Go Fund Yourself, Jerkface: The Making of a Comp CD

Here at Alternative Control, we spend most of our time writing about local music.  Sure, we have a fashion section that hasn’t been updated in months and we ostensibly tell you about “places to go.”  But our real deal is music.  Whether it’s show listings, album reviews, or interviews with bands, the local scene is… Continue reading Go Fund Yourself, Jerkface: The Making of a Comp CD

Suicide Black Snake, Coming to the Masses

“Integrity means not swaying from your beliefs. This is how we live, we do not care what anyone thinks about us. We have no interest in what society does or thinks.” –Dwid Hellion With their North American tour just finishing and a European tour coming up, Integrity is spreading the sound of their upcoming album… Continue reading Suicide Black Snake, Coming to the Masses

The Grand Conjuration: A Review of Black Mass’s The Second Coming

I had the pleasure of listening to the new EP The Second Coming by Boston’s thrash metal enthusiasts Black Mass. They made a pretty clear indication of what I was going to expect, I just didn’t know it was going to be such high-quality. For one, the EP sounds great. The production is clear, loud… Continue reading The Grand Conjuration: A Review of Black Mass’s The Second Coming

Summer Metal Update 2013

Another summer is upon us, and with it more great local and national shows.  On the first day of June, Cherry Street Station in Wallingford kicks things off with Drunk Dan’s Summer Shit Show.  The Decibel Magazine Tour is rolling into Toad’s Place on 6/4, featuring Cannibal Corpse, Napalm Death, Immolation, and Magrudergrind.  Your favorite… Continue reading Summer Metal Update 2013

The AltCtrl Comp Album: All the Cool Kids Are Doing It

  … And for some reason, so are we.  Alternative Control will release Quality Control: Volume I in early summer, showcasing tracks from twenty hand-picked bands we’ve reviewed, interviewed, or enjoyed.  (Okay, and a few bands that our writers are in…)  Most are from Connecticut and most are metal, but we will spread our tentacles,… Continue reading The AltCtrl Comp Album: All the Cool Kids Are Doing It

Surfing Hellfire Waves: A Review of Ghost’s Infestissumam

What the hell makes Ghost so appealing? The band has gathered quite an eclectic fan base in a very short span of time, so what’s the deal? The songwriting isn’t complex, the music is easy to digest and covers a lot of familiar territory, and the Satanist theme is anything but a new concept in… Continue reading Surfing Hellfire Waves: A Review of Ghost’s Infestissumam

Going to Death

I have to describe myself as a casual Death listener. My first introduction to the band was through a high school boyfriend who loved them.  He would play Death songs for me on his guitar and I would say, “That’s so beautiful!”  Then he would play the CD for me… And unaccustomed to the vocal… Continue reading Going to Death