rock and roll fables

music, comics, and media in a rock'n' roll world

Carcass Cement Legacy As Extreme Metal Leaders With Torn Arteries

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My relationship with Carcass is pretty casual meaning I know the Metal maestros but my courtship didn’t actually begin until 2016 after I saw them slay live ahead of, ahem, Slayer. And then followed the inevitable deep dive into their catalog and a new found appreciation for the legendary UK outfit. Cut to today with the legends following up their successful 2013 return (After a 17 year gap in releases) with Torn Arteries, a defining record that cements Carcass’ reign as one of the leaders of Extreme Metal.

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Low Flying Hawks Make A Doom-Filled Desert Rawk Classic With Fuyu

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Artists like Low Flying Hawks, who cause a deep dive in a genre that’s overflowing with hidden gems, is a gem unto itself. In this case, not only did we jump back into LFH’s wealth of releases since 2016 but also poured over greats from Kyuss and recent outings from KIND to really feel the feels of this latest Desert Rawk masterpiece. Which it is because just knowing what came before will in no way prepare you with what’s to come on Fuyu.

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Fotocrime Embrace The Dark On Noir-Filled Post-Punk Odyssey Heart Of Crime

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There’s a certain grace period when it comes to new bands from established vocalists where both fans and the artist are sort of dipping their toes in the water because regardless of the overall sound of a thing, when it comes to vocalists, any new offering is inevitably going to get compared to that other thing. The writing was on the wall with Coliseum’s final evolution and eventual demise following the groundbreaking release of Anxiety’s Kiss in 2015 but that progression didn’t end there for singer/songwriter/multi-instrumentalist Ryan Patterson who returned two years later with Fotocrime which took the foundation of that last Coliseum record and explored some exciting new places.

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Andrew W.K. Royally Rawks On Ambitious Opus God Is Partying

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Who’d a thunk that 20 years after hearing I Get Wet over and over and over again while starting in a record store and subsequently dropping Andrew W.K. like a bad habit with every release since that I’d be gushing over a new record today??? But here we are with the imminent release of God Is Partying, Andrew W.K.’s fifth long player, which is a far cry from my record store daze, a far cry from the days of Jackass (Although with a new film on the way from Johnny Knoxville and co., maybe the more things change and all that jazz?), and a far cry from The Wolf which initially caused this reviewer to tune out.

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Singles! BLAB, “Insurance”

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One mark of a great artist in this reviewer’s mind is when you see their name listed somewhere, whether it’s in passing on a streaming site or a random social media post or press release, and a song of theirs immediately comes to mind. Just by seeing that moniker in print somewhere. BLAB is that kind of artist making the kinds of songs that are instantly recognizable as their own and, better still, hard to forget.

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Empty Streets Go Old School New Wave And Synth In A Modern Electro And Darkwave World On Age of Regret

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I can’t really think of another artist out there today that sounds quite like Depeche Mode’s resident iconic voice box Dave Gahan. That is, until I heard Aaron Thompson belt out some verses during the opening track off the latest EP from Empty Streets! Modern Electro and Darkwave combined with Old School New Wave and Synth-driven Pop, Age Of Regret is a blast from the past made in the present that’s resilient, rowdy, and immediately resonates.

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Lovelorn Offer Up Dazzling, Daring, And Defiant Slab Of Modern Electro With What’s Yr Damage

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Lovelorn is one of those artists where, after the first single was released in waaaaay back 2020, we found ourselves constantly refreshing ye olde Inbox waiting for what was coming next. Learning that the group was comprised of former members of Creepoid only made the anticipation/impatience grow stronger and we’re happy to report that the end result is simply marvelous. Beyond reproach even! The most precious debut you’ll cradle in your paws this year!

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Dee Snider Wants To Rock (Again) On Vibrant And Vicious Leave A Scar

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There’s something about this recent second coming of Dee Snider that leaves a constant permagrin on my face because there’s very few artists out there today who can masterfully infuse some genuine FUN into Metal the way that Mr. Snider can. On his latest offering, the even more METAL follow up to 2018’s For Love Of Metal (Sweet jeebus, has it really been three years since this beastie?!?!?), Snider does just that with one heavy ass record that’s a cerebral celebration of the loudest musical genre.

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The Joy Thieves Assemble An Army Of Greats For Post-Punk Heist Of The Century On American Parasite

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We’ve said it before and we’ll say it again: The best kinds of albums are the ones you weren’t expecting. Sure, I’m aware that the Industrial juggernaut known as The Joy Thieves is out there making killer tunes but legitimately had no clue that not only was a proper full-length on the way but that it features the legendary vocalist (And frequent collaborator/Joy Thief) Chris Connelly on ALL 15 tracks. And let’s be honest here, who else is more suited to act as the maniacal ringleader over a veritable army of musicians who have collectively backed such diverse vocalists as David Bowie, Henry Rollins, Iggy Pop, Jaz Coleman, Al Jourgensen at one point in time?

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Blutengel Readies The Spark Destined To Set Dance Floors Ablaze With Electro Gothic Banger Erlösung – The Victory Of Light

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There’s few records these days that, due to the strength of a lead single or two, compel me to anxiously await when a promo will hopefully filter into ye olde digital desk. The latest from Blutengel is one such record and the singles in question, “The Victory Of Light” and “Wie Sand”, have been on constant repeat since their initial release in late April and mid-May. The album in question, Erlösung – The Victory Of Light, is practically a love letter to the Goth scene and the match ready to light a fire under our collective asses once we can safely dance like no one’s watching in our most favorite darkened clubs.

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