Album Review: Boris – “Dear”

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Boris - Dear

Boris are back.  Boris are ending.  Boris have returned to their roots.  Boris are not comfortable with the notion they are returning to their roots.   Dear is the capstone to an amazing 25+ year career.  Dear is not the end.  Dear IS the end…What does it matter?  It’s the nth album from the Japanese gods of the heavy, and whether it started as a farewell letter and transformed into a celebration, one thing is clear: Dear is another gorgeously thick slab of sound slowly and eternally unwinding itself in new permutations for those of us who have been hooked since the beginning.   Continue reading →

Album Review: False – “Hunger” (EP)

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Hunger album art by Stephen Wilson (Unknown Relic)

Every band has to push their creative envelope at some point.  Sticking to your guns is a great thing, but making the same album with exactly the same sound and form again and again can lose it’s impact.  Sometimes it’s necessary to add elements from other genres of music to take things in a new direction.  Sometimes expanded production values are enough to breathe new life into the music.  So what do you do if you’re Minneapolis based black metal act False, who’s shortest track length in their entire discography is nine and a half minutes?  Why, you record a 7″ of course.  And while Hunger shakes the proverbial tree, it enables the band to focus in and deliver some of their best work ever. Continue reading →

Interview: Gabe Grosso (Hobbs) of Drug Honkey on “Cloak of Skies,” Guest Appearances and More

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Drug Honkey
Drug Honkey

Drug Honkey are a doom quartet from Chicago. The band plays a unique mix of doom, death metal and sludge and have released four full length albums since forming in 1999. A couple months ago they released their latest, and fifth full length album, Cloak of Skies via Transcending Obscurity Records. I recently spoke to guitarist Gabe Grosso (Hobbs, guitars) about the album, guest features and more so read on to see what he had to say. Continue reading →

Profile: Jon Howell of Less Art

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Less Art
Less Art – photo courtesy of Scott Evans

If you’ve been missing artists that truly go for the jugular in terms of real world lyricism and real world emotions that run the gamut of feels you are in luck because Strangled Light from Less Art has it in spades. Set for release next week on Gilead Media, this post-hardcore beast hits the ground running with musicianship sharper than a brand new knife and as clear as a crisp winter morning. The band features members from Kowloon Walled City, Thrice and Curl Up and Die so unless you’ve been hiding under a rock this combination is absolutely an indication of the quality contained within. Ahead of their debut full length release we got the chance to ask Jon Howell (guitar) our set of Profile questions and as you will see he is as eloquent and gracious in his answers as he is with his music. Continue reading →

Donuts & CANTO: Baroness, Judas Priest, Deftones and more!

DanLeave a comment
baroness band photo 2017
Baroness

July 19, 2017

Good morning, it’s time to metal. Here’s some news you might have missed from yesterday:

    • Leading off, Baroness have been announced as the headliner of something called the Brewtal Beer Fest out in Pittsburgh. They’re the only band on the bill that I really could give two shits about, but hey, at least there’ll be some good breweries!

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