EP Review: Bad Reed (Self-Titled)

Bad Reed -- photo by Erin Girard.

Canadian rockers Bad Reed released their three-song EP in June of last year and it’s beginning to make its way down to the States.  “Slackjaw Romance” is the standout track.  The delicate intro gives way to an irreverent ballad about unhappy love.  Its refrain, “All I want is a pack of cigarettes / And a… Continue reading EP Review: Bad Reed (Self-Titled)

Acid Blast: A Review of Yuri Gagarin’s At the Center of All Infinity

Late December has to be the worst timing for album releases. Most if not all of the best-of-the-year lists are completed by this time. And there’s such a long wait for the following December that lots of critics forget about anything that was released before early February. But I’m going to try my hardest not… Continue reading Acid Blast: A Review of Yuri Gagarin’s At the Center of All Infinity

More Pirate Music in the New Year with Below the Gaff

I’m a sucker for Kickstarters. My philosophy is that if I would buy the person a beer in real life, I can give them a few bucks on the internet towards whatever endeavor they’re pursuing. So when I saw that my old college roommate’s band was crowdfunding to record a full-length album, I figured, “Why… Continue reading More Pirate Music in the New Year with Below the Gaff

Content by Numbers: Alternative Control’s 2015

Death Metal Dave's first fashion article made a big comeback this year after the photo above was discovered on Google Images.

Anybody who knows me in real life can attest that there’s nothing I love more than a list.  The quantification of items and the planning of tasks gives way to the satisfaction of knowing that everything on the list has been acquired or accomplished — only to toss it in the trash and begin again… Continue reading Content by Numbers: Alternative Control’s 2015

Vinyl Rules, Tapes Drool: An Interview with Prostitution

Brooklyn black metallers Prostitution will be making the trek to Wallingford, CT’s Cherry Street Station on January 15th to share the stage with Xenosis and Jimmy Junk Bird and the Stiffs.  Guitarist Russ Cowen, bassist Jesse Adelson, and drummer Jason Spence talked with Alternative Control earlier this month about the band’s new material, the benefits… Continue reading Vinyl Rules, Tapes Drool: An Interview with Prostitution

Bair Witness: Deathwish Collective on January 2nd at Cook’s, Dammit! Or, Homeward Bound: An Incredible Journey

For those of you who may not have known (or noticed), I’ve been away for eight months. Not just away from Alternative Control in the throes of Lazy Writer Syndrome, not just away from The Scene, skipping everyone’s shows and sitting on the couch complaining about no good local music; I’ve been working abroad since… Continue reading Bair Witness: Deathwish Collective on January 2nd at Cook’s, Dammit! Or, Homeward Bound: An Incredible Journey

Yes Virginia, There is Metal in Connecticut: One Virginia Dude’s Ode to Nightbitch and the CT Metal Scene

Editor’s Note: Virginia-by-way-of-Connecticut metalhead Mike Wilcox, a.k.a. “Vest Bro” to Alternative Control readers, recently began writing for a well-respected music blog.  Imagine his surprise and delight to see a band from his ol’ home state on the the review list: Nightbitch.  Mike’s editor decided not to run the short piece he wrote because there was… Continue reading Yes Virginia, There is Metal in Connecticut: One Virginia Dude’s Ode to Nightbitch and the CT Metal Scene