Starts strong then turns into fan fiction real quick.
The intro (locket theme) and transition to yes baby was a great setup, which was immediately pissed away by some generic Ariana Grande b sides for the bulk of the album. Not a bad album, but doesn't really move the needle much. Not sure anything is even playlist worthy at this point. Also, the chorus of bittersweet sounds like Last Christmas by Wham! Tell me I'm wrong.
Like: locket theme, yes baby, for the night, make you ... read more
I had a negative bias going in based partly on the AOTY ratings but I was pleasantly surprised by how fun parts of this album were.
Positives - Bite Your Tongue is a fun song, early favorite on the album. Having Tony Iommi as a featured artist on the first track is a flex. All My Life reinvents the best of the classic Oasis sound.
Negatives - This is a loud, boisterous album. Definitely has elements of the classic 90s Britpop sound and when it hits it's fun, but when it misses it's ... read more
Early front-runner for album cover of the year.
This is my first experience with Greywind, the album cover lured me in. First reaction is highly positive. The acerbic vocals scratch my brain worm just right. Greywind would fit in perfectly as an opener for Coheed and Cambria. The Scarecrow is the only true miss on this album for me, but maybe it'll grow with more listens.
Definitely will be listening to this for a while.
Like: Acid Rain, Happy :):, Waterfall, Swerve, Moon, Let's ... read more
Soen isn't prog metal, Soen is Swedish Disturbed...
...and that's not necessarily a bad thing, just saying these guys are Disturbed with European guitar playing tendencies. Don't buy it? Well, put on any of the uptempo songs (e.g. Primal, Axis, Unbound), and throw in a well-timed oooh-wah-ah-ah-ah and tell me that these guys aren't Swedish Disturbed. Now go try that with Porcupine Tree. Did it work? I think not. Therefore, Soen is Swedish Disturbed. Q.E.D.
All that said, ... read more
Remember the Smug Alert episode of South Park where the Brovlosky's attend the fart smelling party in San Francisco? Yup, this is definitely the album that was on during that party.
The Ruins of Beverast sounds like a level in The Cones of Dunshire.
This band kinda reminds me of Type O Negative, but without the self-awareness.
Like: Tempelschlaf, Cathedral of Bleeding Statues, The Carrion Cocoon
meh: Day of the Poacher, Alpha Fluids, Babel You Scarlett Queen, Last Theatre of the Sea
Dislike: None
Pecos & The Rooftops continue to put out generic country rock in the key of self-pity.
This actually feels like an improvement over their last album, or at least a bit more authentic. I like when these guys dig in and go full anger mode with the lyrics, but the vocal inflections don't match the emotional content. The vocal delivery is just flat across the board...like dude, you are talking about burning shit down in the same librarian tone as your happy drunk songs and sappy love ... read more
25 tracks... lots of filler. Hard to connect with an emotional songwriter when so many of the songs sound like Bryan is a casual observer and monotone narrator of someone else's problems. Some themes and a bit of purposefulness in choosing cuts for this album, and not throwing them all in, would significantly increase the gravity of this release. A it stands though it really comes off as a mishmash of songs dumped into a track list and called an album.
That said, it's still Zach ... read more
Pretty unremarkable EP to start off 2026. The nu-metal works better than the deathcore. They should pick a lane and stick to it. Intro is terrible... that alone warrants a low score. Paleface Swiss was probably smart to bury this on a January 2nd release date.
Instrument of War is the best track, but nothing is hitting my playlist.
Meh, I don't know but this new Doja Cat was in one ear and out the other. Kinda a one note album after a few listens.
Like: Cards, Jealous Type, AAAHH MEN!, Stranger, Take Me Dancing, Silly! Fun!
meh: Couples Therapy, Gorgeous, All Mine, Lipstain, One More Time, Happy, Come Back
Dislike: Acts of Service, Make it Up,
This is llke comfort food to me. The best mix of Black Crowes style southern rock with a bit more country/Lynyrd Skynyrd twang. Song writing is great as always, perhaps not as poignant as Broken Windows Serenade, but tough to hit those heights over and over. Love Rowdy Days, Midnight Woman
I was streaming this album and just transitioned to track 3 when simultaneously an ad for a U.S. Bank credit card started playing on a tab buried somewhere in the background. That U.S. Bank credit card ad was more interesting than anything else I heard while listening to this album.
True story.
Decent album. Plasticine is a highlight.
Lots of just OK songs, nothing really shitty except for Strings. Not really a need for a 34 second interlude that neither transitions from the previous song, or to the next song...it just exists as filler I guess.
Like: Asshole, Plasticine, So Long
meh: Same Old Song, Automatic, You're All I Got, Ativan, Keys on the Table, Better Day, Sunflowers
Dislike: Strings
The vocals are going to make or break this album for most. For me, the slightly abrasive, nasal tone works perfectly with the smooth latin-inspired soul and creates a distinctly unique listening experience.
I don't know why, but for some reason I think of James Bond when listening to this album...WTF is that all about? Especially on Vontade De Voar.
Like: Deus, Quando A Fonte Secar, Venus Noir, Vontade De Voar, Etiopia, Aguas De Um Mar Azul, Se Eu Fosse Voce, Paciencia, Voz Do ... read more
Ahhhh....here it is, my favorite death metal album of 2025. I was getting worried, thought it wasn't going to show up.
