style chorus opener to the radio-friendly, but super tasty licks and solos peppered throughout. If memory serves, I resisted this track’s considerable charms for several listens (truth is, I’m not a huge Van Hagar guy) before finally letting it in. There’s just no denying the chorus on this song, and the guitar solo at the 2:35 mark never ceases to amaze. <strong>9.8</strong></p><h4>3. Stranger Than Love</h4><p>The first of a handful of power ballads on Mood Swings, and it’s a damn good one. It’s got a lot of Hysteria-era Def Leppard coursing through its veins, both in the opening bars and in the call and response vocals of its ridiculously catchy chorus. Pete Lesperance’s leads on this track are excellent, and the solo at the 2:34 mark is sweet and whimsical, really taking the song to the next level. <strong>10.0</strong></p><h4>4. Change Comes Around</h4><p>Honestly, the first 1:20 of this song is a little cheesy with the waka-waka guitar and the slightly cringey, “this is my rollercoaster…” intro verses, but once things kick off proper, ‘Change Comes Around’ is a <i>good time</i>. The pre-chorus and chorus are energetic and earnest as only Harem Scarem can be, and the lead work on this track...holy hot licks! Oh, and just try to resist that breakdown at the 3:30 mark—you knew they were going to do it… you were afraid it would be super hokey when it happened...but then they did it, and it was everything you feared, but it still kind of ruled.<strong> 8.0</strong></p><h4>5. Jealousy</h4><p>Definitely my least favorite song on the album and one of the very few Harem Scarem songs I just don't like. The chorus is great, and I’ve never heard a Pete Lesperance solo I could complain about, but the rest of the song’s funk-rock leanings just aren’t for me. That said, I know a guy whose opinion I sometimes respect, and he SWEARS by this song, so go judge for yourself. <strong>4.5</strong></p><h4>6. Sentimental Blvd.</h4><p>Holy smokes, this song. I often wonder when a band writes a song like this if there’s a temptation to try selling it to a big arena-rock act and just live off the royalty checks for the rest of their lives. I don’t know how it all works, but I’d imagine the guys from Journey would sell their souls to have a song like ‘Sentimental Blvd.’ in their pocket. Great riff in the verses and sometimes-drummer Darren Smith <i>kills it</i> on the vocals. What a chorus! <strong>10.0</strong></p><h4>7. Mandy</h4><p>A gorgeous guitar solo segue in the middle of the album. It’s beautiful and demonstrates why Pete Lesperance deserves to be mentioned in the same breath as the rock and roll guitar gods. ‘Mandy’ makes the short list of guitar solos that have ever made me get a little verklempt. <strong>10.0</strong></p><h4>8. Empty Promises</h4><p>One of the heavier riffs on the album, and there are a lot of cool little guitar flourishes on this song. It’s got a lot going for it, and hints at some of the band’s proggier leanings that would be explored further on the excellent <i>Voice of Reason</i>. But there are also a few awkward waka-waka funk-rock bridges amidst the verses that just don’t work for me. A shame because I do like how adventurous the rest of this track is. <strong>7.0</strong></p><h4>9. If There Was A Time</h4><p>Not just one of the best Harem Scarem power ballads, but one of the greatest power ballads OF ALL TIME! The first 60 seconds of this song are just plain stunning. I wonder if Harry regrets hitting that high note? Does he ever do it live? Was it a challenge to hit it for the re-recording, 20 years later? Wouldn’t it be cool to hear Devin Townsend cover this song? <strong>10.0</strong></p><h4>10. Just Like I Planned</h4><p>I don’t listen to this song as much as I ought to. It’s a simple arrangement that really showcases Harry Hess’s lovely voice. It gets a little lost in the shadow of the complete package that is ‘If There Was A Time’, but it deserves better than that. <strong>8.0</strong></p><h4>11. Had Enough</h4><p>Plenty of hot licks to appreciate here, but on the whole I’m kind of ‘meh’ on ‘Had Enough’. It’s got just a hint of a country-rock vibe that will begin to haunt me on future Harem Scarem albums. <strong>6.0</strong></p><h4>12. World Gone To Pieces (Bonus Track)</h4><p>The first of three new tracks recorded for the re-release, ‘World Gone To Pieces’ is just good enough to prove that Harem Scarem’s reunion is worth paying attention to. It’s not one of my favorites, but there’s nothing wrong with it. <strong>6.0</strong></p><h4>13. Anarchy (Bonus Track)</h4><p>I feel pretty much the same about this as I do about ‘World Gone To Pieces’. It’s fine. <strong>6.0</strong></p><h4>14. Brighter Day (Bonus Track)</h4><p>This is a nice song. Honestly, I think if it were the only bonus track on the album, it would have left me even more excited about the band’s comeback than with the other two accompanying it. They sound confident here, like a band that still has something to say. And most importantly, the song makes me <i>feel </i>something, which has always been Harem Scarem’s biggest selling point. <strong>8.0</strong></p><p>There you have it. Re-recordings are almost never a good idea, but there are always exceptions that prove the rule, and <i>Mood Swings II</i> is just that. The production is top notch, the band sounds amazing, and perhaps most importantly, Harry’s voice sounds even better than it did on the original recordings. By some glorious deal with the devil, he’s managed to gain all the life experience and gravitas that comes with age while avoiding any discernible weakening of his voice.&nbsp;</p><p>The performances are so strong, that I honestly see no reason to revisit the original recordings, which—by comparison—sound like rough demos of the fully-realized versions delivered here. I’d be curious to know if fans who’ve been with Harem Scarem from the start feel differently. In any event, if you’re new to this band, <i>Mood Swings II</i> is an excellent place to start. Is it my favorite Harem Scarem album? I wouldn't want to spoil my fourteen (or is it sixteen?) part series with an answer. But it's definitely in my top three.</p>

