It has been a while since I’ve heard anything that so successfully blends stoner rock with an absolutely brutal metal style. This is exactly what Stonegard does when they open up their “Arrows”, and the step-ladder approach to their guitars during the formative period of the disc will engage listeners for the entirety of tracks like “Hunter”. Much like a harder Monster Magnet or a more brutal Fireball Ministry, Stonegard…
The interesting thing about Stigers’ opening track on “No Vacancy” is that is sounds as if ey will break into a much harder chorus than what ultimately comes to bear during “Ruide With You”. In fact, what results in the chorus of “Ride With You” is something that closely parallels early Sammy Hagar or ZZ Top. The track still is fun to listen to, and could easily be on any…
“Lost in Time” has a shine that is unmistakably eighties, whether it is through the Cure-like guitars or the melodramatic vocals present on the track. The track is intense yet unmistakably depressing; the aforementioned guitar lines elicit sympathy and remorse for the lead male vocalist. Continuing the retro style of “Lost In Time”, the vocals move even more close to recreating those of Robert Smith during “Damn This Foolish…
ScienceNV has been around since 2005, and are releasing their third album, Last Album Before the End of Time, on April 30th. In the time since their debut effort, 2008’s Really Loud Noises, the act has evolved considerably. I feel that the tracks on Last Album… showcase a more pensive and thoughtful act than was heard on Really Loud Noises or 2010’s Pacific Circumstances. ScienceNV is a band that gets…
I Started To Live When My Barber Died is the initial offering on Grubbs’ similarly-named title, and it immediately hits listeners with a frantic and dense arrangement. Grubbs comes off as a more polished Steve Lieberman, a hectic mélange of different elements and styles that will immediately draw attention. Ornamental Hermit is a track that slows things down to provide a complex set of arrangements that are extraordinarily smooth. Grubbs…
U2 may come to mind first when you think of 1980’s political rock bands, but Australia’s Midnight Oil were just as strident about filling their songs with strong political point of views – not exactly the norm in a music decade obsessed with inane lyrics (lest we forget, hair metal was born and raised in the 80’s and killed in the early 90’s). Their biggest hits were about the mistreatment…
These guys are a 5 piece band from Norfolk, VA. They began 1996 out as the Pimps, are no strangers to a microphones, as they have released 3 7 inches, I EP, and 1 full length album. To add to this, they also have toured nationwide. I love bands that actually include lyrics sheets, and this album was made in 2000, has twenty five songs, and is on the World…
Straitjacket is the closest thing that I’ve ever heard to the UK ’82 brand of oi! that has been recreated successfully in the US with only one band previously: Patriot. Straitjacket feels as if they were pulled through a time rift and forced to play in Oregon for the entirety of their career (which is running on 7 years right now). The tinny yet impressive guitars and bouncy beat is…
Keep You has a retro flair that looks back at sixties pop and rock, while having a pointed and angular flair that is similar to Franz Ferdinand and Bloc Party. The melodies do well in worming their way into listener head, a trend that is continued with It’s Too Late. It’s Too Late has a funkiness that is built off the work of EDM and ska music, with sizzling horns…
To say that “Alpha Ram” is not influenced heavily by the psychedelic and rock music of the mid to late sixties would be to lie outright. The style is fresh enough and Straight Dope Cherry does not suffer from the limited sound that a great many of the albums from that era have. There are some more diverse sounds than those previously mentioned during “Alpha Ram”; Straight Dope Cherry throws…
