Ontario’s Deathpoint is a new (er) metal outfit that you should definitely pay attention to. On their latest (And first to feature former Odium vocalist Tom Emmans), Sinister, Deathpoint avoid the sophomore slump with an album that is worth the wait (Their debut landed in 2010) and well thought out. Opener “Between The Lines” is a hard rocker for sure but just barely scratches the surface of what the rest of Sinister has to offer. Second track “For Your Eyes […]
New Releases
Vista Chino, Peace: Album Review
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 […]
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 […]
Touche Amore, “DNA (live)”: The Viewfinder Review
For those who are new to Touche Amore (haven’t seen them live), their newly released (live) music video for “ DNA” off the soon to be released Is Survived By is a great glimpse into their powerful, moving live performances. Frontman Jeremy Blohm, paces anxiously throughout the duration of the 2 plus minutes of feverous guitar work and drum pulsing adding his screams and pleas to the beautiful churning behind him. Unlike, their first single “ Just Exist” which was more melodic compared […]
Ministry, “PermaWar”: The Viewfinder Review
As we learned from Uncle Al’s biography (Reviewed by us here ), Master Jourgensen tends to do everything ass backwards. It should come as no surprise then that first single “PermaWar”, off of Ministry’s upcoming final album From Beer To Eternity, is a slab of nostalgia-fueled heaviness that at times hearkens back to the band’s early goth days (Especially the chorus). In the vein of Relapse but a little more in tune with “Lieslieslies” and the more political Rio Grande Blood […]
The Singles Bar: Tears for Fears, “Ready to Start”
New Wave legends Tears for Fears surprised fans with their first new recording in nine years: a cover of Arcade Fire’s “Ready to Start.” It might be crazy to call a band with 16 U.K. Top 40 hits “underrated,” but Tears for Fears – to this writer – have only seemed to earn the respect they truly deserve in recent times. In the last decade, Gary Jules and Michael Andrews had a U.K. chart-topper with a mournful cover of the band’s “ Mad World ,” […]
New Release Report 8/27/13
The last week of August brings forth a trio of releases from some artists that I either a) Never cared about, b) Used to love but don’t care about now, and c) Kinda sort of like but don’t care about anymore. As for a): There is something about Avenged Sevenfold that I vehemently hate. Is it that they’re headlining over deftones and Ghost on their upcoming tour or is it because, frankly, their music is awful? Regardless of my opinion, […]
The Viewfinder: Bad Rabbits, “Dance with Me”
Despite having just wrapped up a tour to support their American Love LP, Boston’s Bad Rabbits are already dishing out new music. Last week, the band dropped the new single, “Dance with Me,” from their forthcoming LP produced by the king of new jack swing, Mr. Teddy Riley. You can read more about that project in our interview with the band . For now, here’s a brand new video for “ Dance with Me ,” featuring Clinton Sparks. The video vividly captures the party vibe of “Dance with […]
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 […]
