We are back with another bunch of album reviews for you, starting with the nasty metal about ‘the political state and the rise of fascism’ of Sect. The ‘kind hearted and cathartic rock songs about the persistence required to make it through hard times’ of Good Looks. The ‘Milwaukee-based post-hardcore band’ Tintoretto. The utterly pointless ‘symphonic metallers APOCALYPTICA and their tribute to Metallica’. ‘East Tennessee stoner doom bringers’ Wyndrider. ‘Norwegian prog-rock maestros’ Airbag. The ‘ferocious and thrilling ride’ that is Julie Christmas, and ‘the experimental edge-pop artist with hints of nostalgia and ambience’ Sheena Dham. All reviewed below for your listening pleasure.
Sect – Plagues Upon Plagues
Southern Lord
This starts sad and lost, all slow growing sounds and a warm gravelly vocal but soon descends into nasty, hard distorted anger. It hits thrash, doom and creeping murderous intent but it’s all bloody angry metal. If that’s your bag, you’ll love it.
Good Looks – Lived Here For a While
Keeled Scales
A great big fuzzy emotional bright countrified indie record, drawling lazy vocals, harmonies and jangling guitars. It’s like having a cuddle in the sunshine in the middle of a cornfield. Just a comforting squeeze on the shoulder of a record.
Tintoretto – Tintoretto
Expert Work Records
Tintoretto were active at the end of the nineties to the start of the noughties and the stuff I’ve been sent on them makes it unclear whether the band are still active or this is just their album coming out after decades of neglect. Whatever it is, the band balance their sound well, it’s a perfect alt rock sound, very, very reminiscent of the dischord sound and in particular Fugazi. This isn’t a bad thing, it’s a good sound and the album is worth a listen
Apocalyptica – Plays Metallica Vol 2
Throwdown Entertainment
Disclaimer, I’m not really a Metallica fan. I don’t really get them at all and to be honest, I don’t get this either. The only bits worth listening to on here are the strings and I thought that they were the whole point… so why ruin it with bloody drums and guitars?? The guitars ruin it, they take the focus away from the strings and you might as well be listening to an instrumental metallica album with added strings, ruined, that’s what this is. Don’t bother, you won’t thank me for listening.
Wyndrider – Revival
Electric Valley Records
Read the song titles, you get the gist. Downtuned, downplayed, spiralling down Doom grooves swinging with blues and dripping with blood. It’s massive, distorted and glorious. It’s the bastard children of Iommi,Butler and Ward with a nod at Ozzy. It’s truly great and you just can’t get it loud enough. The vocals make it more than just another doom laden Sabbath riffage album, they bring it out and forward and I would love to see this lot live.
Airbag – The Century of the Self
Karisma Records
I don’t mind a bit of Prog, I can listen to some right over indulgence but, well, Airbag’s shortest song on this record is just over six and half minutes long and if feels like it last for an hour or so. It’s soooooooo looooooooooong. The record is too safe, too nice and the singing ruins it for me too. As I said, I like some prog but this is just awful.
Julie Christmas – Ridiculous and full of blood
RED CRK
Now this is great. Discordant incoherent and desperate sounding. It sounds like the singer is falling to pieces as the band makes the perfect soundtrack to back her disintegration. Clicking spasms of noise and great big glorious anti rock, it has both. The way the anticipation builds throughout as the sound goes quiet and drops back is matched by the lurching spitting stamping noise that follows the relative peace. It’s a massive sounding record echoing the like of Silverfish with anger and hatred. As I said, a great record.
Sheena Dham – Familiarity Heuristic
Psychic Eye
This slips from indie to folk to electronic drones and synths and back again, I’d say that the strangely emotive story telling voice is the defining point of the record until the electronic drone and keyboard instrumental track which also fits perfectly in this puzzle of an album, it’s haunting and very alive.
Sect are on Facebook and Instagram.
Good Looks’ website is goodlooksband.com, they are on Facebook, Instagram and X as @goodlooksband
Tintoretto are on Instagram and Facebook.
Apocalyptica’s website is apocalyptica.com, they are on Facebook and Instagram.
Wyndrider are on Facebook and Instagram.
Airbag’s website is airbagsound.com, they are on Instagram and Facebook.
Julie Christmas is on Facebook, Instagram and X as @JulieChristmas_
Sheena Dham is on Instagram.
All words by Adrian Bloxham
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