Talent-wise, the sisters of ALT BLK ERA are well beyond their years even if lyrically, it’s just about as cringe-worthy as anyone’s high school diary. Hearing the “nobody understands me” cliche from actual teenagers instead of balding middle-aged men trying for a new demo is a very refreshing change, though!
Arising from Cincinnati, Ohio, indie singer and zany songwriter Lincoln puts out his debut album Everything Is Wrong (I Surrender Records), the follow-up to his 2017 EP A Constant State Of Ohio. Twelve tracks dive deep into his mind and thought processes, each one finds inventive ways to stimulate the listener’s senses with their vivid ambiance.Continue reading
A debut album should stand as a bold statement of intent. Some bands absolutely nail the formula that they will rigidly stick to for their illustrious careers like Slayer did with Show No Mercy (Metal Blade Records). For others, it can be the start of a journey that is a mystery yet to unfold as they explore their own sounds and find comfort in their own abilities, see Undertow (Zoo Entertainment) by Prog Metal maestros, Tool. With their first full-length and self-titled effort (Sharptone), where do Holding Absence sit?Continue reading
It would seem that Heaven In The Dark Earth (God Unknown), the debut album from London innovators Markers, has been coming for an age. Having known each other for twenty years around the early Math Rock scene, Jason Carty and Jodie Cox have finally unified to produce this rhythmless, adventurous melding of atmospheres and strings.Continue reading
Wraith sees London-based post-electronic pioneers Teeth Of The Sea taking a step away from the noise inflected menace of their earlier work following the departure of Mat Colegate after 2015’s Highly Deadly Black Tarantula (both Rocket Records). Yet their latest outing feels like the answer to a challenge, of sorts. In its absence, the progressive, playfully experimental composition style (paired with an often unapologetically wry approach to theme) brings to the fore the bands inherently theatrical bent. The result is something akin to the lost soundtrack to a late 90s Indie, cyber-Punk thriller.Continue reading
For some time now, Californian Psych junkie Zach Oakley has wanted to team up with his percussionist brother Matt, and this wish has finally materialised with new project Volcano. Debut album The Island (Tee Pee Records) is a million miles away from the weird Blues of Harsh Toke, Joy, and Loom, from where the quintet has been culled: introducing African rhythms to whacked-out jams and creating an unusual yet vibrant concoction.Continue reading
When the words ‘experimental’ and ‘French’ precede the word ‘Doom’ in a preamble, surely it’s impossible to ignore. Bordeaux trio Endless Floods, formed by members of cult outfits Monarch and Bombardement, are such a band and third album Circle The Gold (Fvtvrecordings / Bigôut Records) sees them test their expansive minds to new, sometimes more melodic limits.Continue reading
There was once a fabled war between Punk and Metal. It seems hard to believe today with the two being so often deeply entrenched both musically and ideologically these days, but alleged reports of intense violence at cross-genre shows are a thing of legend. A sort of peace deal was brokered with the advent of Crossover Thrash, Grindcore and Hardcore, particularly the Metallic Hardcore subgenre. It’s here in the grey area of what is Punk and what is Metal we find Endorphins Lost, a Hardcore/Powerviolence outfit straight out of the Pacific Northwest with Seclusions (From The Head Of Zeus).Continue reading
If you’ve been following the career of famed electronic/experimental/whatever powerhouse Health, then you’re probably already impatiently awaiting their next release. Their sound is unmatched by really anyone else, and at least in my opinion, they’ve never really made a bad record.Continue reading
After being somewhat spoiled with three support acts the previous night at Skid Row in Manchester, it’s a bump back down to a single support for this evening’s fare, with Canada’s Blood Ceremony touring in support of Uncle Acid and the Deadbeats at Birmingham’s O2 Institute. The room is not quite sold out, though very busy, with the intimate feel of the venue lending itself to a really good atmosphere. After a far too early arrival, allowing unneeded extra time for snow, it was time for some doom and gloom in my ears to warm me from the cold. Continue reading