Peggy is back with "LP!", and despite record label troubles, he still manages to pull through with a great sounding project. That being said, there's still some flaws in this album whether it's cut content, shortened tracks, or recycled tracks, and I almost feel bad for letting those criticisms weigh on the score considering most of these flaws were due to circumstances out of his control. I say "almost", because the offline version is available on Bandcamp and YouTube, so I ... read more

With Peggy's issues with the label for this album, I was worried we weren't gonna hear the rest of the original cuts from this project. Thankfully JPEG has blessed us with an offline version of this album including the widely loved "HAZARD DUTY PAY!" single that was only released on YouTube due to sample clearance issues. In comparison to the "online" version, this version is a much more cohesive album, and without the recycled tracks from the EPs. It makes me wonder what ... read more

Hippotraktor's debut album is an intriguing blend of sounds from influences like Mastodon, Gojira, Meshuggah and many more. However, some tracks I feel can be cut down a bit and leave an even better impact than if they were kept to their original lengths which draw-out nearly the same idea over the span of five or more minutes.

FAVORITE TRACKS: Manifest the Mountain, Juncture, A Final Animation
LEAST FAVORITE TRACK: Beacons

PinkPanthress comes through with some pleasant sounding atmospheric drum and bass, and with a total runtime of only about 18 minutes, the short length of the 10 tracks can either compliment it well or be its Achilles' heel.

FAVORITE TRACKS: Nineteen, Break it off, Reason
LEAST FAVORITE TRACK: Pain

Four Stroke Baron is band that I had never even heard of until this month, and I had to check it out considering it was well recieved by a few acquaintances of mine. While one or two tracks felt same-y or repetitive, there's no question that this is one of the most unique prog metal albums I've heard with its elements of post-rock and even electronic music sprinkled throughout. I highly recommend Classics for anyone looking for a refreshing take on progessive rock/metal.

FAVORITE TRACKS: ... read more

As I would expect, Zack Fox spits out some absolutely hilarious bars on "shut the fuck up talking to me". The only thing preventing me from giving this album a high score is the inconsistent and sometimes underwhelming production, but I think I'll still come back around to this project for a good laugh.

FAVORITE TRACKS: shut the fuck up talking to me, mind your business, boy i'm on yo ass
LEAST FAVORITE TRACK: menace

I've been long since anticipating a Twelve Foot Ninja album after I absolutely loved their "Outlier" project they released back in 2016. While there are some excellent bangers and creative ideas on here, some fall a good bit short on execution with either sounding too bizarre for my taste or too similar to some of their previous projects. Regardless, it's a project at least worth checking out for TFN's unique sound and songwriting.

FAVORITE TRACKS: Culture War, Dead End, Start The ... read more

While this album is Vildjharta as usual, what really sells Måsstaden Under Vatten for me is the unique ominous atmosphere that's set over the djenty prog metal we're all used to hearing from them.

FAVORITE TRACKS: passage noir, sunset sunrise sunset sunrise, Den helige anden (under vatten), paaradiso, vagabond, heartsmear, sunset sunrise, brännmärkt, toxin, måsstadens nationalsång (under vatten), detta drömmars sköte en slöja till ormars näste, ... read more

Formidable's 2021 Backlog (Episode 1)

The vibes on this EP... absolutely impeccable.

After hearing aespa's new EP, I was curious to go back through what else has been the hype regarding k-pop in 2021. I had to go for this one given all the postivie reception and I was very pleasantly surprised. This EP is chock full of dance-y feel-good songs with incredibly lush production that I will definitely be keeping in my regular rotation.

FAVORITE TRACKS: Secret, PUNG!, TIME TRAVEL, Lovemonth
LEAST ... read more

Lil Ugly Mane throws us a neo-psychedelic/downtempo curveball with Volcanic Bird Enemy and The Voice Concern, which brings an interesting and refreshing sound at some points. However, other points of this album feel extremely long and drawn-out, and while the slower and instrumental tracks are not horrible by any means, they do leave a lot to be desired personally.