Welcome to part two (and three?) of my fourteen (or sixteen?) part series of track-by-track reviews of every Harem Scarem studio album. Today, I’ll be looking back at Mood Swings II, the 2013 re-...

While a few tracks don't do much for me, the fact that so many of these songs are next-level amazing makes this an essential hard rock album.

Division of Laura Lee

Division of Laura Lee return to their noisy, garage-punk roots on their latest album. Who says you can't go home again?

Apartment

<p>Over the past 20 years, Division of Laura Lee have quietly become one of my favorite rock bands. Some bands have landmark, blockbuster albums that immediately put them on your radar. You love them because of those one or two albums, and stick with them in the hopes of getting another taste of perfection. Other bands slowly chip away at you over the years with consistently good music that fills a niche in your listening habits that you didn't even know existed. Division of Laura Lee are that kind of band.</p><p>With the time between albums growing longer and longer for DOLL (seven years since <i>Tree</i>!), a new album is kind of a big deal. In celebration of this major event, let’s go track by track to see if <i>Apartment</i> delivers the goods.</p><h4>1. Sit Up Straight</h4><p>Right off the bat, this just feels right. I liked <i>Tree</i>, but it left me a little concerned that the band was filing down the rough edges that made them so appealing. Those concerns are put to rest with ‘Sit Up Straight’, which bristles with the kind of garage-punk energy that would fit right in on <i>Black City</i> or <i>Das Not Compute</i>. <strong>8.5</strong></p><h4>2. Dodge Bullets</h4><p>While I love both vocalists in DOLL, it seems the tracks Per Stålberg sings on are the ones that punch me in the chest the hardest. ‘Dodge Bullets’ is another raw, buzzing slab of rock with all the qualities that make this band stick to the ribs. It’s dirty and angry, but contrasted with a uniquely Swedish sweetness and sincerity in the vocals that makes the band sound simultaneously dangerous and slightly adorable. They may be pissed, but you’ll never convince me these guys are anything other than total teddy bears. <strong>9.5</strong></p><h4>3. Apartment</h4><p>Great momentum through these first three tracks. This one has a nice Fugazi vibe to it. Honestly, it took a few spins for the vocal hook in the chorus to work for me. It felt a little too straightforward initially, but the lyrics pull this whole song together. It might help that we’re in the midst of a global pandemic, but I think this song works outside that context. Many of us middle-aged dudes have needed a rock through the window to get us out of the house since well before COVID-19. <strong>8.0</strong></p><figure class="media"><div data-oembed-url="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Va7XcEne7qA"><div style="position: relative; padding-bottom: 100%; height: 0; padding-bottom: 56.2493%;"><iframe src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/Va7XcEne7qA" style="position: absolute; width: 100%; height: 100%; top: 0; left: 0;" frameborder="0" allow="autoplay; encrypted-media" allowfullscreen=""></iframe></div></div></figure><br /><h4>4. Hollow Pricks</h4><p>This song is a straight-up banger. DOLL have never been shy about advertising their influences, and ‘Hollow Pricks’ is a sonic love letter to Drive Like Jehu and Hot Snakes, particularly in the verses. But again, it’s that contrast of angular, stabbing riffs with Stålberg’s charming lyrics and delivery that put the song over the edge. There’s something about the way he sings, “I got my own plans....thoughts….ideeeeeeas,” that puts a silly grin on my face. <strong>9.8</strong></p><h4>5. Safe</h4><p>The first of two slower tracks on Apartment, Safe is a breezy, surfy tune with a fuzzed out Swervedriver-esque lead melody punctuated by some sweet, reverby new-wave claps. DOLL have a long history of writing <a href="https://open.spotify.com/playlist/3HpIuwywUeOmd3sny37yH7?si=EOp-2O9VQomslGaJ1sZ7vg">great downtempo songs</a>, and ‘Safe’ is no exception. I’ve always wanted to hear Jonas Gustafsson say he’d be my BFF. <strong>8.0</strong></p><h4>6. Paris</h4><p>This is probably my least favorite song on the album. Musically, it’s fine, but the lyrics are just a little too on-the-nose for my tastes. It’s probably one of the more personal tracks on the album, and I do admire the spirit of the lyrics. I just get a little cranky when I know exactly what a song is about, and I wish the band had found a way to make this one more open to interpretation. <strong>5.5</strong></p><h4>7. Sweat</h4><p>The rhythm riff on this one is just a touch too similar to ‘Dirty Love'. It’s a by-the-books DOLL song that builds to a satisfying crescendo in the final third and is notable for Stålberg’s almost guttural vocals in the verses. <strong>7.0</strong></p><h4>8. Curtains</h4><p>There’s no arguing with that opening riff once the rhythm guitar kicks in—it’s super nasty. Lots of interesting dynamics on this track and a slightly creepy, ethereal performance by guest vocalist Johanna Hellqvist. <strong>8.0</strong></p><h4>9. Spite</h4><p>Another fairly straightforward rocker, but it’s everything you’d want from a top tier deep cut. Uptempo with a great stomp in the rhythm section. In fact everyone is convincingly killing it on this one. It’s not one of my favorites on the album, but I never feel like turning it off when it comes on. <strong>7.8</strong></p><h4>10. Always Around</h4><p>This song is just plain gorgeous. Like the best of DOLL’s slower songs, ‘Always Around’ is simple, melancholic, and subtly infectious. Relative newcomer Viktor Lager sings on the track and sounds like he’s been in the band since the beginning. If you're not blown away by this song, try it again at the end of a long day, with the lights down low. <strong>9.5</strong></p><p>On the whole, <i>Apartment</i> is an impressive rock album. It's a bit front loaded with quality tracks, but ‘Curtains’ and ‘Always Around’ make the second half well worth sticking around for, and the songs in between are quite good too. If we’re lucky, the closing lyrics on the album—“neverending...always around”—are prophetic and Division of Laura Lee have no intention of closing up shop any time soon. At the rate they’re going it might be 2030 before we get another album, but if they can continue putting out albums of this caliber, I won’t be too mad about the wait.</p>

Over the past 20 years, Division of Laura Lee have quietly become one of my favorite rock bands. Some bands have landmark, blockbuster albums that immediately put them on your radar. You love the...

It's good to have DOLL back with such a raw, energetic album. Check out 'Dodge Bullets', 'Hollow Pricks', and 'Always Around'.

Glass Eye

Glass Eye's promising debut EP is a dark, dreamy bit of experimental rock music.

