Music reviews. CD reviews. Critically hip!

Right from the opening seconds of the new Canvas Solaris, CD Cortical Tectonics, it’s pretty obvious that they’re not making music for the faint of heart. The band jumps right into the math-metal on Berserker Hypothesis, with wildly intricate rhythms attacking from every direction. The first  comparison that came to ...

Putting out a collection of rare songs and b-sides is a practice that has been going on for years, and is often viewed as questionable behavior from a band that has given up or is trying to cash in.  These very preconceptions are the reason why Danzig has blown me ...

You gotta love metal, done with authority. It doesn’t have to necessarily be done well; it just needs to be contain the necessary ingredients --- volume, power chords, and sweat --- and you’re ninety percent of the way there. And Diablo Royale will take you all the way. One of ...

Rolling Stone quote’s “On the standout ‘Bodies’…William’s screams ‘Let The Bodies Hit The Floor!’…Another rallying cry for alienated nu-metal fans this summer.” Metal Edge quote’s “In a market flooded with cheap imitations, it’s nice to know that there’s still room for the real deal. Consider yourself warned: Once the bodies ...

Mick Harvey is an immensely talented musician who, for the better part of his career, has performed in the shadows of others. He rarely takes the spotlight and by listening to some of his music you get the sense that he likes it that way.  Harvey, a native of Australia, ...

Before you begin reading this, let me warn you that if you’re currently not wearing a New Era hat, basketball jersey, gym shorts and/or brass knuckles, you probably won’t like this album, don’t waste your time reading this review. Go read the Against Me! review instead.Now, for you hardcore kids ...

The opening bars of Sceptic, which leads off the Spheric Universe Experience’s second disc, Anima, has a vibe to it that lets you know you’re about to be treated to a decent slab of progressive/power metal. The rest of the disc more than fulfills the promise of those opening moments, ...

I’ve probably got a couple of hundred CD in my obscenely large collection of music that sound pretty much like DOWN TO NOTHING by The Most. I keep getting more, however. I’m not sure why that is, and I can probably file that under the heading “Questions I really don’t ...

When old school punk crosses over into the new school arena, you end up with bands like The Wednesday Night Heroes. If you like bands like the Unseen or the Casualties, then this album would be perfect for you. Raging fast guitars and catchy lyrical anthems to sing to -- ...

Alright. This is more like it. ALIBIS AND AMMUNITION is one of those discs that you just know is gonna be good from the minute you look at the CD cover design, generously decorated with women in fetish clothing, cat fighting motifs, skulls, bullets --- all the things we love ...