FAVORITE TRACKS: Porcelain Slightly, Clapping Seal, Headboard
LEAST FAVORITE TRACK: Bold Futile Flavor

After the promising release of Coloratura, I was wondering if maybe a few of the album cuts not featured as a single may surpass the quality shown on Higher Power and My Universe. Unfortunately, Music of the Spheres from start to the penultimate track is some of the most bland sounding pop rock I've heard all year.

FAVORITE TRACKS: Coloratura
LEAST FAVORITE TRACK: Biutyful

Mercurial World at its worst is some pleasant background music that doesn't really pull your attention all that much, and at its best it's some of the most well-produced and creative synthpop you'll hear this year.

FAVORITE TRACKS: Chaeri, Secrets (Your Fire), The Beginning, Dreamcatching, Hyserical Us, Dawning of the Season
LEAST FAVORITE TRACK: Prophecy

Another solid project from this group. Not as mind-blown about it as I was their first two records, but Died in the Prison of the Holy Office and Your Brain Is A Rubbermaid were excellent highlights nonetheless. A lot of people have been raving about the last two tracks, and I can see the hype; however, these two tracks in my opinion had too long of a build-up period to make the ending maximally satisfying.

FAVORITE TRACKS: Died in the Prison of the Holy Office, Your Brain Is A Rubbermaid, ... read more

A friend of mine introduced me to this band recently from their single "flutter" and I really enjoyed it. Unbeknownst to me, they released this EP this year and so I had to see what was up. I'm happy to report that this EP continues their unique sound of shoegaze, grunge, post-punk and maybe a bit of emo all blended together that I adored so much on "flutter". If you're looking for more shoegaze with some interesting genre twists, don't skip out on this band.

FAVORITE ... read more

Old Gods is a slightly mixed bag where the album gets better as it goes. The first few songs sound like leftover ideas from FVEY, and this updated production doesn't necessarily complement said ideas all that well. However, later on in the album is when the band starts taking more risks with some really fun riffs and explosive choruses. I just wish that same consistency was kept the whole way through

FAVORITE TRACKS: The Wreckage, Just Like You, Feel The Fire
LEAST FAVORITE TRACK: Mink Coat

Wasn't expecting too much due to the user score at the time of rating, but I still decided to give this project a shot given it was shoegaze + emo. The first few tracks are a little rough, but the album really picks up and gets going nicely especially during the third quarter. I hope this project gets more eyes on it than it does currently.

FAVORITE TRACKS: How Do I Think When Yr Asleep?, Memory's Vault, Ache #2, Something Better, Dear Nora, Nothing's Enough
LEAST FAVORITE TRACK: The Way I Feel

I've never been big on k-pop, but this group is on to something! I think at the moment the production and beats are a bit rough around the edges, but I can already sense good chemistry to build even better sound on. Definitely gonna keep an eye out on future projects.

FAVORITE TRACKS: Savage, YEPPI YEPPI
LEAST FAVORITE TRACK: aenergy

While In The Court of the Dragon doesn't do anything too groundbreaking, its powerful composition and songwriting shows why Trivium is a cut above the rest in this particular genre.

FAVORITE TRACKS: The Phalanx, From Dawn To Decadence, Fall Into Your Hands, In The Court Of The Dragon, Like A Sword Over Damocles, No Way Back Just Through
LEAST FAVORITE TRACK: A Crisis Of Revelation

The majority of Colourgrade consists of repetitive looping beats with some random bursts of sound from time to time, and often can get tiring very quickly. Sink In was a pretty good highlight though.

FAVORITE TRACK: Sink In
LEAST FAVORITE TRACK: Hive Mind

This album grew on me a bit more after a few more listens. I can absolutely see why this album gets high praise, but I still don't seem to be getting the entire picture. There isn't a completely terrible song on this album, but some moments Horizons / East seem a bit barebones and coupled with muddy sounding production that I don't think compliments the sound too well. There are still some great highlights on this project, and here's hoping that maybe something will finally click with more ... read more