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Staff
Reviews 647
Soundoffs 102
News Articles 98
Band Edits + Tags 345
Album Edits 2,239
Album Ratings 3171
Objectivity 73%
Last Active 01-01-70 12:00 am
Joined 01-01-70
Review Comments 43,956
| | Best User Reviews: July 2022 | | 1 |  | Shinedown
Planet Zero
"However, for those who either don’t mind the political slant, or are disappointed in the last few Shinedown records, Planet Zero is certainly an album worth listening to. The hooks and anthems, Brent Smith’s down-to-earth vocal performance, and the overall arena-rock sound that Shinedown have established throughout the years, it’s all there and it’s done very well for the most part. Here’s hoping, that as the world heals (assuming that it ever will), that Shinedown will continue to deliver banger songs without ever slowing down…though perhaps with a bit less boomer mentality." --Toondude | | 2 |  | Municipal Waste
Electrified Brain
"Their brand of thrash has been distilled to the bare essentials. Energetic vocals that seem physically painful to replicate, galloping riffs with the occasional dive-bomb and cymbal crashing dissonance are the key ingredients of Electrified Brain. What a shocker, right? So, should you discount it entirely? I don't see why you would. Sure, this album isn't carrying thrash metal to new horizons, and the ceiling for stupid fun is remarkably low. With that being said, few things capture the metal spirit quite like a six-pack, a bloody nose from karate in the pit, and cheesy group choruses. If that is what you are looking for, you will find it here in spades." --InfernalDeity | | 3 |  | Bearded Executive
Procedure Applies
"Indeed, while the band's trademark tropes – the guitar tone, the shrill, squealing leads, the chunky and involved bass, the ever-improving and now fairly organic-sounding programmed percussion – remain present, accounted for and fundamentally unchanged, that is precisely where the problem lies: everything across these three songs and thirteen minutes of music is exactly what is expected of this band at this point, no more and no less. What attempts at innovation, however misguided, the duo had attempted on previous records are conspicuously absent this time around, replaced by stodgy, safe comfort-zone songwriting which, while fundamentally as pleasant as ever, fails to elicit the same excitement as some of the band's previous recordings, especially those created during the Barfighter period." --ReturnToRock | | 4 |  | Tumi Mogorosi
Group Theory: Black Music
"After my first listen through the entire record, I ended up doing some research just so I could understand the fundamentals of jazz a bit better and get some indication of the inspiration for the music on the record. Commonly amongst articles I’ve read, the quote “New black music is this: find the self, then kill it” by US poet Amiri Baraka is at the center of the inspiration for the writing on the album. The push for bombast and power within the music seems to mirror this idea that through all the noise in this world, we can somehow kill the self and grow together through community and strengthen the bonds between all humans. I guess this could be said in any aspect of human society the struggles we encounter whether it be racial inequality, sexism, homophobia, xenophobia, ableism, etc., we can find it in ourselves to look past our individual selfishness and work towards a common goal where we can all unite and coexist peacefully." --mkmusic1995 | | 5 |  | Two Brothers
Star Thief
"Two Brothers seamlessly intertwines folk, electronic, bluegrass, post-hardcore, progressive rock, math rock, punk, and post-metal throughout the entirety of Star Thief. Even the first track, Only an Introduction, transitions from a calming folk track into an electronic track with an acoustic background, to a noise track for the last ten seconds or so. The track after that, Giving Up The Ghost also shares this idea of changing up the track in a way that feel natural and not forced. It begins with a vocal delivery a la 30 Seconds GO! and Circuit Circuit. It then goes into a clean, almost early Fall of Troy (pre-Doppelgänger) vocal section, which then sprawls into a screamed section that can only be described as angsty Isis." --nnpoc | | 6 |  | Animalize
Meat We're Made Of
"If you haven’t heard of the band, I wouldn’t be surprised as they only released their debut EP ‘Tapes from the Crypt’ in 2020. Meat we’re made of follows on from this first effort and is a blend of heavy metal and power metal influenced by Accept, W.A.S.P, Loudness, Riot, and others. The opener ‘Samourai de l’Univers’ is a fitting example of this, it’s blisteringly fast and especially reminiscent of Riot in their heyday." --thejoelsder | | 7 |  | Black Midi
Hellfire
"While Hellfire is inferior to Cavalcade, it's good that Black Midi chose to build upon their prior explorations rather than try to rehash the formula. Immediacy is replaced with annoyance, perhaps as a heavy-handed artistic decision. Hell is not supposed to be fun, after all. Things feel somewhat more abstract, there's little room for conventional hooks or instrumental prowess, everything is in service of the overall sound. There could be less out of control horns as the gimmick gets old pretty quickly. It's all solidly written though. Hellfire is the definition of a grower, and Black Midi reaffirm their status as one of the most exciting bands to keep an eye on going forward." --turnip90210 | | 8 |  | aespa
Girls
"Girls, to put it briefly, pushes aespa to the next level (yeah), musically and stylistically, and shows nothing but positive growth when compared to their previous EP, Savage. Instead of being a hyperpop-derivative meld of the works of SOPHIE and the general pop music landscape like Savage was, Girls is able to expand beyond that and carve their own little niche for themselves, taking a greater use of live instrumentation and, to a degree, guitar-based music. While expanding beyond the musical “norm” can definitely be seen as a risky move that can potentially be perceived as inorganic and alienating, aespa manages to make it seem easy; it never pushes too soft or too hard in its creative sights and energy to be catering or alienating for their fans, and as a result gives aespa some important and much-needed creative credibility." --STIGMATIZED | | 9 |  | Friendzone
