Latest Reviews
There are way too many records released every week - which one should you listen to? We want to help you by reviewing lots of records every week and you can also check out a little teaser before reading the whole thing. And if you want to, you can also browse through our archive and have a look at the amazing records you might have missed out on.
Page 10 of 35
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The Sun Burns Bright - A Hollow World
02 Jun 2022 - Knut
Post RockThis is the fourth release from the band since first releasing an album in 2018. On that release there is a track which for me was one of the most beautiful from that year. It is called “Forward We Move, Upward We Climb” and to me that is a description of the uplifting and bright music created by the force behind the band, Christopher (Chris) Garr. He composes everything and plays all the guitars from which exquisite melodies and soundscapes flow.
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Sagor Som Leder Mot Slutet - III
01 Jun 2022 - Daniel F.
Post RockIt’s been a strange few months for me when it comes to new music. As a huge fan of post rock, I have spent the last few years immersing myself in as much content as I could squeeze out of the genre, delving as deeply as humanly possible into each subgenre and style. In some ways I feel as though I have overindulged, ending up in a mindset where this kind of music has become a little stale. Because of this, I’ve listened to a lot less ‘post’ releases than I have done in recent years, and in some cases (to my shame) I have felt as though I was falling out of love with the whole idea.
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Thurston Moore - Screen Time
31 May 2022 - Thorsten
Experimental, AvantgardeBefore listening to a record by Thurston Moore you never know what you’re gonna get – it could be harsh noise or experimental ambient, it could be perfect alternative rock or it could be austere avantgarde. His latest work was even released on Southern Lord Records – but, it only fits the label’s roster in the way that it doesn’t care about that roster – just like several other bands on there too. What do we get with Screen Time? Well, let’s just say it’s more ambient and avantgarde than anything else.
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Freja - Tides
29 May 2022 - Thorsten
Atmospheric BlackgazeTides are one of the strongest forces in the world – ebb and flow are responsible for a lot of processes here on mother Earth. Tides is also the name of the debut album by new Dutch atmospheric black metal outfit Freja – and it lives up to its programmatic name!
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Kikagaku Moyo - Kumoyo Island
28 May 2022 - Stephan
Psychedelic RockIn 2012 Kikagaku Moyo was born as a music collective on the streets of Tokyo. Ten years later the band looks back on several albums, relocating to the Netherlands and having toured around the globe, establishing them as one of the most spectacular live bands in psychedelic music. To quit now would be a huge surprise from the outside, but certainly the highest possible note on which anyone could leave. But yes, that’s exactly what the Japanese quintet is doing this year. Luckily, they are saying goodbye not only on stage, but also with this last album.
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Olhava - Reborn
27 May 2022 - Knut
Atmospheric Black Metal/Blackgaze/Dark Ambient/AmbientWith the arrival of a new release from Olhava you know what you get. At the same time, you know that as with every single previous release, you will be pleasantly surprised by the directions the music takes: The emotions, the carefully scripted development of the music and how it pans out in all its cinematic and celestial splendor. There is always an eye on the musical theme that builds the sonics, sometimes with effective minor changes in the massive soundscapes. It is almost unfathomable to grasp the immense creativity, passion and imagination that flows from the creators of this awe-inspiring atmospheric black metal music.
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Wo Fat - The Singularity
25 May 2022 - Simon
Stoner, Blues, DoomTake a journey with San Ramon-natives Wo Fat and their sonic exploration of the furthest reaches of the strange times we find ourselves in. Come and walk over the tipping point and see what they have to say
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Blanck Mass - Ted K (Original Motion Picture Score)
24 May 2022 - Thorsten
Ambient, Industrial, DroneAre we allowed to appreciate the soundtrack to a movie about a serial killer? That is indeed a very good question as it is raising a question similar to the question of how to differentiate between the art and the artist. When listening to Blanck Mass’ newest score for the new Tony Stone movie Ted K the first is a question that might not directly come to mind, but it might arise when thinking about it and remembering that this is the score to the new Unabomber-movie!
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Author & Punisher - Krüller
23 May 2022 - Thorsten
Industrial, ShoegazeSurely, Tristan wanted to make a good record. Unsure, if he wanted to create a new soundscape with it. Surely, Author & Punisher has a lot of love for the 90s. Unsure, whether it was planned to modernize several genres at once. Surely, Krüller is a very strong contender for AOTY lists 2022 – mine for sure. Outstanding record.
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The Introvert - Carry The Bomb, Carry The Power
22 May 2022 - Jonas
Electronic / Glo-Fi / Dream PopThe Introvert is the sobriquet under which Jeremy Galindo decided to break away from the beaten path to explore new territories with their debut album – Carry The Bomb, Carry The Power!
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Biollante - J'Espère Que Tu Danseras Quelque Part
22 May 2022 - Thorsten
Abstract HipHop, Noise, Ambient, IndustrialFrench HipHop. Automatically Europeans might think of funky, soul-based stuff like MC Solaar and or maybe even druid chants like Manau. However, there is also this other side of French HipHop, one that is as modern and forward thinking as other such artists like our beloved Dälek. While he has his roots in stuff like noise and ambient, Biollante from Paris have theirs in hardcore punk and electro-noise.
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Elusive God - Trapped In A Future Unknown
21 May 2022 - Knut
Heavy Metal, Epic Doom MetalIn 2020, the Croatian trio Elusive God released their first EP two years after their inception. It was a bold move to try to carve their place in a genre where giants of the 70s and 80s still rule. Doing this, the demands they have to meet are high - massive riffs, high pitched solos, grooving bass, diverse drumming with strong and clear vocals. On their first EP they ticked off all the checkpoints and continue doing so on their first full-length album. This is epic doom-ladden heavy metal in all its mysterious grandeur.
