rock

http://www.youtube-nocookie.com/v/Ln6b_nBM-V8&hl=en&fs=1&rel=0 When Dave Mustaine tapped Vinnie Colaiuta to drum on Megadeth’s 2004 album The System Has Failed, I was shocked. I knew Colaiuta from his work with Frank Zappa (and also enough jazz fusion records to guarantee my singlehood for life). “What was Mustaine thinking?” I wondered. He could have had any metal drummer that […]

Wesley Willis Wesley Willis was one of a kind. I discovered him in the mid-’90s through the college radio station where I worked. Rock ‘N’ Roll Will Never Die — one of dozens of albums in Willis’ discography — was a big favorite at the station. Each song featured basically the same music, a keyboard […]

A little maturation goes a long way. Youthful energy is key to aggressive music, but it takes experience and talent to channel that energy productively. In the case of The Catalyst, they’ve tightened the reins on the droopy tantrums of their previous EP’s. Now their music seethes, with biting lyrics to match. Eric Smith still […]

It’s a shame that Keelhaul are grown-ass men and have real life responsibilities that keep them from touring much. I saw them play in Brooklyn recently. It was one of those nights that leave one feeling tingly. For a band that doesn’t tour much and took a long hiatus, Keelhaul were amazing live. They knew […]

No, not a mashup. But if only! Recently I listened to Blood Red Throne‘s new album, Souls of Damnation (Earache, 2009). Most of it was unsurprising. Death metal, death metal, death metal. Good, good, good. But five minutes and 15 seconds into “Ten Steps of Purgatory,” I did a double take. “Every cake you bake, […]

http://www.youtube-nocookie.com/v/YWAEyj0r7QE&hl=en&fs=1&rel=0 Bottling the coffee-and-cigarette grit of Harvey Milk isn’t easy. Graphic designer Stephen O’Malley proves so on a brown digipak with Khanate artwork. But Chunklet editor/publisher Henry H. Owings prevails after four years of compiling material from Athens, GA’s bluesy trio. He doesn’t hesitate to brag about the process — the liner notes push past […]

You should know about Tee Pee Records. The label is a protest against soulless, mechanized, Pro Tools music. It specializes in new things that sound old: psych rock, stoner rock, doom metal, spaghetti western soundtracks. Tee Pee means tube tones, analog recordings, and big, warm sounds. Its ambit is wider than this site’s. But we […]

Tournament successfully marries the slow burn of Houdini-era Melvins with the swing of Drive Like Jehu. The band imbues its material with a seething, rumbling tone. As on debut EP Swordswallower, the songs drip noise, with shrieking guitars and cacophonous vocals. Now they’re slower and even dirtier. SmokeloreSnuff News The production on Years Old (Forcefield, […]

Keelhaul will keel you Keelhaul, Minsk, Unearthly Trance, Defeatist, and Stats are playing at Brooklyn’s Public Assembly this Sunday, August 2 (8pm, 70 North 6th St., flyer here). What a lineup! We reviewed Minsk and Defeatist here and here, and saw Unearthly Trance live here. Despite all the heavy hitters, the reunited Keelhaul will be […]

The members of New Zealand’s Dial probably grew up during the peak of AmRep. Their debut EP (Robotic Empire, 2009), a stateside re-release of their demo, demonstrates the hallmarks of the style: cavernous drums; downtuned, ragged guitars; bass as thick as cement; vocals like ipecac-induced vomiting; and lyrics trawling the muck of human existence. The […]