Somewhere, Nowhere

<p>Someone recently asked me if I liked any modern music that <i>wasn't </i>metal. My initial response was, “yeah, of course.” But then I couldn't think of a single new band I've loved in the past 2-3 years that wasn't either a metal band or some derivative of a metal band. In retrospect, I should have said <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AxtB1H_d9Yk">Biblical</a>. But twenty years ago, I could have easily rattled off a <i>dozen</i> exciting new rock bands I was obsessed with. Division of Laura Lee, Burning Brides, Mew, My Vitriol, Autolux… there seemed to be a limitless supply of hard rock bands that appealed to me—all of them pushing at the edges of the genre in their own ways.</p><p>In 2020, a few of those bands are still creating great music, but where is the new blood? There may be <i>something</i> to the easy answer that rock music just isn't what it used to be. There's been a noticeable shift in the alternative scene away from the experimental spirit that dominated the late 90's and early 2000's. But that doesn't mean the music's not out there. It just takes a lot more work to find it, and there's not a dedicated scene built up around it the way there is with metal.</p><p>All of which is a very lengthy way of getting to the fact that I've finally got an exciting new rock band that I'm obsessed with, and they're called Glass Eye. Their debut EP, <i>Somewhere, Nowhere</i>, is the kind of daring rock music that we all took for granted when acts like Radiohead, The Flaming Lips, and Muse were at their creative peaks. Glass Eye definitely have those acts in their DNA, but they're not content to be nailed down to a single sound. From the dark, angular chug of ‘Prayers’ to the druggy space rock of the title track to the acid jazz of ‘The Frozen Sea’, <i>Somewhere, Nowhere</i> demonstrates the band's prowess across multiple styles of rock music.</p><figure class="media"><div data-oembed-url="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oKwTHPihGzA&amp;feature=youtu.be&amp;autoplay=1&amp;mute=0"><div class="youtube-embed" data-source-id="oKwTHPihGzA" style="position: relative; padding-bottom: 100%; height: 0; padding-bottom: 56.2493%;"><iframe src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/oKwTHPihGzA" srcdoc="<style>*{padding:0;margin:0;overflow:hidden}html,body{height:100%}img,span{position:absolute;width:100%;top:0;bottom:0;margin:auto}span{height:1.5em;text-align:center;font:48px/1.5 sans-serif;color:white;text-shadow:0 0 0.5em black}</style><a href='https://www.youtube.com/embed/oKwTHPihGzA?autoplay=1'><img src='https://img.youtube.com/vi/oKwTHPihGzA/sddefault.jpg' alt='Play Youtube Video' loading=lazy><span>▶</span></a>" style="position: absolute; width: 100%; height: 100%; top: 0; left: 0;" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen="true"></iframe></div></div></figure><p>There's a dark, dreamy undercurrent unifying all of these disparate explorations. Each song comes as a pleasant surprise, but never feels out of place. Perhaps it's this hint of darkness, so sorely missing from modern rock, that makes Glass Eye such a breath of fresh air. It doesn't hurt that—though there are plenty of softer, quieter moments across the EP—the amps often get cranked loud enough to remind you that this is first and foremost a rock album. With an LP, <i>Like a Razor To The Eye</i>, slated for release later this year, Glass Eye make 2020 a surprisingly good time to be a fan of rock music.</p>

Someone recently asked me if I liked any modern music that wasn't metal. My initial response was, “yeah, of course.” But then I couldn't think of a single new band I've loved in the past 2-3 year...

Modern rock isn't so dead after all. Check out 'Prayers', 'As You Burn', 'Somewhere, Nowhere', and 'Husk'

Mora Prokaza

