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Staff
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Album Edits 2,238
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Last Active 01-01-70 12:00 am
Joined 01-01-70
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| | Best User Reviews: September 2022 | | 1 |  | Gently Tender
Take Hold Of Your Promise!
"A pleasant horn selection is often the instrumental usage of choice here, interwoven casually, but also more front and center - sometimes brash and funky. The acoustics were less interesting to me, their work is almost unnoticeable yet I believe that’s part of the vibe. The album is a notably casual listen, something to put on in the background. Despite catchy hooks and choruses that had me glued, it’s still lazy day at the beach vibes, I could practically envision walking past this band on the sands as I dodged a beach ball. It appears that the band are jamming out in a session due to the music’s ease of flow, but calculated catchiness reveals the thought they put into this." --pizzamachine | | 2 |  | Blind Guardian
The God Machine
"Right in the first song “Deliver Us From Evil” the pendulum swing is evident: The soaring, galloping guitars in front and center, the bass is thick, the drums are crisp, the fast paced verse section leading into the heroic choruses with chilling effectiveness, just a perfect song to start off the album (and use it as the first single). And the album manages to retain that level of energy, despite being the usual mixture of faster, power/speed metal-esque songs and the deliberate paced, longer songs which is the usual structure for a Blind Guardian songs. The key in that is just how refreshingly simple it sounds: As great they are in creating bombastic, huge, organic with a hundred different instrumental and vocal tracks layered on each other, it can most certainly sound overwhelming and muddled for many fans (even for me who has been loving nearly ever album they made)." --ChaoticVortex | | 3 |  | Mo Troper
MTV
"The hooks, especially across the first two thirds of the record, are pretty bulletproof. Listen to the maximalist “Waste Away” or the depressive jangle-pop of “Play Dumb” or the screaming guitar on the “I’m the King of Rock ‘n Roll”. If there is a major flaw to be found on MTV, it’s that the last third largely seems to abandon the energy of the front of the record. The songs here are more abrasive (“Coke Zero”) or minimalist (“Under My Skin”) or alienating (“Final Lap”). I respect the attempt at variety and naked weirdness, but it drains some of the spark from the record for me." --nilsson | | 4 |  | Into Denial
Into Denial
"I must now shine light on the aspect that probably should have remained in darkness: the lyrics. I have no qualms with the social/political themes on this album; in fact, I’m pretty much in agreement with all of its stances. But Rammos’ lyrical delivery is so blunt, so on-the-nose, it’s a bit cringy (See “Unity” for example). Some bands illustrate their themes with complex metaphors and colorful imagery; in contrast, the majority of the lyrics in Into Denial feel like the writer took 10 minutes to brainstorm everything he hated about society, typed his complaints up in a word document, ran it through autocorrect, then slapped them into his vocal melodies without second thought. It doesn’t matter how many syllables one of his sentences have, the writer manages to fit basically anything into a chorus, whether or not it flows or is consistent with previous verses; It’s like bad improv singing." --WattPheasant | | 5 |  | Lustre (SWE)
A Thirst for Summer Rain
"That being said, the production and mix of this record are flawless and it sounds entirely incredible from the drum tone to the mix between the deep guitar strums and the leadwork. There are occasional moments of black metal screaming that cascade the back of the mix creating an eerie, shocking and unhinged soundscape. This occurs seldomly and while it does add flair when present, it’s sparseness offers very little to improve the dynamics of the song. Often with ambient music, each track will possess a certain identity that distinguishes it from the other while remaining fairly stagnant in order to really delve into the sounds created but these four cuts are nearly identical. Maybe this simply wasn’t what I was expecting when looking at the gorgeous album artwork, but I wasn’t impressed." --mkmusic1995 | | 6 |  | Bob Driftwood
Crow's Pine
"I’ll be listening to this one throughout the autumn and winter, when the soil freezes hard and the trees are bare. Driftwood is a unique voice in the current music scene, one that does not shun the darkness in our hearts and in that of the woods alike, and what keeps this record interesting is that despite its gloom and harshness it never completely blocks out the hope for better days. Both on “Ivory Tower” and on the final track “Spring Lullaby,” it shows us glimmers of what beauty and joy the seed might once again grow into, even though it now lies waiting in the cold, cold ground. It is both a record of misery and hope alike." --Boreque | | 7 |  | Trha
Vat Gëlénva!!!