Collection 2
"Collection 2 could very well be the final farewell from a duo that deserved more, or it could be a hint at another chapter to come – Reznick has suggested, here and there, that more material could be on the way. Most importantly, though, it’s a strong enough statement to be appreciated on its own merits – allowing us to momentarily forget all the sadness and the what-ifs, and focus on what an absolute blessing it is to be listening to a Friendzone tape in 2022." --Romulus | | 10 |  | Manafest
I Run with Wolves
"The next song, "UPS AND DOWNS," is another highlight. The catchy chorus and sung/rapped verses serve as one of the best on the album. "Gravity Falls" features Trevor McNevan, and with his help, it is the best track on the album. This is an instant favorite for the fans of "Fighter" and TFK. "Nemesis" has a perfect spot for Sonny Sandoval (lead singer of P.O.D.). "Break the Habit" only gets better as the song goes and gets even better the more listens." --Minortimbo12 | | 11 |  | Senses Fail
Hell Is in Your Head
"I don't know who is really listening to Senses Fail anymore. This is not meant to be a jab at the band, but more or less a real question on demographics. Between the shift that occurred with Renacer and the way the band has bounced around corners of post-hardcore and pop-punk after 2013, the band's sound hasn't really galvanized in the latter half of their career. When Senses Fail started, they existed in a scene of pop-punk bands that sounded very similar, but despite that, Buddy and Co. held popularity and significance with their fanbase. In 2022, they're sorta in the same boat, but the difference is that they have regressed back to that point rather than having risen to it." --0range | | 12 |  | Hazel English
Summer Nights
"Far be it from me to discount a cute indie pop release, but there’s points to take note of. The instrumental backing is not memorable in any type of way, with guitars as simple as the beats, and electronics are barely there. Furthermore, Hazel sounds almost bored, often giving a rather lacklustre performance. It’s certainly the style of music to give a light, fluffy sound, but the lack of nuance doesn’t keep things in forward motion. It’s pleasant as I said, but with no real grippy substance; drifting like steam, Summer Nights goes in one ear and out the other. While good, there’s really nothing that stops Summer Nights from being a generic indie pop album - therein lies my frustration. For a genre labeled “dream pop” I expect something more dreamy, something that will help me float to the Heavens. Instead, I found myself falling asleep and dreaming of better albums." --pizzamachine | | 13 |  | Beyonce
Renaissance
"Renaissance is sure to spark a lot of conversation in the short term -is it the start of a trilogy? Did she do it better than Drake? (yes) Does she have class solidarity with the proletariat as hinted on tracks like “Break My Soul”? (no). But at the end of the day, it’s a decent dance album that is respectful to its source material. It’s just kind of a shame that with the money and lineup thrown at this thing, the source material Renaissance respects is Beyonce herself much more than the house music revolution it’s been marketed to be." --Odal | | 14 |  | Dance Gavin Dance
Jackpot Juicer
"Jackpot Juicer sees Dance Gavin Dance having a midlife crisis of sorts. They’ve established themselves in the scene, they have a dedicated fanbase who will praise anything they put out to high heaven, and their music has become more and more successful with each release. This appears to have caused the band to come to a standstill. Their albums have always sounded unique to one another, but ever since Tilian Pearson took the reigns the band have gradually stopped experimenting. Now with Tilians future in the band uncertain, perhaps a change of singer will reinvigorate the group." --hobblepot | | 15 | | Dance Gavin Dance
Jackpot Juicer
"What makes it even more frustrating is the fact that there are some legitimately good moments sprinkled throughout the record, as if DGD are trying to break out of the prison they have locked themselves in. Unfortunately those brief redeeming segments are swallowed by the absurdly long runtime, which by around track eleven killed any hope that I would have enjoyed this. For all the tight arrangements, slick guitar riffs, and frenetic drumming, it's devoid of almost anything substantial. It's time to face reality: The soul of Dance Gavin Dance is gone and all that’s left is a group of automatons writing music that sounds pretty, but is totally meaningless." --Manatea | | 16 | | Dance Gavin Dance
Jackpot Juicer
"The future of DGD may be uncertain. DGD have said that they will carry on in some form and that they have been through a lot in the past. It’s also unknown whether Tilian will stay or even if the band will survive their current setbacks. But for now, we can enjoy their magnum opus 2.0 and even if this does end up being their final album, this will be the band confidently and triumphantly soaring into the sunset. DGD have finally climbed back to the top of the mountain where the majority of song hits you in the best way possible and the view is amazing. The jackpot has truly been juiced over and over again. The juice might have a bitter aftertaste considering everything the band is currently going through, but man is it smooth and satisfying. I just hope they serve up another glass in future." --MrToothbrush | |
Sowing
08.08.22 | A few notes:
-I only include user reviews of "new releases", which I characterize as within 3 months of the album's official release date
-I lost some of my notes from the first couple days of July, so my apologies if you wrote a killer review on 7/1, 7/2, 7/3, or 7/4 and it's not here. Feel free to link me in the comments and I'll consider adding it.