Love it or hate it, By Chance is a strong contender for the weirdest, most adventurous metal album of 2020.

By Chance

<p>When it comes to metal, I'm a long-suffering member of the Cult of the New. I suppose I'll always be chasing the high I got that first time I heard Iron Maiden, and later Metallica, and later Voivod. But for every Meshuggah, Enslaved, Gojira, or SYL I've encountered along the way, there have been a thousand forgettable bands. And with each amazing new discovery and evolution of the genre, the standards get higher. Albums that would have blown my mind just five years ago are now met with a shrug and an “Oh, this sounds just like {{band x}}.” It's easy to get a little jaded.</p><p>But then an album like Belarusian black metal band Mora Prokaza’s <i>By Chance</i> comes along. From the opening notes of ‘WIMG’, I was intrigued, then confused, then finally plagued by questions, starting with WT—ACTUAL—F is this??? Is this a symphonic metal album? Oh, it’s black metal... oh no, they’re rapping. Is this a rap duo co-opting black metal, or the other way around? Wait, is he <i>barking</i>? Where <i>is</i> his gun?</p><figure class="media"><div data-oembed-url="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2R8ddImZBQI"><div style="position: relative; padding-bottom: 100%; height: 0; padding-bottom: 56.2493%;"><iframe src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/2R8ddImZBQI" style="position: absolute; width: 100%; height: 100%; top: 0; left: 0;" frameborder="0" allow="autoplay; encrypted-media" allowfullscreen=""></iframe></div></div></figure><p>When ‘WIMG’ finished playing, I wasn’t sure if I wanted to laugh or cry, but I definitely needed to hear it again. It’s an audacious, genre-bending song that’s as catchy as it is disturbing and amusing—the kind of song that necessitates an epic battle against one’s own biases before it can be appreciated for what it is. Follow-up track, ‘I’m Not Yours’ continues pushing those limits, starting with an Ennio Morricone-inspired spaghetti western vibe that transitions into more black metal rapping over a very Inquisition-esque riff. The dynamics here are fascinating, and this song may be more palatable to adventurous metalheads, who will at least have a few familiar touch points in Mike Patton’s work over the years.</p><p>If you’re not on board with the album by the time the zany horns of ‘Check It’ roll in, it’s probably time to move on. <i>By Chance </i>is definitely not going to be an album for everyone. It’s intentionally provocative, and for black metal purists (who I imagine make up a fair chunk of this band’s existing fanbase) it will be a bridge <i>way</i> too far. But after the novelty wears off and the cognitive dissonance dissipates, <i>By Chance</i> is an album that rewards those who stick with it. The songs are just good enough to back up the band’s bravado.&nbsp;</p><p>Perhaps the highest compliment I can pay <i>By Chance</i> is that it's actually opened my mind and helped me see how much common ground there is between rap and metal (a proposition I have until now violently rejected, ‘I'm The Man’ notwithstanding). It has me wondering who Mora Prokaza’s rap influences are. Are there similarly pioneering artists coming at this from the opposite angle? I thought I understood what was going on with modern rap music, but perhaps I need to reevaluate that. There are things on this album that work and I don't understand why, because I have no point of reference for them in the metal world.</p><p>Time will tell if this is an experiment that pays off for the band, and it will be interesting to watch the metal community react to it. The Cult of the New demands fresh blood, but its adherents are a fickle bunch. Be extreme, push the limits, give us something new—but you must adhere to the sacred doctrines or be branded a heretic!</p>