"Vat gëlénva!!! is a product of Thét Älëf at the height of his powers. These days weaving disparities and different moods and emotions together is something of common practice in black metal, but there is something so beguiling about the way Thét Älëf composes his music. Again, it returns to this air of mystique he enshrouds himself in while still being able to create black metal that possesses emotional range. There is truly nobody else out there right now doing it like they are, and their profile will continue to rise as long as this remains the case." --TheSpirit | | 8 |  | An Abstract Illusion
Woe
"Like any great progressive metal album, there’s quality to be found later in the piece, with the simply stunning highlight “In The Heavens Above, You Will Become a Monster”. The arrangements on this song in particular are something to behold and if you’re only going to listen to one song on this album this is it. This Swedish trio draw on influences ranging from Devin Townsend, to Opeth and Anathema to create an inspired and beautiful painting. And in a world of manufactured, disposable metal albums, this is a soul filling keeper and possible AOTY." --Muzz79 | | 9 |  | 156/Silence
Narrative
"The album wastes no time establishing that 156/Silence know how to do heavy and that they know how to get the heart racing and blood pumping. But not to be a one-trick pony, 156/Silence add in brooding melody to their songs, creating atmospheric space from the relentless riffing and barrage of breakdowns. Other than the sometimes random breakdowns mentioned above, the flow of these passages is seamless and showcases musicians who are able to ably balance their approach to metalcore." --Manatea | | 10 |  | Kevin Devine
Nothing's Real, So Nothing's Wrong
"There are risks to being a musical chameleon, chief among them that you might just blend in so well with your surroundings no one really notices you’re present. To his credit, Devine might prefer it that way; “everyone I know who got famous got crazy,” he once summarized in an interview. But Nothing’s Real, So Nothing’s Wrong isn’t entirely sane either. Seeking to sidestep the acoustic guitar dudebro trope yet not really feeling bangers in the works, Devine went a bit off the rails this time around; NRSNW forefronts psychedelic pop arrangements, sardonic self-talk, and an almost hypnotic sense of ennui. The stresses of divorce, newfound fatherhood, and a global pandemic upending his line of work (although much of the material here was written before that last one) act as window dressing to the album’s slow-motion mental breakdown." --ashcrash9 | | 11 |  | Jockstrap
I Love You Jennifer B
"Make no mistake, this is a goofy record but it’s never anything less than sincere. “Angst” is a muted tale of self-loathing and when the lyrics begin to crescendo to a violent lump in your throat, the vocals speed up as if the imagery is too painful to recall. But then, clear as day, the next track opens up with Georgia recalling “Pain is real/ and love is real/ But pain is also growth/ And grief is just love with nowhere to go.” This is, of course, the preamble to “Debra” becoming a frontrunner for banger of the year with a refrain of “I wish I could tell you what I wished for/ Looked at the moon, press X at the star” over a beat that would sound just as home in a Bollywood movie as it would a robot factory in a jrpg. The incisions are often a blink-and-you’ll-miss-it affair, but they are no less captivating." --Odal | | 12 |  | Ozzy Osbourne
Patient Number 9
"Even despite these inconsistencies, however, by the time sub-two-minute oddity Darkside Blues (precisely the slab of old-timey, plaintive vocals-and-harmonica American Delta musicianship the title hints at) brings hostilities to a close, the overall impression of Ozzy Osbourne's new album is along the lines of those caused by most new music released by veteran acts in the past two years – that is to say, far from their heyday best, but in no way shameful or offensive to the legacy created therein." --ReturnToRock | | 13 |  | King's X
Three Sides of One
"Despite that baggage being out in the open, it’s a relief to see Three Sides of One live up to its title as the most unified-sounding King’s X album in decades. As much as I love albums like 2005’s Ogre Tones and the preceding XV, the compositions could be rather blunt and tended to feel more like individual songwriters’ contributions rather than a full band collaboration. The songs on this album feel more jammed out and the musicianship is better integrated. You can still tell who wrote which song by whoever’s singing, but it’s clear that everyone put the work in on each one." --PsychicChris | | 14 |  | Anberlin
Silverline
"Silverline brings a very familiar sound but it doesn’t feel quite like a reset button, but more of a revamp/rebirth that present us to a new side of what we once thought Anberlin was. Rather than just picking up from where they left in Lowborn, these new songs pick the strengths from all Anberlin’s past albums and adds to them all the experiences from those eight years of side projects. Their newfound heaviness helps bring a new breath to Anberlin that at the time of lowborn was relying too much on the electronics. We can expect good things from a band that feels like it has a new driving force. Don’t ever count Anberlin out." --victorhugotoffoli | | 15 |  | The Devil Wears Prada
Color Decay
