On Blood Drive, ASG has created this perfect balance of music that’s more of a hard rock celebration than a heavy metal epiphany. It’s heavy, sure, but it’s filled with so much more joyous oomph that’s sorely lacking from today’s metal scene. The comparisons to Torche, Baroness, and Kyuss are inevitable but at the end of the day what ASG presents with Blood Drive is something else entirely. Just listen to Jason Shi’s high pitched wail that is actually more […]
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Metal Monday Volume 123 (5.20.13)
MA heavy rock is alive and well and Second Grave is definitive proof of that. Honestly, it doesn’t matter what bands the members of Second Grave used to be a part of. What matters is what they’re doing now which is completely and utterly fantastic. On their debut album/EP (It’s six songs but three of those hit the eight minute mark), the purveyors of true doom might come off as a female-fronted Sabbath (No, not Hand Of Doom) at first but they […]
Middle Class Rut, Pick Up Your Head: Album Review
On the fantastic Pick Up Your Head, Middle Class Rut has exceeded all expectations regarding how a second album should sound. That sound itself is fuller, the songwriting is stronger, and the musicianship is just brilliant. While both albums are great in their own right, Pick Up Your Head is definitely a step beyond No Name No Color. “Born Too Late” is, to put it bluntly, an explosion and might be the remnants of No Name No Color being shed […]
Lo-Pro, Disintegration Effect: Album Review
For a hot second I was tempted to base this review solely on the 30 second clips that were released via Amazon because my faith in Lo-Pro is that high but I felt it would ultimately be a disservice to the band and the body of work. I’m glad I waited though because while the teasers were epic in their own right, the finished product is absolutely jaw dropping. On their third album, the first thing longtime Lo-Pro fans are […]
Mindless Self indulgence, How I Learned To Stop Giving A Shit And Love Mindless Self Indulgence: Album Review
Mindless Self Indulgence is definitely an acquired taste. If it’s a taste you’ve acquired, though, then their latest magnificent masterpiece How I Learned To Stop Giving A Shit And Love Mindless Self Indulgence is going to suit you just fine. On the Kickstarter funded fifth album (Although holding an album hostage until they get funds might not be why KS was started…) MSI is back to their old tricks once again with even sleeker production and even nastier content. How […]
Killing Joke, The Singles Collection 1979-2012: Album Review
Saying that a Killing Joke best of album is going to be good is like saying that the sun is going to rise in the morning. It’s inevitable in both cases. On Spinefarm’s 3-disc The Singles Collection 1979-2012 fans of their earlier post-punk anthems can join together with fans of the heavier band the mid to late ’90’s saw them become. If you’re not a fan already then this is the perfect introduction because in addition to the 2-disc best […]
Metal Monday Volume 122 (5.13.13)
I was mistaken when I previously insinuated that there were only two French metal bands you needed to listen to because apparently there are now three. If you take the best parts of Gojira and Hacride and mix them with some Meshuggah to up the technical aspect then you might have an idea of what Eryn Non Dae sound like. With Meliora, they’ve constructed an intense and extremely dense body of music that stands defiantly apart from their French countrymen. […]
A Pale Horse Named Death, Lay My Soul To Waste: Album Review
A Pale Horse Named Death is near and dear to me in the Pop!Blerd world. Nevermind that the band features both of Type O Negative’s former skin bashers, APHND’s debut And Hell Will Follow Me was one of my my first “Metal Monday” volumes, one of the first bands I even mentioned in my absolute first column for the site and the first to get shared online by someone other than me and the P!B staff. But enough about me, […]
Arrested Development on Netflix on May 26th!
Easily the most anticipated show of the year, maybe the last decade, is slated to return on May 26th via Netflix. I’m of course talking about Arrested Development which has finally posted a proper teaser for the show’s upcoming 4th season. All your favorites are back and while none of the planned guest stars (Seth Rogen, Kristen Wiig) are seen in the first footage, it’s the Bluth Family that’s the real draw. Michael, George Michael, Maeby, Tobias, Buster….they’re all back […]
TheseFadingPolaroids, The Get Down EP: Album Review
On the 5-track The Get Down EP available now through Bandcamp , Scottish quartet TheseFadingPolaroids bring to mind some of the lo-fi work Nirvana and Smashing Pumpkins (Think Singles-era especially) may have been doing when they started out. Where TFP differ, though, is in the delivery by guitarist/vocalist Andy Gregory and the overall atmosphere the band create. While “Keep Your Promises” is a great opener for the EP, it’s not until “A Caved In Mind” begins that listeners truly get a […]
We Saw It! Clutch at the House of Blues, Boston, 5.5.13
Is there a better way to celebrate Cinco de Mayo than seeing Clucth at the House Of Blues in Boston? This is our fourth piece on these guys this year I believe and I’ve come to the conclusion that it’s either because a) We really like ’em and think you should too or b) They’re really great and we think you should like ’em. My second time seeing Clutch this year and somewhere in the double digits overall, Clutch never […]
Battlefield of the Mind soundtrack: Album Review
Never mind the ridiculously heavy subject matter in the documentary of the same name for the moment, it’s the heavy music of Battlefield Of The Mind that has a “mind” of its’ own and sets this apart from other film companion pieces. Spearheaded by Staind’s Mike Mushok, the soundtrack features collaborations from Mushok, Dave Ellefson, Pete Murray, Troy McLawhorn, and a plethora of hard rock’s elite. Eye Empire begins with the fitting “War Isn’t Over Yet” pummeling your senses into […]
