review

ROAM will satisfy your need for pop punk anthems with ‘Great Heights & Nosedives’

ROAM Great Heights & Nosedives ROCKS LIKE: New Found Glory, Simple Plan, Blink-182 WHAT'S DIFFERENT: The difference between this album and 2016’s full-length debut, Backbone, is simply a coat of extra polish. Recording in Los Angeles with Kyle Black at the helm, this U.K. quintet now offer the sort of explosive crunch that would slot […]

Ash Costello and Rob Zombie bring Halloween to daily life with ‘Party Monsters'

The Haxans Party Monsters ROCKS LIKE: Creature Feature, the Birthday Massacre, Jack Off Jill WHAT'S DIFFERENT: While the Haxans’ members may be derived from two bands that are positively spooky—New Years Day and Rob Zombie—their debut album brings the idea of Halloween every day to fruition, turning up the boo-scary and the fun dials up […]

The Front Bottoms take a huge creative risk on 'Going Grey'

The Front Bottoms Going Grey ROCKS LIKE: The Hotelier, Depeche Mode, LCD Soundsystem WHAT'S DIFFERENT: In short—a lot. While 2015’s Back On Top expanded the quirky New Jersey band’s sound a good degree, this record truly opens the floodgates. While still recognizable as the Front Bottoms—mainly due to frontman Brian Sella’s distinctive vocals and lyrical […]

New Politics are catchier than ever on 'Lost In Translation'

New Politics Lost In Translation ROCKS LIKE: Matt & Kim, AWOLNATION, Twenty One Pilots WHAT’S DIFFERENT: If you thought New Politics couldn’t get any catchier, their latest full-length is here to prove you wrong. They take their unique blend of dance rock and up the ante with sounds as diverse as an 8-bit video game […]

Marilyn Manson goes back to his roots on ‘Heaven Upside Down’

Marilyn Manson Heaven Upside Down WHAT’S DIFFERENT: After cultivating a compelling head-swiveling take on desperado electro-blues-metal on 2015’s The Pale Emperor, Marilyn Manson goes back to his industri-metal roots with idiosyncratic takes on everything from glam sleaze (“Tattooed In Reverse”) to garage-punk rawness (“Revelation 12”), served up with great dollops of blasphemy (“SAY10”), goth-club dance […]

Citizen are more creative and expansive than ever on ‘As You Please'

Citizen As You Please ROCKS LIKE: Brand New, Balance And Composure, Smashing Pumpkins WHAT'S DIFFERENT: Citizen have made for one of the scene’s most interesting and evolutionary acts, shifting from passable pop punk to hazy emo and then to jarring noise rock in the vein of Brand New’s Daisy. While the BN influence and similarly […]

August Burns Red goes more heavy metal than metalcore in ‘Phantom Anthem’

August Burns Red Phantom Anthem August Burns Red are one of the best-known metalcore bands around, with a career spanning over a decade and seven studio full-lengths under their belts. However, one listen to their latest release, Phantom Anthem, and you might start to think they’re a heavy metal philharmonic orchestra. Over the years, ABR […]

The Black Dahlia Murder deliver their most refined record to date

The Black Dahlia Murder Nightbringers ROCKS LIKE: Children Of Bodom, Born Of Osiris, As Blood Runs Black WHAT’S DIFFERENT: This is likely the Black Dahlia Murder’s most refined record to date. As vocalist Trevor Strnad reaches for new levels of emotion, the songwriting as a whole feels more cohesive, receiving a youthful touch thanks to […]

Protomartyr spins tales of lost souls and tortured romantics in 'Relatives In Descent'

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's first album in 14 years, 'Cities In Search Of A Heart,' will make you nostalgic

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' explores uncharted territory with major label debut

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 […]

Despite its name, This Patch Of Sky’s ‘These Small Spaces’ feels massive

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 […]

‘Strange Peace’ captures Metz’s fury with glorious results

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 immediately captivate with 'You're Not You Anymore'

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 tone down their wilder prog-rock side in ‘The Amulet’

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 […]

'Choir of the Mind' is Emily Haines' diary-entry confessional

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 […]

Nothing More’s ‘The Stories We Tell Ourselves’ has more hooks, more layers, more feeling

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, […]

The Contortionist focus on exploration and atmosphere in 'Clairvoyant'

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 […]

‘Vacation’ levels up Seaway in the pop-punk world

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’s ‘Only Death Is Real’ is full of political outrage

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 […]
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