This is the album everyone will be talking about this fall. The first recorded work from Kyuss Lives (Now known as Vista Chino) is an undeniable return to the desert sound they helped create and then pioneer with a modern touch. Taking cues from …And The Circus Leaves Town and heading full force into Blues For The Red Sun territory at times, Peace stands on its own as a triumph to the legacy of Kyuss. Speaking of Blues…, listening to […]
Album Reviews
Goodie Mob Rages Hard In Age Against The Machine
The whole is still greater than the sum of its parts. Goodie Mob is back to save hip-hop.
Nine Inch Nails, Hesitation Marks: Album Review
The beautiful thing about Hesitation Marks, the latest offering from Trent Reznor, is that it is a Nine Inch Nails album without any expectations because it literally appeared out of thin air about 2 months ago. Being a completely unexpected album means it can be NIN’s most experimental yet. They could go pop (“Everything”), industrial (“Came Back Haunted”), electronica (“Disappointed”)….hell, they could even do dubstep if Reznor willed it (Thankfully they didn’t go that route). Like Reznor says during the […]
DevilDriver, Winter Kills: Album Review
Dez Fafara and the boys are back with another blessed hellride on DevilDriver’s sixth album, Winter Kills. ‘You sold me out, I sold myself in/you dealt me out/I dealt myself in…’ or so the story goes on ‘The Oath of The Abyss,’ the lead-off track, Dez’s signature howl in full horn’s up form. ‘Ruthless,’ follows with opening guitars reminiscent of The Smashing Pumpkins 2007 single, ‘Tarantula,’ before launching into an almost Coal Chamber-like sing-along verse course verse. It’s definitely one of […]
Metal Monday Volume 137 (8.26.13)
As far as essential metal albums of 2013 goes, A Storm Of Light’s masterful Nations To Flames easily sits at the top of that list. On their latest the “metal alchemists” continue what began with 2008’s And We Wept the Black Ocean Within but go for shorter song structures but a no less dense soundscape overall. From the Ministry meets Sepultura thunder of opener “Fall” through to the ethereal chaos of “The Year Is One” which closes out the album, A […]
Blue October, Sway: Album Review
The latest chapter of the soundtrack to Justin Furstenfeld’s psychoanalysis was released earlier this week. It comes in the form of his band’s seventh album, Sway. It also marks Blue October’s 15th year in recorded music. To their credit, the band has never created an album that’s easily dissect-able on one listen. It hasn’t changed on album number seven. First impressions are that this one is a heavier ‘groove,’ album than some in the past. The rhythm section of Jeremy Furstenfeld […]
BLACK TAXI, Chiaroscuro: EP Review
Move over September 10th music releases, a new contender just entered the fray for album of the week. My favorite Brooklyn band, BLACK TAXI, is back with the first of a planned series of EP’s entitled Chiaroscuro and it is guaranteed to astound and stupefy. Chiaroscuro begins with a banger much like BLACK TAXI’s debut did and similarly both “The Runner” off this EP and “Shoeshine” off Things Of That Nature begin with a scorching Bill Mayo guitar lick until Krisana […]
Travis, Where You Stand: Album Review
I continue to ‘date’ myself the longer I continue doing reviews on this site. Do you remember such 90’s radio gems as ‘All I Wanna Do is Rock,’ ‘Tied to the 90’s,’ ‘Why Does it Always Rain on Me,’ or ‘Sing?’ If you do then you’re in for a pleasant surprise because THAT band is back with a brand new album that takes all of those great moments in the band’s early history and carries on the legacy that began […]
Grandfather, In Human Form: Album Review
Like this weird mix of The Melvins, Fudge Tunnel, and Undertow-era Tool, Brooklyn’s Grandfather tow the ’90’s alt-metal line really well on their latest release, In Human Form. Produced by Fudge Tunnel’s Alex Newport (There’s your connection!), IHF is quite possibly Grandfather’s most solid effort to date. “Spun” begins Grandfather’s sophomore album and is instantly an intriguing mix of cacophonous guitars and pulsating drums. “Organ Thief” furthers the descent and is madness incarnate. Like the sound of your mind unraveling […]
White Lies, Big TV: Album Review
Ritual, White Lies second album, will always hold a special place in my heart. It got me through some tough times when it was released in January of 2011 and it also pushed me to write for Popblerd because if ever an album deserved to be heard, it was that one. Two plus years later and we’re graced with White Lies’ Big TV, their third album. Honestly, after hearing it through the first time I was worried. It didn’t have the immediacy that […]
blessthefall, Hollow Bodies: Album Review
Let me start this off with a fair warning – there is not a lot of metalcore that I like. I could probably count on one hand the number of bands I’ve either enjoying seeing live or continue to listen to recorded music by in this genre. That being said/disclaimed, Phoenix, AZ’s blessthefall have shitstipated (i.e. released) their fourth full-length, entitled Hollow Bodies this week. The best thing I can say about this one is that the loop has been closed on […]
Royal Teeth GLOW Album Review
The much awaited debut album from New Orleans indie pop band Royal Teeth titled GLOW came out on August 13th. See what we had to say!