Blood and Wine: A Review of Ensiferum’s One Man Army

  So if you’re an Ensiferum fan, why are you even reading this review? Just go ahead and pick up their new album One Man Army. Because chances are, you already know what you’re going to get. In fact, when dealing with most folk metal bands, there’s never a degree of total surprise. Sure there… Continue reading Blood and Wine: A Review of Ensiferum’s One Man Army

Grown Up Avenger Stuff: Your Friendly Neighborhood Rock Band

Independent Music Promotions sent us the new single from North Carolina rockers Grown Up Avenger Stuff — and with a band name like that, how could we not give the song a listen?  “Pins” is a fun slice of indie pop that builds from a single guitar to a raucous house party.  Check out the… Continue reading Grown Up Avenger Stuff: Your Friendly Neighborhood Rock Band

Album Review: The Shape’s Masque of the Red Death

The Shape is a band that’s in it for the long haul. According to their Facebook biography, they have returned to the scene after a five-year hiatus — and what a return it’s been. Playing several shows a month for the past year and dipping their fingers into the booking pie as well, they’ve made… Continue reading Album Review: The Shape’s Masque of the Red Death

Khasm Ticket Giveaway and Interview with Bassist Keith the Wretched

From 1994-2003, gothic metal band Khasm was a force in the Connecticut music scene.  As Ryan Bair wrote last year, their “enthralling blend of dark imagery and theatrics, heavy and melodic compositions, and cerebral concepts… introduc(ed) our local audience to then-unheard-of elements that were popular in European metal.”  For almost a decade, they were riding… Continue reading Khasm Ticket Giveaway and Interview with Bassist Keith the Wretched

Rock Masters Band – “Hit the City/Diamonds” Double Single Review

It’s a snow day here in Fairfield County, so when I was offered the chance to review another band for I.M.P. I answered with an enthusiastic, “Sure!” Rock Masters Band is a rock and roll supergroup from Finland formed in 2007. I sat down at the computer, put in my earbuds and had a listen… Continue reading Rock Masters Band – “Hit the City/Diamonds” Double Single Review

Maybe She’ll Come Out Of It – A Review of Bjork’s Vulnicura

  Bjork is a presence in the music world that few have matched. Somehow she’s managed to gain major acceptance in the pop world while leaving her standings in the underworld community untarnished. And this was done through an equal respect for pop music’s narrow boundaries and the wide palette of art music. She scored… Continue reading Maybe She’ll Come Out Of It – A Review of Bjork’s Vulnicura

EP Review: Atomics by Problem With Dragons

A reader just turned “us” (me) on to stoner rock trio Problem With Dragons and I’m really enjoying their 2012 EP Atomics.  Hailing from Easthampton, Massachusetts, these guys deliver fuzz-laden anthems in manageable 3-4 minute chunks. The EP opens with “Wanting,” catching the listener with a doomy hook almost immediately.  That guitar riff builds gradually,… Continue reading EP Review: Atomics by Problem With Dragons