When it comes to metal, I'm a long-suffering member of the Cult of the New. I suppose I'll always be chasing the high I got that first time I heard Iron Maiden, and later Metallica, and later Voi...

Not your grandpa's rap metal. A lot to take in, but these songs just plain work for me. Check out 'WIMG', 'Im Not Yours', 'Check It', and 'Be There'.

Massive Wagons

If you're in the mood for some feel-good Rock music, look no further than Massive Wagons

House of Noise

<p>Massive Wagons have been on an upward trajectory since the release of their last album <i>Full Nelson</i> in 2018. That album made the UK Top 20 due to heavy touring, energetic live shows and radio airplay. It also made my EOTY list in 2018 too due to its smart lyrics and love for classic rock acts such as Status Quo and The Wildhearts. If I’m honest, it was something of a grower though, taking its time to get its hooks into me.&nbsp;</p><p>The same cannot be said for <i>House of Noise</i>. This album is an immediate kick in the face, a downright party banger, and one of the best feel good albums I’ve heard in ages. Lead single ‘In it Together’ kicks off the album in rousing style and is the perfect track to get you through the pandemic, with its chorus of “Maybe it's the realisation that we’re in it together”. ‘Banging on your Stereo’ with its fantastic LEGO themed music video and ‘House of Noise’ follow making these first three songs one of the best sets of opening tracks on any album released this year.&nbsp;</p><figure class="media"><div data-oembed-url="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1ck7huU9WXQ"><div style="position: relative; padding-bottom: 100%; height: 0; padding-bottom: 56.2493%;"><iframe src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/1ck7huU9WXQ" style="position: absolute; width: 100%; height: 100%; top: 0; left: 0;" frameborder="0" allow="autoplay; encrypted-media" allowfullscreen=""></iframe></div></div></figure><p>Massive Wagons are not a one trick band either, with <i>Full Nelson</i> featuring a number of left turns. ‘Hero’ is a huge blues ballad recalling AC/DC and Deep Purple and ‘Professional Creep’ is a furious, riff shredding heavy metal number pushing into Wildhearts/Metallica territory and brings a welcome element of aggression to the album.&nbsp;</p><p>There are two other notable tracks to highlight. ‘The Curry Song’ is as silly and fun as it sounds—if it’s ever released as a single, it will likely send the band to the stratosphere. The song recalls the joys of a late night curry after a night out, and couldn’t be more English if it tried. If you remember Terrorvision, you’ll definitely remember their track ‘Tequila’ which became a No.1 single in the UK. ‘The Curry Song’ has the same feel-good factor with an insanely catchy chorus that could be sung across pubs and university halls for years to come. I thought I was going to hate this track due to its silliness, but it actually works really well in the context of the album. The only other band who could possibly pull off rhyming rogan josh with mosh (and turn it into a heavy metal stomper!) is The Darkness.</p><p>Finally, the album closes out with a ‘Matter of Time’, an 8 minute prog-rock ballad that ends up getting heavier and heavier as it proceeds. It’s the first time I hear an undeniable Wildhearts influence on Massive Wagons. Much like that band, Massive Wagons have the ability to be fun, heavy, emotional and honest—a combination that’s sorely missing in the modern world.&nbsp;</p><p><i>House of Noise</i> entered the UK charts at No.9, which is a fantastic achievement for an “unknown” English rock band. It's only going to be a matter of time before Massive Wagons are headlining stadiums across the world, so listen to this album now and remember where you were when you first heard it. &nbsp;</p>

Massive Wagons have been on an upward trajectory since the release of their last album Full Nelson in 2018. That album made the UK Top 20 due to heavy touring, energetic live shows and radio airp...

