This debut release by UK black/doom metal band Bast doesn’t mess about. A co-production between Burning World Records (CD) and Black Bow Records (vinyl; the label’s first release), the black and gold artwork sums up what you can expect to hear within almost perfectly; the package crossing that fine line from seventies doom into more modern black metal imagery. While only five songs are featured, the album clocks in at an album length 47 minutes: in traditional black metal style, these guys don’t so much expand on a sludgy musical idea as spend as long as possible pounding it repeatedly into your head until you bow down to their epic musical ideals. Not that repeated listening necessarily makes it any more palatable to the unenlightened, nor does it ensure any of the lyrical content is more audible.
Category Archives: Album & EP Reviews
HUNGRYHEART – One Ticket To Paradise
Following line-up changes after the release of their 2008 debut, it took Italian melodic rockers Hungryheart three years to return with their second release. While the gap between releases was a bit longer than ideal, the Tanzan Records label stood by them and the band, in turn, clearly spent their time wisely. For those who like their melodic rock with a slightly Euro bent, ‘One Ticket To Paradise’ is more than worth a listen.
SCIENCE CLUB – Aging Punks EP
‘Aging Punks’ is the third independent release from Philadelphia based punk-pop crew Science Club – and that fact astounds frontman Nate Adams (“Third record. That’s more than Joy Division got…and more than Weezer got if you ask my Uncle Greg”). Since he’s amazed that his DIY project has made it this far, he’d likely be equally as surprised to hear that – to an outsider’s ears – it shows a definite sense of progression from the band’s previous releases [self-titled, 2012; ‘Success’, 2013]. A couple of these tunes bring an increased sense of maturity in their sound, while a couple of the lyrics, too, are surprisingly wry and knowing – eventually leading to something quite memorable. This doesn’t make itself immediately obvious, however, as the band open this EP with a street-punk belter that tears straight out of the gate full throttle.
SEVEN DEADLY – Obliviation
Seven Deadly’s debut release, the ‘Allegiance EP’, gained the band positive coverage from lots of different corners of the rock press, with independent websites, established magazines and one-man bloggers practically falling over themselves to praise the British quintet. From the ashes of Panic Cell, this then new band proved that they had so much to give. …And a year down the road, with their first full length release, the band shows no signs of tiring. If anything, they sound even better.
PICASTRO – You
Picastro have slowly been marking a place for themselves in the world of alternative music with their wandering soundscapes since the late 90s. Prior to this fifth release, they’ve toured with alt-folk/anti-folk acts Broken Social Scene, Scout Niblett and Devandra Banhart, their sound slowly evolving all the while. If you didn’t “get” the band previously, 2014’s ‘You’ is intent on making sure you still won’t. In fact, ‘You’ is far more experimental than most of their prior works (certainly true if measured solely against 2007’s ‘Red Your Blues’). Sure, they could channel their talents into something dreamy and in turn attract a larger audience of devotees, but then again, that would also destroy most of what makes the band so striking.