metal
The Sword – Warp Riders
Austin, Texas metal band The Sword aren’t reinventing the wheel with Warp Riders, but their riffs are heavy, cocky, melodic and (I mean, c’mon) who can resist a fantasy concept album about an archer named Ereth who has been banished from his home planet? Besides, Warp Riders was produced by Matt Bayles (Isis, Mastodon) so (Read more…)
Baroness – Blue Record
Over the last few years it has somehow become hip and cool to like metal bands again despite metal being and inherently uncool genre. Sure, there’s lots of shredding and Guitar Hero idolization associated with metal acts, but these bands still sing about dragons and mythical fantasy lands or wear tight leather pants and too (Read more…)
Coalesce – Ox
Writing about heavy music and not sounding (at least marginally) like an idiot is a difficult thing for me. I mean, how many times can you use words like “crushing,” “thunderous,” “dense,” and “complex” before it all starts to read the same? That being said, I’m going to try to do the impossible here because (Read more…)
Killswitch Engage – Killswitch Engage
Love ‘em or hate ‘em, there is no denying that Killswitch Engage was once groundbreaking and innovative. The question, however, remains, is the band still important? Does Killswitch Engage matter anymore? As a longtime Killswitch fan, I certainly think so, but there’s no doubt that the band’s last album, As Daylight Dies, wasn’t quite on (Read more…)
Review: Baroness – Red Album
Am I the only one who keeps realizing that there are a ton of great records from 2007 that I completely missed the boat on? Another one of these album is Red Album from Savannah, Georgia’s Baroness. They play progressive metal that sounds like it would fit somewhere in-between Mastodon and Isis. You know, a (Read more…)
Review: Atreyu – Lead Sails Paper Anchor
There is a new record out that I am a bit embarrassed to say that I kinda enjoy and I might be crucified because of it. It is Lead Sails Paper Anchor, the major-label debut from Orange County metal-core combo Atreyu. It is a little of a departure for the band with much more of (Read more…)