House of Noise will put a smile on your face, and sometimes that's all music needs to do. It also happens to be an absolute barnstormer of an album. 

Evil Army

Atten-hut, Thrashaholics! Evil Army are back to rip your face off with a new 7".

Unclean Spirit

<p>If you caught our <a href="https://www.firesideometer-ad.com/features/top_five_21st_century_thrash_albums_you_might_have_missed__24fkvz5mcopzbwsezz4iqlk3uro2">Top Five 21st Century Thrash Bands You Might Have Missed</a> list, you'll know that we're big fans of Evil Army's 2006 self-titled debut. That album is a total crossover thrash onslaught that actually stacks up against any thrash album from any era. It's that good. While Evil Army's output since then has been sporadic, it's been totally consistent in quality. The band's latest 7", <i>Unclean Spirt,</i> finds the band down to just one member: singer/guitaritst and principal songwriter, Rob Evil. &nbsp;Can one man maintain the thrash assault that makes Evil Army stand out from the pack? Let's go track-by-tack to find out.</p><h4>1. Machine Gun Death</h4><p>Classic Evil Army—the riffs are simple and effortlessly catchy, and the vocal delivery is as raw and memorable as ever. Rob's cadence during the chorus is particularly interesting, elevating the lines “Death by machine. Death by gun. Machine gun…death” to an infectious, violent poetry. It's all delivered with conviction, to the point that when Rob yells, “KILL!!! Voices tell me to kill,” it's honestly a little disturbing. My only beef with the track is that the tempo feels just a touch slow. The songs on Unclean Spirit are all mid-tempo by Evil Army standards, but `Machine Gun Death' is the only one that feels like it might be even better if it were played faster. But that's what live shows are for right? A killer track either way. <strong>9/10</strong></p><figure class="media"><div data-oembed-url="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3Vk8DYWFi1E"><div style="position: relative; padding-bottom: 100%; height: 0; padding-bottom: 56.2493%;"><iframe src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/3Vk8DYWFi1E" style="position: absolute; width: 100%; height: 100%; top: 0; left: 0;" frameborder="0" allow="autoplay; encrypted-media" allowfullscreen=""></iframe></div></div></figure><h4>2. No Escape From The Attack</h4><p>This one's got a cool Misfits-esque, psychobilly thrash groove to it. It still sounds like Evil Army through and through, but it proves that the band can do a lot more than just tear your face off. The solo in the second half of this track is quite good, calling to mind early Kirk Hammett, or “shithead Dave-era Megadeth” as the band's bio fittingly puts it. <strong>9.5/10</strong></p><h4>3. Unclean Spirit</h4><p>Another effortless-sounding mid-tempo stomper with a thoroughly evil vibe and a chorus that brings to mind <i>Morbid Tales</i>-era Celtic Frost. Evil Army make this all sound pretty easy, but hundreds of forgettable thrash bands have spent the last 30 years proving otherwise. While it's my least favorite of the three tracks, this is still a great tune—one that I could see filling out a full-length album quite nicely. <strong>8/10</strong></p><p>There you have it. Evil Army are back, and they still rip. Go <a href="https://www.ourancientfuture.com/products/evil-army-unclean-spirit">buy the album</a>.</p>

If you caught our Top Five 21st Century Thrash Bands You Might Have Missed list, you'll know that we're big fans of Evil Army's 2006 self-titled debut. That album is a total crossover thrash onsl...

Always great to hear more music from Evil Army. Now I need an LP, and I need it (and the rest of the catalog) on Spotify, dammit!

Haken

Haken's latest puts the metal back in prog metal. If it's been a while since you've heard the band, now is a good time to revisit.

