Review: Rocketship Park – Off and Away [2008]

An ensemble of NYC musicians comprise the alternative Americana act Rocketship Park, whose latest 10-track release OFF & AWAY is laden with a vast array of instrumentation from strings to horns, working together to add ush textures to the sad melodies heard on the weepy “Drinkin Buddy” and “Birthday Death Wish.” From the piano and […]

Review: Blackwinds – Flesh Inferno [2008]

Swedish black metal project Blackwinds rekindles the dark flames of the early ’90s on their 10-track excursion FLESH INFERNO. Bursting out of the gate with a bastardized barrage of tremolo picking and hellish vocals, tracks like “Plague Bringer” and “Enter the Pandemonium” conjure up evil spirits with a convincingly chilling tone while sheer velocity spins […]

Review: Cradle To Grave – Texas Medicine [2008]

Crushing Canadian crew Cradle to Grave cram a truckload of groove metal licks and unabashed aggression into their 11-track release TEXAS MEDICINE. There’s enough Pantera worship here to last a lifetime, but there’s more to this quartet than that, as this disc balances out the mix with shards of punk metal grit and thrash metal […]

Miscellaneous Rock Links: Chinese Democracy Reviews, Axl’s Top Moments, Birmingham Metal

1. The Chinese Democracy Quote of the Day comes from James Hetfield of Metallica: “I’ll certainly listen to it. But I haven’t lost sleep waiting for it.” new.uk.music.yahoo.com 2. MTV lists their favorite Axl Rose moments with Chinese Democracy’s release just four days away. mtv.com 3. Here is a mixed review of Chinese Democracy. ew.com […]

Review: Supagroup – Fire For Hire [2008]

Channeling the charisma of early AC/DC, Supagroup return with a whiskey-fueled bluesy boogie-rock barrage of tunes that unapologetically kick your ass on FIRE FOR HIRE. This 12-track tour-de-force of titanic rock ‘n roll is long on solos and short on fringes, making songs like “Long Live Rock” as concise as possible without feeling contrite. Hailing […]

Review: Polysics – We Ate The Machine [2008]

Yes, you read that right…Myspace Records. Japanese art punk rock troupe Polysics and their latest installment of Devo-inspired new wave WE ATE THE MACHINE is a weird but refreshing choice for such a mainstream outlet, but it works. Heavy beats, odd sounds, and tons of synth-rock give songs like “Kagayake” a Mr. Bungle-esque carnival feel, […]