"The Devil Wears Prada are at their best when they hone in on deeply personal topics with a first-hand perspective, and they do this often on ‘Color Decay’. Gering’s presence has only amplified this on ‘Color Decay’, having written the nostalgic alt-rock closer “Cancer” following the passing of one of his heroes. In what is quite possibly the darkest moment on the album, the chorus states “I hope that it’s cancer” with the hope that he died of something other than suicide or addiction. The track is self-aware about how bizarre and jarring of a thought that is to have, but its a thought-provoking and genuinely fascinating listen that is incredibly well-written." --Crxmateo | | 16 |  | Death Cab for Cutie
Asphalt Meadows
"The contrast between great new material and songs that sound like they’ve been on every Death Cab album of the last few years is why I could never get properly excited about Asphalt Meadows. For every Foxglove Through the Clearcut, there was a Pepper to follow it. It’s endlessly frustrating, because there is just about enough quality throughout the album’s 42-minute runtime to be hopeful for the future of the band. Asphalt Meadows sounds somewhat transitionary, like Death Cab for Cutie were afraid to properly commit to the new sound. Maybe their eleventh album will finally remind us of why we fell in love with them in the first place. In 2022, though, Asphalt Meadows leaves me with a single thought in my head. Yeah, it’s pretty good." --YadMot | | 17 | | The Devil Wears Prada
Color Decay
"It was never solely about making the fans content, but a staple in TDWP's career has been their mastery of controlled aggression: allowing the music to ebb and flow between chaos and melody, playing the Jekyll and Hyde game to perfection. This iteration of the band has displayed no such desire to maintain this reputation, instead focusing on a torrential downpour of uplifting choruses and low-wattage ballads to in hopes to buoy their most recent effort into any level of Billboard of considerations they can get. Fans know not to count on TDWP for consistency at this point, and Color Decay certainly reinforces that point. Proceed with caution and keep your expectations low and you might just find yourself surprised a time or two, but unless you've been seeking out 12 tracks of half-baked pop-core, that is about the most you can expect from Color Decay." --pjquinones747 | | 18 | | The Devil Wears Prada
Color Decay
"Instead of getting any surprises throughout, I was left with radio metal with no heart. The Devil Wears Prada needs to honestly take a look at what made Zombie II so beloved and just try to replicate that sound for a full length. That seemed like the natural progression for the band, but Color Decay feels like the worst step back for the band since 8:18." --GarthAlgar | | 19 |  | Armor For Sleep
The Rain Museum
"
I don't know if Armor for Sleep are back for good, but the album is welcome and evidence they're capable of writing more than a few anthematic songs about dying. It's a departure from their established sound but still retains the heart from those early albums still beats. The penchant for upbeat and fun choruses, that sense of wry wit bleeding through the lyrics, and competent, catchy music. I'm not confident The Rain Museum will bring back anyone that's written the band off beforehand, but it is great to see the band experience their own life after death" --ConcubinaryCode | | 20 |  | Brymir
Voices in the Sky
"Brymir does not exactly reinvent the wheel here, but they did not need to as they pulled off the mix of melodeath and power metal very well, with a lot of charm, keeping the sound fresh and exciting. The melodies are creative and catchy, as the "epic" moments never feel forced or trite. The sparing use of acoustic guitar makes for some of the best parts of the album. Aside from a few minor problems this album faces, it is still a great album. If you enjoy melodic guitar driven metal, Voices In the Sky is a must listen." --Zac124 | | 21 |  | Lady Silver
Circus Pop
"In conclusion, I think that the members of "Lady Silver" definitely kept their promise for music that gives a serious British rock vibe, with influences like "Arctic Monkeys", "Muse" and more. You can't go wrong with it. The messages in the songs make the album not only fun to listen to, but also very interesting. The album reflects the shortcomings that technology and the desire for peeking into the life of others have brought with them and reflects on the problems related to adoration, emptiness, and baseless speculations." --kaparoni | | 22 |  | Alex G
God Save The Animals
"On God Save The Animals, Alex G once again revels in multitudes, wielding his considerable songwriting powers to conjure warped and kaleidoscopic pop songs that operate like a funhouse mirror: by accumulating so many auditory, thematic and lyrical sensations, it can be disorienting and exhilarating and challenging to know what exactly it is you caught a glimpse of. This modus operandi is not radically different than previous effort House of Sugar, but that album cloaked itself in an at-times impenetrable atmosphere of unease and kept listeners slightly at a remove through lyrics tied to an enigmatic concept. Keeping this in mind, God Save The Animals sounds like a slippery and self-conscious side-step to that more song-based and storybook frame of mind, harkening back to the kind of fractured and impressionistic indietronica the artist made a name on, but now bearing a newfound emotional directness and mastery over sequencing and flow." --Slex | | 23 |  | Blood Orange
Four Songs
"Four Songs embodies everything that is seemingly displayed in the cover art: people passing by, going through the motions even in gloomy weather. This short EP serves as a companion for every road you cross, providing a smorgasbord of smooth sounds, and food-for-thought lyrics you can apply to your quests. It’s also Dev Hynes redefining what Blood Orange tastes like, becoming a mad scientist of sonics by creating jangly, genre-hybrid ballads. Does it signify a new chapter in this artist’s already wide-spanning discography? Probably not, as the Blood Orange tree cannot be defined by one branch. But enjoy this moment of meditation, use these songs to manifest your next destination, and if things become a struggle, remember to ‘Relax & Run’." --WoahHenny | | 24 |  | Will Wood