-We clearly need more user reviews for Jackpot Juicer. | pizzamachine
08.08.22 | Something tells me if I stopped doing joke reviews I could actually make it somewhere… maybe I need a kick in the pants lol | sonictheplumber
08.08.22 | nah we need more joke reviews tbh | Sowing
08.08.22 | I enjoy a good joke review as well, but I think they land best when it's not the writer's primary shtick. | Minortimbo12
08.08.22 | I was number ten? Nice! I was NOT expecting that! Thanks! | Sowing
08.08.22 | This isn't ranked by the way | Sunnyvale
08.08.22 | Best User Reviews: RANKED would really up the ante, haha.
List needs more Jackpot Juicer reviews.
In all seriousness, good stuff as always | sonictheplumber
08.08.22 | when serious people go for the joke review its cringe though tbh | sonictheplumber
08.08.22 | i wish music criticism as a whole was more lester bangs less fantano | pizzamachine
08.08.22 | I enjoy a good joke review as well, but I think they land best when it's not the writer's primary shtick [2] | Minortimbo12
08.08.22 | Oh it's not ranked? I thought it was looking at comments for previous ones. | Sowing
08.08.22 | I guess what I mean isn't that only serious writers should be writing joke reviews, but that there needs to be a certain level of sophistication to the humor. Like any sort of writing, it takes talent and effort. Lots of the "joke reviews" here are just an excuse to rattle off a bunch of profanity, immature sex jokes, and other low-hanging fruit. There have been some incredibly funny reviews on this site, but most of them aren't users describing every single song as a queef. I mean, that was funny when I was 14, so maybe I'm just too old now and no fun. | pizzamachine
08.08.22 | No you’re right, we have moved on to better things like fart jokes. But I don’t think that trend will last too long. | mkmusic1995
08.08.22 | Thank you for the shoutout! Much love | sonictheplumber
08.08.22 | i love queefs and farts! | pizzamachine
08.08.22 | “queef” - Sowing | sonictheplumber
08.08.22 | serious reviews: "It was a cold day in August when I first heard Converge. I had recently been dumped. Jacob Bannon showed me a glimpse of the light; he channeled my rage into an encapsulation of proliferation. Quite. The music is pummeling, heavy, rage-filled. The lyrics are quite sanguine, reflective, flowing off the tongue much like a snowflake melts when the sun comes out" | FreakMachine
08.08.22 | Sowing, after our issues in the past, would i be eligible for this list if i produced a genuinely good review of a recent album? im tryna gauge where i stand on this site atm, given mx approved my return but I know I've fucked up on here before | InfernalDeity
08.08.22 | Thank you for the feature Mr. Sowing. | FreakMachine
08.08.22 | Sowing is an amazing moderator. Real shit | Willie
08.08.22 | Word of advice.... stop the ass-kissing, stop the apologies, stop dredging up your past, stop name-dropping Mx (because he'll back whatever decision the mods make... except for that one time with the donkey), and press forward with music-related discussions and reviews and pretend for a moment this isn't all going to end badly. | FreakMachine
08.08.22 | Cheers Willie man youre right. Ill ignore everything in the past | DadKungFu
08.09.22 | Congrats to all who made it on here, some really good writing on this site, from people doing for the sheer love of the game. Love this stupid site | Manatea
08.12.22 | Hey thanks for the shout out! Very much appreciated good sir. | Odal
08.17.22 | Ayyy, thanks so much for the shoutout dude :) | Minortimbo12
08.17.22 | I though my I Run With Wolves one was bad |
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