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BOG BODY - Cryonic Crevasse Cult
21 May 2022 - Ajay
Blackened Death SludgeAs defined in the dictionary, the adjective ‘filthy’ means ‘very dirty and unpleasant’. This is the perfect adjective to describe the bass sound that is emanating from the music bouncing around my headphones at the time of writing this review. That music belongs to New York City-based duo BOG BODY, from their debut full-length album Cryonic Crevasse Cult. The reason for that filthy bass sound being so prominent is due to the band being a guitar-less duo, with SVR on bass, JP on drums, and the pair sharing vocal duties.
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Sounds of New Soma - Musique Bizarre
20 May 2022 - Thorsten
Krautrock, Electronica, Psychedelic NoiseIt is always a mesmerizing fact how influential German music was in the 1970s – as if it had been as much of an epicenter for good music as for example England or the States: German Krautrock which then divided itself into a more electronica-oriented side (think of Kraftwerk or the late Klaus Schulze) and a more psychedelic-oriented one (remember Amon Düül II or Can). Sounds of New Soma from Western Germany combine both sides in their latest enchanting and transcending release Musique Bizarre, which is not bizarre at all, but highly entertaining!
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Cave In - Heavy Pendulum
20 May 2022 - Simon
Alternative Rock, Alternative MetalCave In release arguably the best album of their illustrious career condensing everything they could muster into a joyous album full of surprises!
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Syberia - Statement on Death
19 May 2022 - Knut
Post Metal/Post RockThe whirlwind of emotions Syberia´s music generates has always been astounding. It is impossible not to be moved by their music as they entice an abundance of feelings, be it longing, anger, desperation, yearning or whatever. You do not leave this music untouched as it is heartbreaking and joyous at the same time.
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Be Well - Hello Sun
19 May 2022 - Sebastian
HardcoreIn End Hits Records’ stacked roster of excellent bands and musicians Be Well’s new EP still manages to stand out and while I kinda slept on their 2020 album, I had to check out this short but sweet ep.
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Ode and Elegy - Ode and Elegy
18 May 2022 - Jonas
Post-Metal / Chamber Folk / Doom MetalTen years ago, members of The Pax Cecilia started a seemingly clandestine project, one we have only seen glimpses of throughout the years, but now it’s finally here. I present to you – Ode and Elegy!
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Noorvik - Hamartia
16 May 2022 - Thorsten
Post-Rock, Jazz, Post-MetalSome bands have a tendency to write overly complex songs, to create concept albums with too large background stories and in the process to forget that the music must be as great as the overarching theme behind the single songs. Noorvik and its new line-up has written an album about Tantalos, a Greek mythological king and his downfall. Sounds like one of these bad examples, right? Well, it’s quite the opposite! Let’s have a look at Hamartia!
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Various Artists - Songs of Townes Van Zandt Vol. III
15 May 2022 - Thorsten
(semi) acoustic coversTownes van Zandt is an American phenom as he was surely a classical country or folk artist and as such is not too famous outside of the USA, but his songs have been made pretty popular by Neurot Recordings which now releases the third volume of their Songs of Townes Van Zandt-cover-album-series. This time with another great line-up: Marissa Nadler, Amenra and Cave In and once again it is amazing how well these songs work with very different artists and very different musical settings.
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William Basinski & Janek Schaefer - “ . . . on reflection ”
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HeimlichManøver - Fragments 01
12 May 2022 - Thorsten
Synthwave, Ambient, ElectronicThe Heimlich maneuver is one of those life-saving techniques that everyone should know and that is not even hard to perform. The Heinrich Maneuver is a song by Interpol that plays with the name of our life-saving technique. The HeimlichManøver is a new music act from Northern Germany who released their first EP, Fragments 01, a few ago and who follow the paths of Synthwave sounds and danceable electronica to the t!
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Cremation Lily - Dreams Drenched in Static
11 May 2022 - Thorsten
Ambient, Indie, NoiseA few years ago, Japanese noise legend Merzbow shall have said “If by noise you mean uncomfortable sound, then pop music is noise to me.” If we take this into consideration, then it would be interesting to hear what the maestro thinks about Cremation Lily, because their songs are based on pop melodies (yes!) and yet, they are …drenched in static so that the melodies are really difficult to make out among all the noise. However, isn’t that also what makes their record so interesting?
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Damokles - Nights Come Alive
10 May 2022 - Knut
Post Hardcore /Hardcore Punk/Hard Alternative Rock/IndieThe underground punk, hardcore and metal scene in Oslo is vibrant. New bands are formed regularly, existing bands enter live scenes and release new music constantly and because the scene is tight and supportive. Seasoned musicians find together to form new bands. Damokles is one such band. It is an underground supergroup from the Oslo scene with members from established bands as This Sect, Kite, Melkeveien, Endtimers, Dunderbeist, Contrarian, ZAP, Stonegard to name some. They founded the band in the autumn of 2019 and this album is a result of the feverish synergy between the band members, releasing through the new Oslo based label Vinter Records that already is building an interesting roster of successful bands.
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UFOMAMMUT - Fenice
09 May 2022 - Thorsten
Heavy Psychedelic, Post-Metal, Electronic MetalThere are names for albums that resonate the record’s inner core. But with Fenice, the new record by Italian psychedelic heavy mashers UFOMAMMUT, it seems that the record’s name is the program for the album itself. The phoenix rising from the ashes, the reborn band, the new life after utter darkness and loss of self. A new drummer completing the line-up giving the other two members the breath of fresh air that is rejuvenating and enticing at the same time. Welcome to Fenice, all you friends of the strongly resonating six-axe!
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