Khôrada – Salt Review
In music—as in life—expectations can cut two ways. Without expectations, there might be no disappointments. But without expectations, there’s also little chance for surprise. The relational structure of expectations, however, borders on tyrannical. As a …
Grayceon – IV Review
The California trio Grayceon’s music is, admittedly, difficult to categorize. (While this means there is likely no one right answer, it does not mean there are no wrong answers: do not call it sludge. This …
Dimmu Borgir – Eonian Review
Listen, I don’t feel like spending a lot of time apologizing or contextualizing or tiptoeing around my point, so I’ll get right to it: I am of the opinion that A) Dimmu Borgir is a …
Ghastly – Death Velour Review
In this business of writing words about sounds, some things are just easier to convey than others. If a band is slow and sounds like Black Sabbath, I can call it doom and there’s a …
Wild Hunt – Afterdream Of The Reveller Review
Michael Pollan’s best-selling book The Omnivore’s Dilemma posed a fairly simple question: Because of various environmental and evolutionary reasons, humans have developed the capacity to eat more or less everything. That being so, what should …
Messa – Feast For Water Review
Sometimes it’s good to begin with where you intend to end up: Messa’s Feast for Water is an unhurriedly brilliant album that overflows with truly remarkable songcraft and a consistently enthralling atmosphere. If you’d like …
Monolithe – Nebula Septem Review
For reasons both unknown and likely unknowable, I am a complete mark for the sort of mathematical and musical formalism with which Monolithe has constructed Nebula Septem. For this seventh album, the seven musicians of …
Primordial – Exile Amongst The Ruins Review
Two facts are indisputable: Primordial is a Very Good Band, and Exile Amongst the Ruins is a Very Bad Album. Maybe those facts seem difficult or painful to reconcile, but let’s face it: great bands …