Album review
Backspacer
Pearl Jam
Backspacer presents Pearl Jam in a shorter and brighter form. The riffs remain substantial, but the songs move quickly and carry less of the weight that often surrounds the ba…
Read reviewFind the artists behind the music, explore their records and read our reviews. It all starts here.
Reviews
1630 found · Page 65 of 68
Album review
Sons of Northern Darkness
Immortal
Sons of Northern Darkness shows how accessible an aggressive metal record can become when its riffs are strong enough. Immortal retains the harsh voice, fast drums and dark at…
Read review
Album review
Unimagine
Hands Like Houses
Unimagine makes a busy post-hardcore sound relatively easy to follow. Hands Like Houses keep the guitars, electronic details and drums active, but leave enough space for Trent…
Read review
Album review
Kin
Whitechapel
Kin gives Whitechapel's melodic side a permanent place beside the heavy guitars and deep vocals. The band increasingly seek the space of a rock song, but retain enough of thei…
Read review
Album review
Further Out
Cloakroom
Further Out gives Cloakroom's slow, heavy guitar sound enough melody to make its weight inviting. Doyle Martin sings with restraint while the instruments fill the surrounding …
Read review
Album review
Millions Now Living Will Never Die
Tortoise
Millions Now Living Will Never Die gives Tortoise plenty of room to change their instrumental music's shape. The band use rock instruments but treat dub, electronics and repet…
Read review
Album review
The Tide and Its Takers
36 Crazyfists
The Tide and Its Takers keeps 36 Crazyfists close to the sound they had already established. Heavy riffs, changing rhythms and Brock Lindow's distinctive voice remain central,…
Read review
Album review
Grief’s Infernal Flower
Windhand
Grief’s Infernal Flower gives Windhand's heavy sound more melody and a clearer voice. Dorthia Cottrell stands more firmly at the front while guitars retain their dirty, low to…
Read review
Album review
Vector
Haken
Vector brings Haken's heavier side into sharper focus. It is a shorter and more concentrated album than much of their earlier work, with forceful riffs and a rhythm section th…
Read review
Album review
Widow's Weeds
Tristania
Widow's Weeds gives melancholy several different forms. Tristania use heavy guitars, piano, choir and violin to let the songs develop. Vocals move between Morten Veland's roug…
Read review
Album review
Between the Richness
Fiddlehead
Between the Richness carries a lot of feeling in a short space. Fiddlehead use rough-edged guitars, a driving rhythm section and Pat Flynn's strained voice to bring grief and …
Read review
Album review
Afterthoughts
Nosound
Afterthoughts finds Nosound combining quiet, melancholy writing with a stronger sense of guitar and drum weight. Piano, strings and atmospheric detail remain important, but th…
Read review
Album review
Girl Going Nowhere
Ashley McBryde
Girl Going Nowhere puts Ashley McBryde's country songwriting inside a strong, guitar-heavy sound. The arrangements draw freely from heartland rock without relying on electroni…
Read review
Album review
Shed
Title Fight
Shed keeps Title Fight's songs short, but makes room for more than speed alone. The band's melodic hardcore and pop-punk instincts are still clear in the rough guitars and urg…
Read review
Album review
Theater of Dimensions
Xandria
Theater of Dimensions gives Xandria more contrast within their symphonic metal. The orchestras and choirs remain large, but the guitars can sound sharper, and guest singers re…
Read review
Album review
A Cat in the Rain
Turnpike Troubadours
A Cat in the Rain gives Turnpike Troubadours a focused return after their long break. Evan Felker's voice carries a more reflective mood, but the Oklahoma band's country-rock …
Read review
Album review
Moments of Clarity
Narrow Head
Moments of Clarity has a heavy guitar sound, but its strongest quality is the melody inside it. Narrow Head bring grunge, shoegaze and alternative metal into a more open setti…
Read review
Album review
Dodge And Burn
The Dead Weather
Dodge And Burn finds The Dead Weather playing with considerable force and little restraint. Guitars are sharp, drums assertive and Alison Mosshart sounds ready to challenge ev…
Read review
Album review
Monsters in the Closet
Mayday Parade
Mayday Parade build Monsters in the Closet around a familiar mix of pop-punk energy, large choruses and quieter songs about difficult relationships. There is no major change i…
Read review
Album review
Paegan Terrorism Tactics
Acid Bath
Paegan Terrorism Tactics gives Acid Bath's different sides a clearer shape. The band can still play harsh and unsettling music, but melody has more room and the production sou…
Read review
Album review
Romantic Warrior
Return to Forever
Romantic Warrior gives Return to Forever's technical jazz-rock a strong sense of character. Chick Corea's keyboards lead the arrangements, with Al Di Meola's guitar adding a h…
Read review
Album review
Noam Pikelny Plays Kenny Baker Plays Bill Monroe
Noam Pikelny
The title explains exactly what Noam Pikelny does here. He takes Kenny Baker's album of Bill Monroe compositions and moves its leading melodies to the banjo. The sequence stay…
Read review
Album review
Long Distance Trip
Samsara Blues Experiment
Long Distance Trip gives Samsara Blues Experiment plenty of room to explore. The Berlin band's six songs stretch beyond an hour, using long guitar passages, steady bass and to…
Read review
Album review
Year of the Spider
Cold
Melody leads Year of the Spider, even when Cold keep the guitars heavy. Scooter Ward's singing has more room to shape the songs, and the arrangements place atmosphere around t…
Read review