Virus

<p>I’ve been following Haken since I was blown away by the masterful <i>Visions</i> back in 2013, and they’ve made a pretty dramatic change since then. A companion piece to 2018’s <i>Vector</i>, which I loved, <i>Virus</i> finds the band refining the sound that they’ve settled into on the last three albums. As befits an epic prog record, a track-by-track review is the only way to unpack it.</p><h4>1. Prosthetic</h4><p>As the opening riff plays, two things are immediately certain: this is not your father’s <i>Visions</i>-era Haken, and Dino Cazares is going to expect his check in the mail. The whole track has a progressive Fear Factory vibe, from the Burton C. Bell-esque chorus to the militant drumming that has Ray Herrera written all over it. Add in a tasty solo mid-way through that includes tinges of Opeth and some keyboard hits straight out of Strapping Young Lad, and you’ve got the recipe for a great opener. <strong>10/10</strong></p><figure class="media"><div data-oembed-url="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4EmbYo65Pbs"><div style="position: relative; padding-bottom: 100%; height: 0; padding-bottom: 56.2493%;"><iframe src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/4EmbYo65Pbs" style="position: absolute; width: 100%; height: 100%; top: 0; left: 0;" frameborder="0" allow="autoplay; encrypted-media" allowfullscreen=""></iframe></div></div></figure><h4>2. Invasion</h4><p>After the punishing first track, ‘Invasion’ slows things down quite a bit. This is where the djent influence kicks in, with Tool a clear reference early and an obvious Meshuggah vibe later on. You could tell me the guitar break in the mid-section was lifted off of <i>Nothing</i> and I would believe it. It’s a solid track, but is missing a little bit of the punch of the opener. <strong>7.5/10</strong></p><h4>3. Carousel</h4><p>The Toolshuggah continues, but this time with a bit more punch. The 10 minute running time gives the track more room to breathe, especially around the 5 minute mark, when it shifts into an Animals as Leaders-esque break that would make Tosin Abasi proud. This is <i>Virus’</i> answer to ‘Veil’ from the last record. <strong>9/10</strong></p><h4>4. The Strain</h4><p>We start off with some Tool vibe, but it quickly morphs into an Anathema feel with tinges of Our Oceans, particularly in the mid-section. Quite a good song that gets a little lost between the two excellent tracks that bracket it. <strong>8.5/10</strong></p><h4>5. Canary Yellow</h4><p>This track really leans into the Anathema vibe, which is right up my alley. The melancholic feel is a nice change of pace from the aggression that surrounds it and hits in all the right places. One of the band’s very best. <strong>10/10</strong></p><h4>6. Messiah Complex i: Ivory Tower</h4><p>The most ambitious track that the band has ever undertaken, ‘Messiah Complex’ is Haken’s answer to Dream Theater’s masterpiece ‘Octavarium’. If you’re at all squeamish about prog excess, this 17-minute epic in five parts is where the projectile vomiting will begin. We start off with a Dream Theater-esque track with a great chorus. The ending bit does a Steven Wilson that hits perfectly… an excellent way to start the journey. <strong>10/10</strong></p><h4>7. Messiah Complex ii: A Glutton for Punishment</h4><p>And now we’re firmly in Dream Theater territory, harkening back to the <i>Train of Thought</i>-era. It’s pure prog metal: intricate, but punchy and well-crafted. <strong>9/10</strong></p><h4>8. Messiah Complex iii: Marigold</h4><p>In just over two minutes, the band gives us a bit of everything: a quiet interlude, followed by a metalcore breakdown, and ending with a full-on prog metal freak-out that would make John Petrucci proud. <strong>8/10</strong></p><h4>9. Messiah Complex iv: The Sect</h4><p>The aural schizophrenia continues here, including the band’s trademark section of Gentle Giant vocal harmonies, 8-bit video game bleeps, and even some blastbeats. It’s a bit too all-over-the-place for me, but thankfully, it’s a short section. <strong>6/10</strong></p><h4>10. Messiah Complex v: Ectobius Rex</h4><p>The affair is wrapped up by returning to the theme from the beginning, this time punctuated with a down-tuned Meshuggah riff. The solo that kicks in at 1:20 is wonderful: intricate, but with loads of emotive feel. The outro is straight out of <i>The Incident</i>-era Porcupine Tree, and an excellent way to close out the journey. <strong>10/10</strong></p><h4>11. Only Stars</h4><p>The final track is a brief coda that serves as a callback to <i>Vector's</i> ‘opening track ’Clear'. Think Steven Wilson or Anathema at their moodiest, and you’ll be in the ballpark. The album ends with questions, and a fitting close. <strong>9/10</strong></p><p>Ultimately, if you’ve been a fan of what Haken has been doing over the past few years, particularly <i>Vector</i>, you’ll find a lot to love here. I’m not sure I like it better than <i>Vector</i>, but the more I listen to <i>Virus</i>, the more it grows on me. I find myself drawn to a different track each time I listen to it, which is always the hallmark of a great record. This is a fitting end to the story of the Cockroach King.</p>

I’ve been following Haken since I was blown away by the masterful Visions back in 2013, and they’ve made a pretty dramatic change since then. A companion piece to 2018’s Vector, which I loved, Vi...

