I don’t why I thought it’d be a good idea to do both an end of the year list and preview list reflecting the year they’re happening in….but here we are. Our list of twenty one albums and change has already posted (Which you can read here) so now it’s time to close the book on 2021 and look to the future with 22 albums we think will make this year sound even better than the last…and change.
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Gozu albums have always been these epic events of expertly executed exercises in the worship of the almighty riff but on Equilibrium, these Boston rawkers set the bar pretty GD high for any hard/heavy band out there who dare to try and match this in 2018. If this one doesn’t propel them to the rawk stratosphere then humanity might truly be lost. [Read more…]
Whew! Glad the 2016 retrospective is finally over. Now we can get to some reviewin’ and interviewin’ and stuff….wait, we’re doing a 2017 preview, too? UGH! WHY????? Then I guess without further adieu, the top 17 albums that may or may not surface in ’17: [Read more…]
When you think “Boston bands”, outfits like Aerosmith, Godsmack (Sorry!), The Cars, and The Mighty Mighty Bosstones usually come to mind. Stellar bands in their own right and should make any Masshole proud of the tunes coming out of the state. Me? I’m proudest when I think of bands like Cave In, Converge, and Isis. And even prouder over the past few years with bands like Motherboar, Summoner, Doomriders, and the focus of this column: Gozu. [Read more…]
Happy New Year’s! New year, new music! So what are we excited for this year? Glad you asked! Here’s a rundown of what we think will be played incessantly at the Rock and Roll Fables offices: [Read more…]
If Torche and Roadsaw had a baby, the resulting bouncing baby boy would be Ohio’s Lo-Pan. Take those sludgy riffs and clean vox that bring to mind Roadsaw’s Craig Riggs and you have the recipe for something great. On Colossus, their fourth, Lo-Pan continually defy expectations to craft a monumentally monolithic masterpiece from start to finish.
“Regulus” instantly sets the tone for an album that’s filled with melody undercut by bone crushingly heavy riffs making for an interesting dichotomy throughout. “Black Top Revelation” shares some DNA with Small Stone labelmates Gozu while “Marathon Man” is a riffercise and a half.
The title track sounds exactly as you’d expect: either like the 96-foot tall statue for which the album was named or for a certain X-Man covered in organic steel. Yep, it’s that heavy. Meanwhile, “Vox” is a sonic eargasm and features Colossus cover artist Jason Alexander Byers (He, of Disengage and Black Black Black also) pitching in on the mic.
“Eastern Seas”shows off drummer J. Bartz as he crashes and churns like the waves of a mighty ocean while Jeff Martin’s vocals soar above swooping in to save listeners from the murky depths. Colossus finishes up with the rollicking “Relo” and “The Duke” which gives listeners a few more chances to appreciate the majesty of Skot Thompson’s bass and Brian Fristoe’s guitar wizardry.
Is this an album you need to own in 2014? Definitely! Colossus is out on October 7th through Small Stone Records. Yours can be pre-ordered right here. You can also catch Lo-Pan on tour now with Black Cobra. For dates and more, head on over here.