Contributions
The Black Dahlia Murder - Deflorate
The Black Dahlia Murder Deflorate Sweden and death metal go together like Vermont and maple syrup, but these days, the wind-swept wastes of Michigan are proving similarly fertile, thanks to native sons the Black Dahlia Murder. With Deflorate, BDM’s fourth full-length, the band solidify their place among the headbanging elite with a stark, groaning brand […]
A Day To Remember - Homesick
A Day To Remember Homesick The explosive opening track on Homesick, “The Downfall Of Us All,” sets not just the sonic tone for the 11 largely unrelenting cuts that follow it, but the album’s thematic bent, too. When A Day To Remember vocalist Jeremy McKinnon roars, “I sold my soul to the open road,” over […]
New Found Glory - Not Without a Fight
New Found Glory Not Without A Fight Beyond all the overt boxing metaphors it evokes, the title Not Without A Fight works on multiple levels in the context of pop-punk icons New Found Glory. Between a publicly known band history and deeper issues alluded to in Fight’s sometimes embittered lyrics, it seems NFG’s world has […]
Four Year Strong: Pop Meets Pit
Story: Brendan Manley Photo: Chris Saunders When Four Year Strong vocalist/guitarist Dan O’Connor looks out at the crowd during this year’s Rockstar Taste Of Chaos tour, he expects to see plenty of unfamiliar faces, some of whom have never even heard of the up-and-coming Massachusetts melodic-punk outfit. But armed with a scorching debut album and […]
Rise Against - Appeal To Reason
Rise Against Appeal To Reason Rise Against owe a heavy debt to the classic “thinking man’s punk” bands who’ve come before them. The Chicago-based punk band usually find ways of channeling those well-established traditions into timely discourse, to which you can’t help but raise your fist. Unfortunately, those moments are hit-or-miss on their latest release, […]
From The Editor's Floor: Gabe Saporta of Cobra Starship
Gabe Saporta has been running his mouth for most of his life, let alone his latest career as a funk-rocker du jour. Here’s some pearls of wisdom from the Cobra commander’s mouth that didn’t make it into AP 239. Oh, and Al Gore, if you’re reading, um, sorry ‘bout that one paragraph… THE WHALES ARE […]
Relient K - Five Score and Seven Years Ago
Relient K Five Score And Seven Years Ago Gold-selling Christian rockers Relient K seem to have struck a mutually beneficial deal with the corporate devil on their fifth and latest full-length, the Howard Benson-produced Five Score And Seven Years Ago-just when you think the band’s heaping spoonful of sugary, radio-ready power-pop goodness is about to […]