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…
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Reviews
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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…
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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 …
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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,…
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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…
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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 …
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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…
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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…
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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…
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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 …
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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…
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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…
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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…
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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…
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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…
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Album review
Confession
Ill Niño
Confession makes Ill Niño's mix of heavy guitar, percussion and melodic singing more accessible. The songs are direct, with Christian Machado giving the choruses a clear centr…
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Album review
A Farewell to Kings
Rush
A Farewell to Kings gives Rush room to expand their sound without leaving the force of a rock trio behind. Acoustic guitar, keyboards and a wide range of percussion add colour…
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Album review
The Underfall Yard
Big Big Train
The Underfall Yard gives Big Big Train's progressive rock a strong sense of character. Guitars and keyboards share the arrangements with flute, cello and brass, while David Lo…
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Album review
Lore
Elder
Elder make heavy rock that keeps moving. Lore has five tracks spread across almost an hour, but its appeal lies in the changes inside those songs. Thick riffs lead into lighte…
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Album review
In Droves
Black Map
In Droves puts the bass close to the front of Black Map's sound. Ben Flanagan, guitarist Mark Engles and drummer Chris Robyn build their songs around firm grooves, heavy guita…
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Album review
Versus
pg.lost
The electronics on Versus give pg.lost a useful new set of colours. Their guitars still carry the weight of the music, and the drums can push hard, but the synthesizers change…
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Album review
Dissolution Wave
Cloakroom
Dissolution Wave gives Cloakroom's large guitar sound a more compact and varied set of songs. The heavy tones remain, but the arrangements are less willing to let a single moo…
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Album review
Carolina
Eric Church
Carolina puts a polished country-rock sound around Eric Church's songs about desire, disappointment and ordinary life. The guitars are loud, the rhythms are firm, and his voic…
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Album review
Ummon
Slift
Ummon turns a three-piece rock sound into something much larger. Slift combine rough guitar tones, active bass and forceful drums with synthesizers and long, repeating passage…
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