Inhale Exhale
Inhale Exhale The Lost. The Sick. The Sacred. [3.5/5] Inhale Exhale call Canton, Ohio, home, and their debut is as brawny as anything found in that city’s Pro Football Hall Of Fame. The Christian-rock faithful and hardcore aficionados might recall two members: Bassist Brian Pittman was a founding member of holy-pop group Relient K, and...
Hammerfall
Hammerfall Threshold [0.5/5] When Sweden’s Hammerfall originally hit the ground running in 1997, their Glory To The Brave album made it cool to wear cut-off denim in the post-grunge climate, shun conditioner and be proud of the tingly feelings you got while blasting Judas Priest and Helloween. Alas, the quality and creativity of the band’s...
Firewind
Firewind Allegiance [3/5] Upon its initial overseas release last year, Allegiance stormed the charts in Firewind’s home nation of Greece, reaching No. 10 and spending six weeks in the Top 20. However, despite the album’s major selling point (this is Gus G. from Arch Enemy’s main project) and that it is a solid effort, that...
Destroy The Runner
Destroy The Runner Saints [2.5/5] Metalcore usually has a penchant for raw, primal vocals, ’80s-esque guitar solos and rapid-fire drum beats; and that seems to be the formula Destroy The Runner abide by on their debut album, Saints. The San Diego quartet use a hardcore soundscape that appeals to a screamo audience with the “bawl...
Anaal Nakrath
Anaal Nakrath Eschaton [4/5] While it’s easy to grow weary of black metal’s come-sip-the-broth-of-hell signifiers (Uzi-fire blast beats, unintelligible vocals and crappy production), Anaal Nathrakh-the duo of vocalist Dave Hunt and multi-instrumentalist Mick Kenney-have done much to expand the possibilities of this purposely repulsive genre. Eschaton, their fourth release, is a landmark for that scene,...
Freya
Freya Lift The Curse [2.5/5] Overanalyzing a record by a band like Freya is difficult because no matter how socially conscious the lyrics are, ultimately this music is just a backdrop for people to get in the pit and hurt each other-and don’t get us wrong, in that respect Lift The Curse is a complete...
Various Artists
Various Artists Music From The O.C. Mix 6: Covering Our Tracks [3/5] The concept for this sixth disc from the struggling teen-soap The O.C. is an intriguing one: Get hipster bands to cover hipster bands, and throw it all together to see what sticks. It’s worked for the show in the past (Matt Pond PA’s...
Youth Group
Youth Group Casino Twilight Dogs [3.5/5] The American release of Casino Twilight Dogs comes packaged with a question: Can Australian indie heroes Youth Group live up to the hype? After all, not every band get to tour with Coldplay, enjoy a number one hit single in their home country and be featured on Fox’s The...
Six Parts Seven
Six Parts Seven Casually Smashed To Pieces [3/5] In the indie-rock world, the word “instrumental” is often synonymous with “mind-numbingly dull.” Thankfully, that isn’t the case with Six Parts Seven’s latest release, Casually Smashed To Pieces. Admittedly, the eight tracks on the Kent, Ohio, band’s latest disc aren’t going to incite any more police action...