The magic that Kylesa mainstays Phillip Cope and Laura Pleasants continually bring to the table is so apparent on their latest, Ultraviolet. With Ultraviolet, Pleasants and Cope are finally off into the stratosphere and making the music that Kylesa is supposed to make: brooding, heavy, and unequivocally different from their peers. On their latest, the Georgian rockers are out of the sludge as Pleasants takes center stage and Cope takes a step back vocally. From the opening slammer “Exhale” it […]
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!!!, THR!!!ER: Album Review
A band I will never be allowed to see live because my wife has called “dibs” and needs to get her dance on solo whenever they’re in town, !!! (Chk Chk Chk) is bringing the groove back once again on their latest album entitled THR!!!ER. Welcome to the party, the after party, and everything in between. This is the kind of setting !!! provides the soundtrack for and THR!!!ER is, quite simply, the best party album of 2013 Whether it’s […]
T.W.i.N.S., “Found A Flat”: The Viewfinder
Like the deranged cousin of “Our House”, T.W.i.N.’s debut single “Found A Flat” is hypnotic pop that will stick in your head long after the final note plays itself out. Duo Laurence and Hugo went from composing the gay porn series “Indie Boys” to this and while I can’t say I was previously familiar with their score work, I can say that if it sounds like this it might be worth checking out (Kids, ask your parents first)! One of […]
Skinny Puppy, Weapon: Album Review
At times harkening back to the yesteryear of Skinny Puppy while at other times moving boldly into the future, Weapon is a visceral slab of electronic goodness that is hands down the best album they have released since “reforming”. Probably the most aggressive 21st Century offering from Skinny Puppy as well, Weapon is so in-your-face (And so surprising a release considering HanDover barely came out two years ago) that you’d be wise to invest in concealer to cover up the […]
Palms, “Patagonia”: The Singles Bar Review
Man, I really wanna like this. I do. I mean, I should like this. Right? Members of Isis and deftones’ own voicebox Chino Moreno in a band together called Palms? It should (in theory, anyway) blow the roof off of shoegaze metal everywhere. The descendents of Neurosis paired with the singer of the undisputed kings of nu-metal (Because they survived and evolved unlike their peers) on paper looks fantastic. The execution, however, is bland. “Patagonia”, the first official release from […]
Metal Monday Volume 120 (4.29.13)
Is it possible to do a 200-250 word post on a 45 second or so snippet of an album or song? We’re about to find out as this week Metal Monday says some stuff about the teaser that local faves Jack Burton Vs David Lo Pan recently posted from their upcoming full length entitled Exhibit C: An American Tragedy. I’ve been championing Jack Burton Vs David Lo Pan in these pages because I’m not only lucky enough to know the […]
Jaz Coleman of Killing Joke, The PopBlerd Interview!
Jaz Coleman has been called many things over the span of his 30+ year career fronting Killing Joke but the one undeniable truth is that the man is a living legend. Pop!Blerd recently had the opportunity to sit down with Coleman when Killing Joke visited Boston during their current North American tour in support of the upcoming The Singles Collection 1979-2012. Read below to find out what he had to say about the state of Killing Joke in the 21st […]
Ghost BC, Infestissumam: The Pop!Blerd Review
Being a heavy music fan, I had definitely heard the rumblings of praise in regards to then known as Ghost, now known as Ghost BC. Somehow, a promo of their first album remained ignored until I eventually found myself being drawn in after the Decibel cover feature this year and the subsequent unveiling of “Year Zero” in advance of the release of Infestissumam, their sophomore release. That said, I’m not sure if listening to and liking Ghost BC makes me […]
I Read AP’s “100 Bands You Need To Know In 2013” So You Don’t Have To
This will be the year that finally forces me to make my own one of these lists. If you haven’t read my previous two posts covering the 2011 and 2012 issues of Alternative Press’ annual “100 Bands You Need To Know in ____” then you won’t know how much I truly look forward to reading and rereading and rereading this issue in the hopes of finding a diamond in the rough. I have to be honest. This is the hardest one of […]
Karl Middleton of earthtone9: The Popblerd Interview!
You might know Karl Middleton as the current vocalist of earthtone9 and Blackstorm or from his past work with Twin Zero, The Blueprint, or This Is Menace. However you may have heard him, one fact remains: the man is a powerhouse behind the mic. Over the years, Middleton has continually delivered impassioned vocals for a number of the UK’s finest underground heavy acts and he recently took some time to chat with Pop!Blerd about the return of earthtone9: Why was […]
Metal Monday Volume 119 (4.22.13)
This is not the same Hacride who released Lazarus back in 2009. This is a more focused and determined Hacride sporting a new vocalist and drummer and a positively destructive fourth album called Back To Where You’ve Never Been. The other French metal band you need to pay attention to, Hacride deliver a more concise yet just as potent opus with songs never lingering past the five minute mark on average (Lazarus opened with a fifteen minute track by comparison) […]
Fall Out Boy, Save Rock and Roll: Album Review
Fall Out Boy is back to save rock & roll! Lofty ambitions-are they met?