Album review
Pretty. Odd.
Panic! at the Disco
The harmonies on Pretty. Odd. give Panic! at the Disco a different kind of confidence. The band trade much of their electronic urgency for acoustic guitars, orchestral colour …
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Reviews
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Album review
Black Gives Way to Blue
Alice in Chains
The bend in the guitar riff on Check My Brain is a small detail with a big job. It makes the song sound familiar and slightly seasick at once. Black Gives Way to Blue understa…
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Album review
The Surface Seems So Far
Seether
Seether haven't lost their taste for a heavy guitar and an unhappy thought. The Surface Seems So Far keeps that combination at the centre, with Shaun Morgan moving between con…
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Album review
Once I Was an Eagle
Laura Marling
Once I Was an Eagle begins as though one thought naturally calls up the next. Laura Marling lets the first four songs flow together and keeps her guitar moving throughout. The…
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Album review
Vulgar Display of Power
Pantera
The spaces inside Pantera's riffs are as important as the notes on Vulgar Display of Power. Dimebag Darrell leaves sharp gaps for Vinnie Paul's drums and Rex Brown's bass to s…
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Album review
Versions of the Truth
The Pineapple Thief
Different people can remember the same event in incompatible ways. Versions of the Truth turns that ordinary problem into an atmosphere of doubt, giving The Pineapple Thief's …
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Album review
Why Should the Fire Die?
Nickel Creek
Why Should the Fire Die? shows how much force three acoustic instruments can generate. Nickel Creek still play with speed and precision, but these darker songs ask for more th…
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From Under the Cork Tree
Fall Out Boy
The bass line in Dance, Dance gives Fall Out Boy a useful place to start: a strong rhythm, a little space and a singer who can make the melody do something unexpected. From Un…
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Album review
Krüller
Author & Punisher
Krüller gives Author & Punisher's heavy electronics a strikingly human side. Tristan Shone still works with slow rhythms, enormous low-end pressure and abrasive sounds. Yet me…
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Album review
Fear of a Blank Planet
Porcupine Tree
Anesthetize takes more than seventeen minutes to finish, but Porcupine Tree give it a clear reason to be that size. The song moves through tense, spacious passages, heavy guit…
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Album review
Future’s Shadow Part 1: The Clandestine Gate
Bell Witch
The Clandestine Gate again makes Bell Witch's extended form its starting point. It takes plenty of time over every change and often leaves considerable space between bass, dru…
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Album review
Unto the Locust
Machine Head
Seven tracks give Machine Head enough space for a substantial statement on Unto the Locust. The songs are long, but their strongest ideas are easy to identify: a clear guitar …
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Album review
Miserable
Bongripper
Miserable mainly asks the listener to accept its pace. Bongripper divide more than an hour between three instrumental pieces and allow the riffs to work slowly. The guitars so…
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Album review
Human Clay
Creed
Higher does exactly what its title promises. Mark Tremonti gives the verse a recognisable guitar figure, then the chorus opens out far enough for Scott Stapp's voice to fill i…
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Album review
Supernova
Nova Twins
The bass and guitar on Supernova sometimes seem determined to become something else entirely. They distort, scrape and move through a sound where punk, rap and metal sit comfo…
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Album review
Handwritten
The Gaslight Anthem
The opening of Handwritten makes The Gaslight Anthem sound comfortable with being a large rock band. "45" has a clear guitar hook, a firm rhythm and a chorus that Brian Fallon…
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Album review
Paper Doll
Samantha Fish
Paper Doll has nine songs, and Samantha Fish makes the most of them. The record moves easily between tough guitar rock, slower blues and warmer melodic passages. It also gives…
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Album review
Blackwater Park
Opeth
Opeth make contrast feel natural on Blackwater Park. A harsh vocal can give way to a clean melody, and a dense guitar passage can open into acoustic detail without the song lo…
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Album review
Blood Music
Chapterhouse
Blood Music gives rhythm more work to do. Chapterhouse retain their light singing and layered guitars but bring keyboards, samples and electronic drums further forward. The re…
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Album review
Collective Soul
Collective Soul
December turns a small guitar figure into a whole song's identity. The pattern is easy to recognise, but the vocal layers and well placed changes keep it from becoming static.…
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Album review
Below the Lights
Enslaved
Below the Lights makes Enslaved sound adventurous without losing its heavy foundation. The guitars have a dry, clear tone and the songs regularly change direction. Harsh singi…
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Album review
21st Century Breakdown
Green Day
The piano on 21st Century Breakdown is not there to offer a quiet break between punk songs. It helps set the scale of the whole album. Green Day build a broad rock record arou…
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Album review
Heartless
Pallbearer
Heartless gives Pallbearer's melodic side more room than ever. Heavy guitars still matter, but no longer determine every movement. Clean singing, quieter guitar passages and a…
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Album review
Core
Stone Temple Pilots
Core knows the value of a heavy entrance. Dead & Bloated begins with Scott Weiland's voice before the band drops in behind him, and the arrival makes a proper impact. Stone Te…
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