Thanks Blood Red Throne! Now I have riffs for days just in time for Christmas.
Simply stated, this is THE dance pop album of the year.
I am kind of shocked at how good this Jade album is. I mean, 2025 was a banner year for dance pop, with releases from Lady Gaga, Zara Larsson, Demi Lovato, Rose Gray, Pink Pantheress, Tate McRae, Doja, Kesha etc.... And Jade outshined them all, and by a pretty wide gap IMO.
I rated That's Showbiz an 83 in September and resisted writing a review at that time because I assumed that this album would fade and I would end up dropping ... read more
Better than I thought it would be.
I was pretty biased going into this, expecting a good hate listen on this early December release. I mean, why are they hiding it in December? It has to suck, right?
Well, despite my best efforts to hate listen I actually liked a fair bit of the album. There's certainly a kitchen sink effect here, maximalist production that throws the kitchen sink at each song to give it as big of sound as possible. This works on the rockers, not so much on the slower ... read more
No dislikes, but nothing going on the playlist either. Not feeling this one after 3 spins...I feel like it needs more development on the instrumental side. Vocals are great but the backing tracks are pretty vanilla.
Like: Hammer, What Was That, Man of the Year, If She Could See Me Now
meh: Shapeshifter, Favorite Daughter, Current Affairs, Clearblue, GRWM, Broken Glass, David
Dislike: None
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Recent Review Comments
On Systematic - Somewhere in Between
"@llamaqwerty feel like it's pretty generic metal. Weak nu metal i guess. I saw these guys open for good bands a bunch back in the day and they never impressed me all that much, so went with the most generic typology i could think of at the time i reviewed it."
On By Storm - My Ghosts Go Ghost
"@OnsPascal Everyone digests music differently. Like I said, I respect the artistic merit here, just not for me, probably for the exact reason that you provide here. Doesn't mean I shouldn't share my thoughts."
On HomeSession3's review of Soen - Reliance
"@HomeSession3 nice review. Agree on a lot of points, and I like the straightforward alt-metal sound, but found it a bit conservative given their talent. I wish they would lean just a bit more into their prog roots and juice the instrumentals a bit."
On Systematic - Somewhere in Between
"@Kendrickgoatedg they were contemporaries... but yeah, pretty close in sound. I think they were trying to hit a nu metal version of soundgarden. Maybe a bit better musically but a bit generic."
On Hayley Williams - EGO
"@Killuah K Stan"
On DJ-SLIM's review of Norman North - Over the Influence
"LOL I almost added this last Friday but felt the same way."
On Bugeater_'s review of Squid - Cowards
"Agree 💯. The Narrator is still stuck in my head, nothing from this album is anywhere near as innovative and has the ear candy that the first album had."
On Orgone - Pleroma
"@Pangota72 💯 more people need to appreciate this masterpiece. 6 months in and it only keeps growing on me."
On Ethel Cain - Perverts
"Makes more sense re Dr. Luke. That dude ruins everything."
On Andwella - World's End
"@parannemi Thanks! It's airways fun stumbling on an old hidden gem like this album. I felt like it needed someone to pay homage."
On Alkymist - UnnDerr
"@chemjay300 even their tiny cookies are awesome."
On NTTR's review of VOLA - Friend of a Phantom
"You were spot on with the similar bands! Maybe a little Soen in there as well."
On Godspeed You! Black Emperor - "NO TITLE AS OF 13 FEBRUARY 2024 28,340 DEAD"
"@Zackhy the last three minutes were awesome! I get that layering sounds too create the end stage of each song is a process and I respect that. I'm sure that my opinion would change drastically after seeing them live."
On 40 Watt Sun - Little Weight
"@Doofy Fair point. I will leave this one in the rotation for a bit to see if it grows on me."
On Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds - Wild God
"@leoxmi You're right, I should. My favorite Nick Cave song is the Passenger off the Batman Forever soundtrack...I'll check out some of the early/mid-90s albums."
On Orville Peck - Stampede
"@dasturbo totally agree. With the right manager he could end up a legend in alt country. Just needs to steer clear of all the pop country industry nonsense."
On The Marías - Submarine
"🤷♂️ I didn't expect to be a citric but I'm not feeling this one."
On Maggie Lindemann - HEADSPLIT
"Cool. I'm going to have to check out the first two albums. Thanks!"
On DiceBloke's review of (Hed) P.E. - DETOX
"the self-titled album is much better. The lyrics are still a liability but the music has a lot more originality and funk to it. There were some good musicians in the original line-up, but they're all gone by now. It is tough to put the self-titled album in any one genre, but this album is kind of a one-trick pony."
On DiceBloke's review of (Hed) P.E. - DETOX
"Lyrics have been a problem with this band for its whole existence."
On Inherus - Beholden
"I have to be honest with you, XsVrits...I don't know what you're trying to convey with your statement here."
On The Lemon Twigs - Everything Harmony
"Yeah, maybe t's not so much the harmonies as it is the actual lead vocals remind me of a mix of weird Al and Tiny Tim. The harmonies are actually decent, but that only exacerbates the weak lead vocals. Maybe that's my issue with it. I don't know, every time I turn this on to try to analyze it I just get a visceral reaction to something in the vocals."
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