If you liked 2018's Vector, you're going to love Virus. Fans of progressive metal should immediately add this to the queue.

Maggot Heart

Today's secret word is, "angular". When you see the word "angular" in Eric's review, scream real loud!

Mercy Machine

<p>Way back in 2014, a duo by the name of The Oath made waves in the metal community with a unique blend of 70’s occult, doom, and garage rock. They were the talk of the metal zines, released an album to widespread critical acclaim, and then promptly disbanded. One half of the duo—vocalist Johanna Sadonis—went on to form Lucifer, while guitarist Linnéa Olsson started her own band, Maggot Heart. If you’re wondering where the creative differences between the two might lie, the bands’ most recent releases offer some clues.</p><figure class="image image-style-align-right image_resized" style="width:26.21%;"><img src="https://firesideometer-ad.b-cdn.net/peeweeAngular.jpg?alt=media&amp;token=a743dfa5-9a10-4f1d-8f3c-cae133d59bbb"></figure><p>Whereas Lucifer has slowly drifted away from all influences other than 70’s occult rock, Olsson and Maggot Heart have retained all of the dystopian edge and buzzing viscera that made The Oath more than a one-trick pony. I’m going to use the word “angular” a lot in this review, as <i>Mercy Machine</i> is all angles, all the time. While the darkness and occult influence of Lucifer and (Olsson’s next stepping stone) Grave Pleasures are still present, Maggot Heart have more in common with the seething, angular post-punk of bands like <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d0BFhtAtHeQ">A Frames</a> and <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Uw5cXnFuCSM">Hot Snakes</a> with maybe a dash of garage punk from fellow Swedes (and longtime Ometer favorite), <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3kgfYuu-OsU">Division of Laura Lee</a>.</p><p>Opening track ‘Second Class’ sets the stage, and then blasts it apart with a discordant riff that yields to a mathy chug and Olsson’s cold, droning vocals. The overall approach is methodical, almost robotic, but there are fascinating flourishes in the song, including a subtle dash of saxophone in the mid-section. Olsson’s vocals become more emotional as the song progresses, culminating with a sneering punk diatribe, before the song quietly fades away.</p><p>‘Justine’ is another strong track demonstrating the range of dynamics that make <i>Mercy Machine</i> such a successful album. The track lurches forward with malevolent urgency, Voivodian in just about every way except the totally goth-rock lead guitar ringing out over the angular riffs. The vocal call and response during the song’s midsection is one of the album’s many highlights.</p><figure class="media"><div data-oembed-url="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MKduJJyWlg8"><div style="position: relative; padding-bottom: 100%; height: 0; padding-bottom: 56.2493%;"><iframe src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/MKduJJyWlg8" style="position: absolute; width: 100%; height: 100%; top: 0; left: 0;" frameborder="0" allow="autoplay; encrypted-media" allowfullscreen=""></iframe></div></div></figure><p>The vocals are generally a big step up from those on the band’s debut, <i>Dusk to Dusk</i>. While I enjoyed that release (particularly the track ‘The Killing Hand’), Olsson’s delivery grew fatiguing over the course of the album. On <i>Mercy Machine, </i>her voice remains intentionally flat more often than not, with clipped, over-articulated syllables the rule of the day. This suits the music well in small doses, but has its limits. Fortunately, Olsson strikes a balance between that style and a more animated, and suitably derisive, punk-rock inflection. The contrast is welcome, though I suspect a well-placed guest vocalist on a song or two might have elevated <i>Mercy Machine</i> from a great album to an AOTY contender.</p><p>Still, there’s little to complain about here. Maggot Heart seems to have hit their stride with <i>Mercy Machine</i>, delivering a strong collection of songs that lives up to the band’s impressive musical aesthetic. Fans of Olsson's previous bands, who also like their rock with plenty of razor sharp edges, may just have a new favorite band in Maggot Heart.</p>

Way back in 2014, a duo by the name of The Oath made waves in the metal community with a unique blend of 70’s occult, doom, and garage rock. They were the talk of the metal zines, released an alb...

Got a dark, apocalyptic itch beneath the skin? Maggot Heart knows how to scratch it. Check out ‘Second Class’, ‘Justine’, and ‘Modern Cruelty’.

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