Reviews

To brush my bangs to the side, or not to, that is the question. For some, emo means The Jazz June, but for others, it means Hawthorne Heights … ad infinitum. While emo is a genre that is difficult to define, I would say that Chase Tremaine combines emo, indie, and pop—think Mae or Number One Gun.… Continued →

Huntingtons are back with their first new album of recorded material in 17 years—their 8th full-length overall. This time around the band comprises Mike Holt (vocals/bass) Jonathan “Cliffy” Walker (guitars/vocals) Josh Blackway (guitars/vocals) and Chris Eller (drums). While the band has been known for its admiration for the Ramones, the first thing that struck me about Muerto, Carcel o Rocanroll is how much less obvious their worship for the leather-clad New Yorkers is this time.… Continued →

  It’s wild when a new band appears in the music scene and blows away the competition. That’s the case with What’s Your Damage? Generating powerful old school punk that harkens back to a classic ’70’s style. What’s Your Damage? is drawn into the top slot by the ultra talented vocalist, Quinn.… Continued →

Every so often a reviewer decides to review an album purely out of appreciation for the album that they just heard, and in the case of Humble Feet‘s debut album, that certainly holds true. For those unfamiliar with them, Humble Feet is an acoustic husband-wife duo.… Continued →

It wasn’t long ago that GFM announced an acoustic ep, set for release on December 1st. With the release date being just about a week out, I thought I’d tap out a quick review on it. I was fortunate enough to have caught the band’s recent show at the Space Coast State Fair in Melbourne, FL.… Continued →

With the development of the black metal genre into an ever-splintering family of subgenres (symphonic black, atmospheric black, blackgaze, folk black, traditional/harsh), there’s been a lot of room for diversity. However, and probably as a result, those artists who take the traditional sound have become fewer and fewer.… Continued →

Glass Age's debut EP is an exciting resurgence for the gentlemen of Abandon Kansas.

Although bands like My Epic, Abel, The Ember Days, and Ascend the Hill have been incorporating elements of post-rock, ambient, and experimental pedal usage into their sound for ages, it’s the sort of thing that was bound to cross into the mainstream eventually.… Continued →

“Damn” is the only curse word you’ll hear on Kanye West’s latest album.* Jesus Is King is gospel rap, and not only in the usual sense. With the help of the Sunday Service Choir and Fred Hammond, the gospel influence is potent; although rhymes and beats are present, the latter are especially minimal.… Continued →

For fans of: As Cities Burn, Tiny Moving Parts, Mansions

Longtime metalcore band The Devil Wears Prada is back with an incredible album that should be the surprise of the year. Let’s be honest, metalcore has become somewhat predictable with only a few bands making quality music. Even still, it’s become stagnant as there has been very little growth in the genre over the past decade.… Continued →

Two thousand and nineteen has proven to be quite the year. One day, a bunch of rowdy hooligans on Facebook are planning how best to invade Area 51, and the next, there’s a War of Ages occurring on planet Djent. Void places an emphasis on groove, which is kicked into full gear by track three, “Blood of the Earth.” That being said, the more conservative fans need not fret; War of Ages are still our metalcore heroes from Mars.… Continued →

I usually like to have some Kenny or Dolly playing on the turntable in the background as I start writing a review. It gives me the inspiration I need. NOT, but now that I have your attention I must point out that the opening track to this album comes blazing off the starting line at full speed.… Continued →

The Belgian lo-fi Christian scene himself, Bram Cools, is back with a fourth album. More quirky weirdness accompanied by lyrics that tackle a wide range of social topics. I don’t know how familiar IVM readers are with this Belgian artist, but Bram makes eccentric lo-fi indie pop/rock with socially-conscious lyrics from a European viewpoint.… Continued →

  The fan base of crust punk may be slim, but the music is significant. Returning to the studio is Sweden’s Svarteskerm. Sung entirely in Swedish, the four song EP, Illojala Till Slutet, delivers a blistering fast and aggressive look at the political and social turmoil found in their native country.… Continued →

