Album review
Standards
Tortoise
Standards shows that Tortoise's calm reputation tells only part of the story. The band can also play forcefully and unpredictably. Drums have a larger role in the movement whi…
Read reviewFind the artists behind the music, explore their records and read our reviews. It all starts here.
Reviews
1631 found · Page 37 of 68
Album review
Black Out the Sun
Sevendust
Black Out the Sun finds Sevendust working confidently within their established sound. Heavy guitars and firm rhythms provide the weight, while Lajon Witherspoon's voice keeps …
Read review
Album review
S/T
This Will Destroy You
This Will Destroy You take their time on S/T. Guitar notes linger, drums choose their moments and small electronic sounds move between the instruments. This is instrumental ro…
Read review
Album review
Fallen Star
Employed To Serve
“Treachery” gives Fallen Star a forceful start. A sharp drum hit leads into fast riffs and blast beats, making it clear that Employed to Serve have kept the weight of their me…
Read review
Album review
Human
Death
Human finds its strength in the combination of complicated playing and a notably compact form. Death fit many ideas into short songs while usually maintaining a clear directio…
Read review
Album review
Four the Record
Miranda Lambert
Four the Record finds Miranda Lambert exploring more space and variety within her country sound. There are still sharp remarks and forceful guitars, but the arrangements have …
Read review
Album review
Script of the Bridge
The Chameleons
Script of the Bridge makes a strong case for atmosphere without losing the songs inside it. The Chameleons use two guitars that answer and overlap rather than compete for spac…
Read review
Album review
BODIES
Thornhill
BODIES makes its point through movement. Thornhill’s third album joins heavy, tightly controlled riffs to softer singing and electronic detail, with the bass keeping much of t…
Read review
Album review
Obsidian
Paradise Lost
Paradise Lost do not have to choose between heavy doom metal and their love of gothic rock on Obsidian. This 2020 album lets both sides coexist and gives them a shared sombre …
Read review
Album review
Leftoverture
Kansas
Leftoverture combines the direct appeal of American rock with Kansas's taste for more elaborate arrangements. Strong vocal melodies sit beside busy keyboards, violin and chang…
Read review
Album review
Revival
Gillian Welch
Revival draws on older country and folk music without sounding like a simple exercise in imitation. Gillian Welch's writing gives its characters enough detail to make their tr…
Read review
Album review
Morning Dance
Spyro Gyra
Morning Dance favours bright melodies and an easy rhythmic flow over the more demanding side of jazz fusion. Spyro Gyra give the saxophone a prominent place, with percussion a…
Read review
Album review
Golden State
Bush
Golden State puts Bush's guitars back at the centre. The electronic emphasis of The Science of Things gives way to a more direct post-grunge sound, with large riffs and vocal …
Read review
Album review
Watchhouse
Watchhouse
Watchhouse gives Andrew Marlin and Emily Frantz's acoustic music more room to develop. Previously known as Mandolin Orange, the duo keep their gentle singing and careful strin…
Read review
Album review
Revolution Come...Revolution Go
Gov't Mule
Revolution Come...Revolution Go has plenty of anger, but Gov't Mule give that energy more than one musical outlet. Heavy guitar riffs sit beside soul ballads, country touches …
Read review
Album review
Through Shaded Woods
Lunatic Soul
Through Shaded Woods gives Lunatic Soul a more acoustic, folk-influenced setting. Mariusz Duda builds much of the music around repeating figures, percussion and layered voices…
Read review
Album review
Acheron
King Buffalo
The sound of running water opens Acheron, placing King Buffalo's music inside the setting where it was recorded. The trio performed these four long pieces live at Howe Caverns…
Read review
Album review
First Impressions Of Earth
The Strokes
On First Impressions Of Earth, the Strokes play tighter and try more complicated ideas, but that does not always produce better songs. The rhythm section provides a firm base …
Read review
Album review
Fym
Azure
Azure do not lack ideas. Fym brings together progressive rock, power metal and a fantasy story, then gives the whole thing almost eighty minutes to unfold. There are fast guit…
Read review
Album review
Bridge Across Forever
Transatlantic
Bridge Across Forever gives Transatlantic's ambitious progressive rock a strong melodic foundation. Across four tracks, the group combine long instrumental passages with expre…
Read review
Album review
Basking in the Glow
Oso Oso
Basking in the Glow gives Oso Oso's melodic rock a bright, open sound without removing the uncertainty underneath it. Jade Lilitri writes songs that are easy to enter, with cl…
Read review
Album review
Pure
Godflesh
Pure gives Godflesh more space without removing the pressure. The programmed drums have more movement than a simple march. Above them, G. C. Green's bass and the guitars remai…
Read review
Album review
Such Jubilee
Watchhouse
Such Jubilee makes its strongest impression through the connection between its two voices. Mandolin Orange keep the music gentle, with acoustic instruments and small arrangeme…
Read review
Album review
Heavy Pendulum
Cave In
Heavy Pendulum has a lot to carry, and Cave In give it the space to do so. Fourteen tracks stretch past seventy minutes, bringing together heavy riffs, broad rock melodies and…
Read review