Album Review: Westward’s The Empire of Deception

“Please, please, please, give my work to some machine,” croons vocalist Andrew C. Marshall on “The Last Stand.” Ain’t that the way it goes in the twenty-first century, and Westward has it all figured out on their new album The Empire of Deception.  Released on October 14, 2017, Empire features ten tracks of so-called cowboy… Continue reading Album Review: Westward’s The Empire of Deception

EP Review: Michael P. Cullen and The Soul Searchers, Live at Lazybones

Australian singer-songwriter Michael P. Cullen would be right at home at The Fez.  In his July EP, Live at Lazybones, he is backed by The Soul Searchers — and the combination sounds great!  The five brooding alt-rock tunes are the perfect soundtrack to a glass of chardonnay on Friday evening, when you sit back with… Continue reading EP Review: Michael P. Cullen and The Soul Searchers, Live at Lazybones

Dirt Church: The Reformation of Canadian Rockers Groupoem

Groupoem guitarist and songwriter Terry Robinson says in their documentary, “In a way, I don’t think any of us could do anything without each other.”  Do his bandmates agree?  Well, the band originally formed in Toronto in the Eighties, but broke up in 1989.  Bassist Darren Katamay set out to find the rest of the… Continue reading Dirt Church: The Reformation of Canadian Rockers Groupoem

The Black Dahlia Murder and Me: A Conversational Review of Nightbringers and ALBUM GIVEAWAY

What can I say about Black Dahlia?  Hearing Unhallowed for the first time around 2005 or 2006 gave me a whole new perspective on music.  I kept that album in regular rotation for many years, as well as their third album Nocturnal.  My now-ex husband and I even joked about playing “Closed Casket Requiem” at… Continue reading The Black Dahlia Murder and Me: A Conversational Review of Nightbringers and ALBUM GIVEAWAY

Album Review: Exhumed’s Death Revenge (Relapse)

Through seven full-length offerings and enough demos and splits to fill a casket, San Jose’s Exhumed have proven to be nothing but reliable.  You see the bloody logo and you know what to expect.  Even as the band as progressed from the early grind ‘n slash offerings to 2013’s melodic death opus Necrocracy, the quality… Continue reading Album Review: Exhumed’s Death Revenge (Relapse)

Baldwin’s Choice: Ulver

Most well-established experimental bands have two things to worry about. They need to remain artistically fresh, but they also need to appease a fanbase. A group like Radiohead has no intentions of staying in one place, despite the incredible success they’ve had in the past with a sound like Ok Computer. But they still need… Continue reading Baldwin’s Choice: Ulver