Reviews

Protomartyr Relatives In Descent ROCKS LIKE: The Hold Steady, Life Without Buildings, Pere Ubu WHAT’S DIFFERENT: This Detroit outfit have restrained their post-punk intentions somewhat, playing with more textured compositions rather than the blunt assault of their earlier material. This proves to be the perfect swirling yet steady backdrop for frontman Joe Casey to spin […]

The Movielife Cities In Search Of A Heart ROCKS LIKE: New Found Glory, Bayside, Fireworks WHAT’S DIFFERENT: An incredible 14 years after their last album, Vinnie Caruana and Brandon Reilly have finally buried the hatchet—and not in each other’s back. The songwriting pair behind the Movielife have learned a lot of musical lessons in their […]

Sleeping With Sirens Gossip Be advised: This is not the Sleeping With Sirens fans have grown accustomed to over the years. Having inked a deal with Warner Bros., the band’s major-label debut unsurprisingly explores uncharted territory while remaining true to themselves. Those with open ears (and minds) will be rewarded with everything from bluesy undertones […]

This Patch Of Sky These Small Spaces ROCKS LIKE: Sigur Ros, This Will Destroy You, Hammock WHAT'S DIFFERENT: The Oregon sextet's newest runs the gamut of emotions without uttering a single word. Stunning string and horn arrangements swell to create an ethereal atmosphere that sweeps you up and suspends you in pure euphoric bliss. These […]

Metz Strange Peace ROCKS LIKE: Pissed Jeans, Idles, Whores. WHAT'S DIFFERENT: Underground rock icon Steve Albini was enlisted to capture the Canadian trio’s fury with glorious results. Frontman/guitarist Alex Edkins alternates between two vocal tones: snotty nihilism and strapped to the front of a tourist bus going 70 mph off the edge of the Grand […]

Counterparts You’re Not You Anymore There are some great records that require a few listens to fully appreciate. You’re Not You Anymore is not one of them. Like love at first listen, the album immediately captivates just as the band intended when they wrote the lyric “Carry me forever in your heart” on “Arms Like […]

Circa Survive The Amulet ROCKS LIKE: Dredg, Engine Down, Cave In WHAT'S DIFFERENT: Circa Survive are now six albums deep into a truly unique sound they’ve cultivated all themselves. By and large, they remain true to that sound on The Amulet, so not much is different here. That said, they’ve toned down their wilder prog-rock […]

Nothing More The Stories We Tell Ourselves ROCKS LIKE: 30 Seconds To Mars, Sights & Sounds, Incubus WHAT'S DIFFERENT: Somewhat ironically, the watchword for The Stories We Tell Ourselves is “more:” more hooks, more layers, more feeling—more  everything. While the divisive nü-metal influences remain, the diversity of mood, tone and instrumentation makes for a deeper, […]

Emily Haines Choir Of The Mind ROCKS LIKE: Lorde, Metric, Aimee Mann WHAT'S DIFFERENT: The breathy frontwoman for Canadian alt-rock team Metric delivers her second solo album 10 years after the release of her debut, 2007’s Knives Don’t Have Your Back. Much of the austerity of her previous LP has been replaced with bigger production […]

The Contortionist Clairvoyant FILE UNDER: Progressive rock ROCKS LIKE: Coheed And Cambria, Good Tiger, Periphery WHAT'S DIFFERENT: After maintaining the trend of emphasizing the “progressive” aspect over the “metal” of their early releases, on the Contortionist’s fourth full-length, the latter has exited the scene. Gone are the screaming and the polyrhythmic bludgeon. Instead, the focus […]

Seaway Vacation ROCKS LIKE: New Found Glory, 5 Seconds Of Summer, State Champs WHAT'S DIFFERENT: Seaway have levelled up in the pop-punk world by delivering an album you’re going to be scream-texting your friends to check out immediately (apropos emojis and GIFs optional). While still maintaining a punk-like grit (“Misery In You,” “40 Over”), their […]

Stray From The Path Only Death Is Real ROCKS LIKE: Rage Against The Machine, Terror, Stick To Your Guns WHAT'S DIFFERENT: The epic, liberal, punk album in response to Trump is finally here. But political outrage is not the only force driving Stray From The Path forward. The addition of drummer Craig Reynolds has shifted […]

Rebuilder Sounds From The Massachusetts Turnpike ROCKS LIKE: Knuckle Puck, the Ataris, the Gaslight Anthem WHAT'S DIFFERENT: Boston’s Rebuilder have slowly been working on creating a body of work that shows different sides to pop punk. This EP has all their usual signifiers—the organ, the Blink-meets-Gaslight vibe (that still veers way more Blink)—but damned if […]

PVRIS All We Know Of Heaven, All We Need Of Hell In a past life, PVRIS were a metalcore band performing under the moniker Operation Guillotine. It’s nearly impossible to imagine that five years since their inception, they’d be two stellar full-length records into a promising electro-pop rock career, made fruitful by its relationship with […]

Dead Cross Dead Cross FILE UNDER: Manic punk ROCKS LIKE: Melvins, Trash Talk, OFF! WHAT'S DIFFERENT: When collaborating in Fantômas, ex-Slayer drummer Dave Lombardo and Faith No More vocalist Mike Patton proved themselves masters of the gloriously eclectic and deranged. Joined by Retox’s Justin Pearson and Michael Crain, Dead Cross is a more straightforward beast, […]

Daybreak Death Dreams EP FILE UNDER: Formidable deathcore from Down Under ROCKS LIKE: The Acacia Strain, Blood Of The Martyrs, Hollow Earth WHAT’S DIFFERENT: Australian deathcore dynamos Daybreak continue to push the envelope on Death Dreams, the band’s latest EP offering. Stretching out the strongholds of their palpable doom and djent predilections, the band clear […]

Goldfinger The Knife FILE UNDER: LONG TIME COMING ROCKS LIKE: Less Than Jake, Blink-182, Sublime WHAT’S DIFFERENT: In the nine years since Goldfinger last released an album, frontman John Feldmann has gone on to become pop-punk’s premier producer, and his platinum-plated success has rubbed off on The Knife in a big way. The list of […]

In This Moment Ritual FILE UNDER: Hard-Hitting Glam Metal ROCKS LIKE: The Pretty Reckless, Disturbed, Motionless In White WHAT'S DIFFERENT: In This Moment have matured significantly since their landmark album, 2012’s Blood. Stepping away from a heavy reliance on dissonance and industrial tones, Ritual brings together a polished sound oddly feeding off inspiration from influences […]

Bloodclot Up In Arms FILE UNDER: Hardcore greybeards’ masterstroke ROCKS LIKE: Wasted Youth, Bad Brains, Sick Of It All WHAT'S DIFFERENT: The original Bloodclot formed in 1981 and featured eventual Cro-Mags frontman John Joseph. Bloodclot 2017 stars Joseph upfront alongside Murphy’s Law guitarist Todd Youth, Danzig drummer Joey Castillo and hellraiser-about-town Nick Oliveri playing knuckle-dusting […]

Integrity Howling, For the Nightmare Shall Consume FILE UNDER: Fire and brimstone hardcore ROCKS LIKE: All Pigs Must Die, Homewrecker, United Nations WHAT’S NEW: Dwid Hellion and his mysterious cabal of metal sharpen their teeth to refine their spectral hardcore style on their 12th full-length record, the first since 2013’s Suicide Black Snake. Like something […]