Reviews

After announcing The Act, the Devil Wears Prada said the new album would be pushing the boundaries of their sound, and they’ve done exactly that. Although a sharp directional shift can often be detrimental to a band at this point in their career, the Devil Wears Prada didn’t want to make a safe record, and […]

For those unaware, the interrobang is a specialized punctuation device. The mutant hybrid of a question mark and exclamation point articulates a way of delivering a query in an abrupt, interjecting way, usually powered by a rhetorical subtext. By way of using an interrobang in practice, you could type, “They charge that much for drinks‽” […]

Following a lineup change, dealing with being broke and struggling with self-doubt, all eyes were on Issues as fans eagerly awaited their return to the scene. With various factors playing against them, many wondered what Beautiful Oblivion would entail for the future of the Atlanta band. From the endless “bubblegum pop” rumors to the pleas for […]

It’s true that Canadian indie-pop band Tegan And Sara are experiencing the pinnacle of their musical career. Most first became aware of the Quin sisters in 2014 when they recorded The Lego Movie theme song, “Everything Is AWESOME!!!”—which earned them an Academy Award nomination for Best Original Song the following year. Since then, they’ve leaned […]

Hyperbole makes for great sticker copy on physical products and pull quotes on press releases. So this writer’s going all-in: Everything about The Correlation Between Entrance And Exit Wounds, the proper Pure Noise debut album from SeeYouSpaceCowboy, is built to challenge, confuse and assault the listener. This isn’t a bad thing. Its mere existence is […]

“Perfect Sphere (Bubble),” the first track off the Early November’s newest LP, Lilac, hits listeners with immediate and hypnotic vocals paired with a poetic piano part that sets the stage for the pop-infused, dreamy comfort this record offers throughout its entirety.  Lilac weaves through several heavily lo-fi bedroom-pop instrumentals, garnished with influences from all over […]

In 2009, Of Mice & Men made their presence known in the metal scene with a ripping cover of Lady Gaga’s “Poker Face.” Transforming the song, they took it from a pop hit into throat-shredding madness with a brutal backing. Fast forward 10 years and the band are signed to Rise Records. They’ve recorded six […]

In 2011, blink-182 bassist-turned-superdad Mark Hoppus joined a panel of punk pillars in the cast of The Other F Word. The documentary showcased the lives of rock stars who assumed the exact position they railed against: fathers. blink’s highly anticipated ninth release, NINE, carries the same energy of a slightly younger Hoppus describing family life. […]

There are many who believe pop punk has been played out. Nowadays, there seems to be an expectation to push the genre where it’s never been while maintaining that nostalgic feel. In a world where fans crave a brand-new sound with each release yet ultimately want you to remain the same, Sleep On It have […]

“Manifest,” the first real song (after the spoken-word piece “A Brief History Of The Future”) on sci-fi modern-rock outfit Starset’s new album, is both a call to adventure and a mission statement. Frontman Dustin Bates’ vocal prowess is richly melodic and in the present without having to resort to going alien Cookie Monster on us. […]

It’s a condition, not a phase. Kilted, bearded and occasionally bagpiping, Jonathan Davis has now spent a full 26 years as frontman of Korn, using a monster-shaped, H.R. Giger-designed microphone stand to report from his therapist’s couch.  Before “emo” became a widespread, reductive shorthand, we described that dynamic with terms such as “primal pain.” Davis […]

Melanie Martinez had some big expectations to fill off the release of her 2015 debut, Cry Baby. The alt-pop songstress constructed a whole world around the titular character—a version of herself reimagined. While Cry Baby focuses on the internal struggle of family life and troubling romance, K-12 kicks the front door down to show there’s […]

Let’s be honest: Did anybody really expect Sleeping With Sirens to last for two album cycles, let alone 10 years? This is the band who famously got a one-star review of their first album in AP while picking up thousands of fans in their jet stream. Six records later, SWS have done on How It […]

There’s a great quote from Adam Jones in AP’s first cover story with Tool, dating back from 1997. “The bottom line is that we’re pretty selfish,” the guitarist stated succinctly. “This is our thing, and it’s what we want out of music. The fans are pretty secondary to that.” Which adequately explains why the Los Angeles […]

Asking Alexandria Asking Alexandria The past few years have been rocky to say the least for Asking Alexandria and their controversial vocalist, Danny Worsnop.The combination of inner-band turmoil, public drama and less-than-stellar releases took them down a few pegs. But while it doesn’t seem likely that Asking Alexandria will come out with a record any […]

Story Of The Year Wolves After seven years of inactivity, coming out with an album is a total make-or-break move. Thankfully, Story Of The Year’s return release, Wolves, is nothing but a complete success: pop punk meets radio rock on the band’s fifth full-length, as they bring a new bag of tricks to their beloved […]

Godflesh Post Self People have been using the term “post-punk” to describe the latest offering from legendary industrial/metal/noise outfit Godflesh. While Post Self isn’t as dramatic a sonic change as that term might convey, the album does arrive where it seemingly set out to go. Decades ago, vocalist/guitarist Justin Broadrick and bassist Ben George Christian […]

Phinehas Dark Flag Phinehas’ new concept record, Dark Flag, contemplates the horrendous assaults on human rights that reportedly occur in North Korea under the Kim regime. While the band do not take a political stance, the record focuses on the pain of human liberties being stripped away and the frustration that no one is taking […]

Quicksand Interiors The last time Quicksand released a formal LP, Bill Clinton was in office. 1995’s Manic Compression lead off with a bashing track called “Backward” that was noticeably less dense than their prior work—intentionally brittle and wiry at points, opting for dissonance to replicate punch, rather than hip-hop cadence and raspy vocals. Twenty-two years […]

Speak The Truth… Even If Your Voice Shakes Everyone You Love Will Slip Away From You Happily, this album is pretty much exactly what you’d expect from a Finch/Senses Fail collaboration. While Everyone You Love Will Slip Away From You is a contemporary work in its own right, it does tap into the beloved sounds […]