Alternative music, cult films, and pop culture explored through a Gen X lens — with reviews, interviews, and a deep-dive podcast.
Perturbator ‘Lustful Sacraments’ Review: darkwave progenitor crafts ominous hook-laden soundscapes. “It’s an album about bad habits, dissatisfaction, and addiction. An overall look at how we, as a species, lean towards self-destruction.” So says James Kent, aka synthwave artist Perturbator, regarding his new release Lustful Sacraments, an album that sees a further maturation and musical evolution […]
Tomahawk ‘Tonic Immobility’ Review: Mike Patton and co. battle pandemic fatigue on 4th studio album. Not even the pandemic can slow Mike Patton down. Ever the busybody, he released new material from both tētēma and a reunited Mr. Bungle in 2020, and his latest release is Tonic Immobility, the 5th album from alt-metal super group Tomahawk (March […]
Review: Serj Tankian ‘Elasticity’ EP: System of a Down frontman releases first solo effort since 2013’s ‘Orca’. System of a Down fans have had their patience tested over the last decade and a half, waiting for a follow-up to the group’s 2005 album Mesmerize. An inability to find common musical ground made the bandmembers more concentrated […]
MOAT ‘Poison Stream’ Review: Marty Willson-Piper and Niko Röhlcke cast a powerful, moody spell on first album since 2013. Marty Willson-Piper may have left Aussie psych rock legends The Church back in 2013, but he’s more than kept busy since, from his work with German prog-rockers Anekdoten, musical project Noctorum, and his own prolific solo […]
Melvins ‘Working With God’ Review: Sludge lords go back to their original 1983 lineup on latest release. Metal oddballs the Melvins have always had a fluid lineup, changing in numerous iterations over the years. For their latest release, Working With God (out 2/26 via Ipecac Recordings), they go old school, reuniting their original 1983 roster […]
John Carpenter ‘Lost Themes III: Alive After Death Review’: Carpenter and family continue winning streak on fifth collaboration. Filmmaker John Carpenter had become somewhat of a creative hermit in the 21st century: minus two theatrical films and some TV work, he was more inclined to indulge his passions for video gaming, the L.A. Lakers, and […]
Dale Crover ‘Rat-A-Tat-Tat!’ Review: Melvins drummer keeps it eclectic on sophomore solo release. For Dale Crover’s 2017 solo debut The Fickle Finger of Fate, he delved deep into his quirky musical soul, and spat out a truly strange and singular work. For The Melvin drummer’s new sophomore solo effort Rat-A-Tat-Tat! (out January 15th via Joyful […]
The Best Alternative Rock and Metal Albums of 2020: 13 of the best releases from a year that needed great music more than ever. What more can be said about the shit-show that was 2020? It’s been awful, exhausting, demoralizing, harrowing, maddening and relentless. But despite that, we found ways to adapt, some by sidestepping […]
Killer Be Killed ‘Reluctant Hero’ Review: metal supergroup bring the goods on sophomore LP. Killer Be Killed are in every sense a super-group: with members from the likes of Mastodon, Dillinger Escape Plan, Sepultura, Soulfly and Converge. Anytime so many esteemed musicians join forces, there is always a fear of “too many cooks in the […]
Puscifer ‘Existential Reckoning’ Review: Maynard James Keenan’s experimental trio perfectly encapsulates the WTFness of 2020. Maynard James Keenan has been on quite the prolific roll the last two years, releasing long awaited albums from both A Perfect Circle and Tool. And now he’s back with Existential Reckoning, the latest from Puscifer, his experimental multimedia project […]
