May 24, 2006

Witch Witch [4/5] Much of the hype around Witch focuses on the fact that Dinosaur Jr guitarist/singer/Machiavelli figure J Mascis plays drums in the band. And while that sort of trivia may be enough to get your fledgling stoner-rock group plugged in Pitchfork Media’s news section, it won’t convert the 40-year-old bong casualty in the...

Unearthly Trance The Trident [4/5] Even doom-metal fans could be forgiven for not knowing Unearthly Trance are from Long Island: The band’s music is so grimy, so they-sound-like-they’d-smell-bad, the logical assumption is that they’re another New Orleans sludge-doom outfit following in the slime trail of Acid Bath and Eyehategod. And while they’ve sped up a...

Sepultura Dante XXI [4/5] It’s hard to believe Sepultura’s current vocalist, Derrick Green, has spent almost as much time fronting the legendary Brazilian thrash band as founding throat and current Soulfly leader Max Cavalera. Makes one feel old, it does. But on their last studio album, 2003’s Roorback, Sepultura sounded nearly as powerful as they...

Lacuna Coil Karmacode [4/5] On their first album since 2002’s Comalies, Lacuna Coil capture the increasingly crushing sonic impact of their live show, with thick, grinding grooves, massive choruses and a colossal rhythm section. Karmacode offers even more than the live experience in terms of instrumental dynamics, because while the band may not be able...

Folly Resist Convenience [3/5] As you might gather from the vein-popping screaming, the Metallica-worthy guitar breakdowns and the old-school punk chants that comprise the bulk of their late-’90s-style metalcore, Folly are really frickin’ angry. But when the hissy fits subside on their sophomore album, Resist Convenience, the New Jersey quintet ratchet up the horn-free ska...

Cannibal Corpse Kill [4/5] If we ever go to an all-MP3 society and the concept of album-as-artifact goes out the window, Cannibal Corpse will be one of the few acts to benefit. Toss out the group’s illicit album artwork and ignore their lyrics (essentially a series of internal monologues from the most heinous slasher movies...

Various Artists The DFA Remixes–Chapter One [4/5] The DFA production crew of James Murphy and Tim Goldsworthy may not have the Midas touch (their remixes are too edgy to go gold), but they do possess the skills to enhance everything they tweak–even a Radio 4 tune. The DFA Remixes–Chapter One gathers nine such renovations from...

The Seconds Kratitude [4/5] Compounded by another irritant–say, headache, hangnail or annoying roommate–Kratitude’s opening track, “Moving,” will get you fantasizing about ringing the Seconds’ necks. Fortunately, a few songs into the new album from this Yeah Yeah Yeahs/Ex Models side project, the noise acquires enough muscle and familiarity–an X-ish gallop here, a Sonic Youth-esque found...

MC Lars The Graduate [3/5] Not to hip-hop connoisseurs: If you want to appreciate MC Lars, don’t take him so seriously. True, he’s not the best lyricist on the planet; in fact, he’s not even close. But that hopelessly nerdy quality is what makes him so genuine–and on the long-playing follow-up to 2004’s The Laptop...