“In case I make It,”
"With every new Mountain Goats release, John Darnielle makes his music sound a bit quieter. There’s a few more coffee shop slam poetry bongo drums present in each release. Each record sounds more and more like something you’d hear muffled through the bathroom door as you’re pooping at a Panera Bread. More adult contemporary, less boombox-recorded folk. And it works, because I believe John when he sings. I don’t believe Will. That’s the main issue with this record. If the old Will Wood wasn’t who he truly was, then at least his lies were interesting. This new Will Wood sounds boring, and I don’t believe he sounds particularly earnest, either. So if you’re not going to confidently speak your truth, or even tell me interesting lies, then what use do I have for you?" --johndavis33 | | 25 |  | Band-Maid
Unleash
"Tracks Balance and Influencer are the most unique songs in the album. The former, however, is closer to BAND-MAID madlibs than an actual song, a disjointed track that feels quite like feeding the entirety of BAND-MAID's discography to an AI and releasing the result; it'd be almost bad – if the band members weren't so skilled at their instruments. The latter, second single Influencer finds BAND-MAID amidst a throwback to the split focus of Conqueror, putting differing emphasis Saiki's braggish vocals and Misa's sweet bass that'd make for another banger of a song...if it wasn't so beget by a terminal case of japanglish lyrics that seems ripped out straight off Google Translate, a sadly not uncommon problem that still troubles Japanese bands to this day." --trackbytrackreviews | | 26 |  | Sadurn
Radiator
"Musically, the main power house of Sadurn is DeGroot’s songwriting, which is beautifully supported by Jon Cox’s guitar work. DeGroot mixes their creative structure around, like the storytelling verses in title track Radiator, turning the basic act of picking someone up from work into intense appreciation, while in Moses Kill, we get a repeated hook bolstered by carefully finger-picked guitar and metaphors about the water cycle. Jon Cox’s guitar work is to be celebrated throughout the run time of Radiator. The use of multiple timbres and textures add depth and prepend another sonic level to something that could easily have become a very run of the mill folk indie record." --Douglas | | 27 |  | Offernat
All Colours Retract
"New and obscure sludge releases are something I have begrudgingly grown to approach with a certain degree of trepidation - a fear of being greeted with a bland sixty minutes of overly atmospheric music with a distinct lack of memorable riffs. Enter Danish three-piece outfit Offernat who (with their independently released debut) thankfully reinstate the almighty sludge riff – an especially pleasant surprise on a release containing only four tracks, the shortest of which still exceeds a duration of ten minutes. Having said that, All Colours Retract still boasts its fair share of atmospheric qualities but rather than reaching saturation point, the band has approached this with an optimal degree of curation, resulting in a wild ride of metal which fuses 00s progressive sludge with elements of doom, black metal and post-rock/metal." --BitterJalepenoJr | |
Minortimbo12
10.10.22 | Color Decay wow | Manatea
10.10.22 | Thanks for the shout out. Nice job to everyone on here! | Minortimbo12
10.10.22 | Question: Does my Icon For Hire review come in as October or September? Its probably September, but just wondering | Minortimbo12
10.10.22 | Where I live I submitted it on September 30 | BitterJalapenoJr
10.10.22 | Thanks for the continued inclusion Sowing. I wasn't sure I'd make the cut this month - so many great writers here. | Muzz79
10.10.22 | Cheers Sowing. Pleasure covering that album | Slex
10.11.22 | Genuinely honored :) thank you! | Crxmateo
10.11.22 | Thank you so much! | BlushfulHippocrene
10.11.22 | Some good looking writing here. Many expected (ashcrash, slex), who's this nilsson though? Good shit. | ConcubinaryCode
10.11.22 | I appreciate the feature sowing, I'm really glad you found the review a great read and got to redeem the kinda downer review from last month. It gives me confidence that I can actually write something worthwhile for good music so I'm gonna try to write more in the future. | DadKungFu
10.11.22 | Grats to all these great writers, the writing quality on this site has been stellar these past few years. | Sunnyvale
10.11.22 | Indeed, lots of good stuff here! Keep it up, folks. | Zac124
10.11.22 | Thanks Sowing for including my reviews on these lists! It really makes more feel more confident about my writing and makes me want to continue and improve as well. | WattPheasant
10.25.22 | Sowing, thank you again for including me in your monthly Best User Reviews list. I am still looking to find new ways to improve my writing and the growth that I have seen in the past year is in part thanks to your constructive feedback. So, I am grateful for that. If you ever have criticism to give on any reviews in the future, please do not hesitate to let me know in the comments or via email.
Best regards. | pjquinones747
12.30.22 | I was completely unaware that my review was counted among these other great writers in the September edition until the year end list got posted! Thanks for the recognition, Sowing! |
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