March 16, 2009

Various Artists Like Black Holes In The Sky: The Tribute To Syd Barrett [3.5/5] In the mid-’60s, years before Pink Floyd recorded epic space-rock masterpieces Dark Side Of The Moon and The Wall, the band were meddling with psychedelic pop born from the LSD-bathed mind of original singer/guitarist, the late Syd Barrett, culminating in their...

xDeathstarx The Triumph [1/5] There’s so much wrong here. It starts with this California octet unbelievably and pointlessly employing twice as many stand-alone vocalists as guitarists, continues with the sound of this supposedly re-mastered version of their 2004 debut, and ends with this re-release doing everything in its power to spoil the positive strides of...

Lordi Deadache [1/5] Call them the Finnish GWAR if you want-even though vocalist Mr. Lordi claims to never have heard of Richmond’s rubber-clad scumdogs when he formed his own monster-themed metal band in 1996-but Lordi are more like KISS re-packaged in custom foam-latex with Euro-style synths and all the superfluous merchandising (Lordi Cola, Lordi credit...

East Of The Wall Farmer’s Almanac [3.5/5] As far as band monikers go, East Of The Wall pale in comparison to the outfit from whose ashes they emerged: The Postman Syndrome. However, any metal band daring enough to title their debut full-length Farmer’s Almanac probably aren’t worried about playing by any of the genre’s rules....

Beneath The Massacre Dystopia [3.5/5] By titling their latest release Dystopia, Beneath The Massacre provide a concise summary of their bleak lyrical content, freeing casual fans from having to decipher Elliot Desgagnés’ agitated growls. The album’s lone enunciated phrase (“no future”) occurs during a relatively slow-paced interlude, offering 45 seconds of sludgy respite from the...

Becoming The Archetype Dichotomy [3/5] Back in 1967, Elvis Presley earned a Best Sacred Performance Grammy for his interpretation of “How Great Thou Art.” On Dichotomy, Becoming The Archetype give that hymn an explosive hardcore makeover. Dichotomy swells with symphonic keyboards and choral echoes, but producer Devin Townsend (Strapping Young Lad) ensures the album sounds...

Akimbo Jersey Shores [4.5/5] When Akimbo released Navigating The Bronze in 2007, they failed to mention that it was written as a riff-heavy outlet to channel their aggression while working on their masterpiece: A 45-minute concept album about a vicious string of shark attacks on the New Jersey coast in 1916. That isn’t to say...

Adversary Singularity [3/5] Adversary are talented, no question about that. On Singularity, guitarists Kenny Harrison and Brad Ryder bust out some killer riffs and solo their fingertips off, particularly on the epic instrumental “Ashes Of Faith,” while drummer Justin Green propels the music forward with a surprisingly deft attack. The mix makes bassist Daniel Tidwell...

Margot & The Nuclear So And So’s Animal! Not Animal [3/5] [3.5/5] Signing to a major label might denote a loss of creative control for some bands. Not the case for Indianapolis-based octet Margot & The Nuclear So And So’s. The collective’s double-disc follow-up to their lovely, emotive debut The Dust Of Retreat is essentially...