SPOILER ALERT: This is a fantastic release! 3 different band playing 3 different styles (sub-sub-subgenres) of black metal. Each band contributes 2 songs, and while it would be logical to assume that 6 songs equals an EP, this album clocks in at 37 minutes, so I’m gonna call that a full-length.… Continued →

Josh Garrels has been making a name for himself for quite some time now, even as far back as 2011’s Love & War & the Sea in Between. Despite your opinion on his music, it’s certainly evident he consistently aims big and doesn’t take shortcuts.… Continued →

I got my first taste of Skillet in the early 2000’s just after I came to know the Lord. I was drawn to their raw, gritty, heavy sound because, musically, I heard some similarities to Marilyn Manson, a band I’d been a tremendous fan of in my B.C.… Continued →

Coming off of their undeniably best album to date, Wolves at the Gate is back with their fourth release. Eclipse begins with “The Cure,” which was the first single released for the album. Already, lyrics are beaming from the album. “I can taste the misery, spitting out the remedy.… Continued →

Although this was released around Easter of 2019, I only recently stumbled across this gem while perusing the Zap Records page on bandcamp. As it turns out, its history is even deeper than, having been recorded and self-released in 2010. Hailing from Pittsburgh, the band has roots in the punk scene in that area, but UHWU is a completely different animal.… Continued →

A-Duff is no Calvin Harris; and coming from me, that’s quite a compliment. Well, at least my perception of Calvin Harris – I’ve never really given him a fair listen. In any case, there’s enough cheese-ball EDM in the world to go around.… Continued →

Salt Creek's sophomore EP leans heavily on alt-rock for a catchy blend of radio-friendly songs.

Atmospheric, floating, literary and lush. Leem of Earth has completed their trilogy with the June 7th release of Chapter 3,  the third EP in their belletristic series: Chapter 1, Chapter 2 and Chapter 3. In all three efforts, the band from Pensacola, Florida, creates a fragile wall of sound that hearkens between the fuzz and soundscapes of 90s 4AD shoegaze bands and the ethereal charm of Mazzy Star, The Sundays, Cocteau Twins and The Innocence Mission.

Right off the bat, it’s loud and energetic.  This is melodic, yet noisy indie rock, reminiscent of the classic 90s Britpop with hints of 70s glam (think the rock riffs of Suede meet the swagger of The Divine Comedy).  But don’t be fooled, this isn’t simply nostalgic stuff, stuck in the past. … Continued →

Chris Bernstorf is the poetic equivalent to a bowl of jelly beans. Well, unless you study those jelly bean guides, but that’s beside the point. Opening track “Swing” lives up to its name, offering a dizzying array of topics from water parks, to The Mentalist, to online classes, all pointing to the theme of overcoming personal vices.… Continued →

My Epic returns with their long-awaited follow up to Ultraviolet, and it's aimed to be one of their most provocative releases to date.

This 5-song EP contains 3 songs of melodic death metal (tracks 2-4) sandwiched in between 2 longer, unusual songs that genre-wise feature a hybrid of nu metal, doom metal and some classical instrumentation. Stylistically, the middle 3 tracks are similar to bands like Pantokrator, World to Ashes and similar melodeath bands (or In Flames and At the Gates from a mainstream perspective), but there is not a huge emphasis on the lead guitar.… Continued →

It'd be remiss to think Fair was simply Aaron Sprinkle's backing band. Subways on the Sun is fronted by Fair alumni and offer listeners an eclectic blend of grungey alt-indie that demonstrates their songwriting prowess.

Starflyer 59 are back. But, what does even mean when they never went away? Christian indie rock’s most prolific band have just released their 15th full-length album (not counting their 9 EPs, 4 live releases, 3 box sets/collections, numerous vinyl singles and LP variants or compilation appearances—I didn’t even mention the side projects: Pony Express, Bon Voyage, Dance House Children, The Brothers Martin, White Lighter, Neon Horse and Lo-Tom) making them probably the second most prolific band in all of indie rock (second only to Guided by Voices, who are at something like 100 releases).… Continued →

Kings Kaleidoscope has shifted gears a bit on ZEAL, incorporating a heavy focus on production and hip-hop elements.