SOUND BITES

I've done variations on this theme several times in the past, usually after a long period of time during which I abandon my responsibilities around here and allow unreviewed releases to pile up high. Now that my "reviews" are shorter and without much deep thought involved, I kind of figured we wouldn't get to this point again so soon; and yet, here we are. Anyway, here are some albums I've checked out over the summer but not yet shared my opinions on; I could have done haiku just as easily as dropping one or two sentences as I have below, but it turns out I'm too lazy to even arrange this shit into the proper lines and syllables. Shrug. MONDO COZMO New Medicine June 12, 2020 • Last Gang Highlights Black Cadillac • Upside Down • Come On For his second album as Mondo Cozmo, Josh Ostrander got help from some heavy hitters; Black Rebel Motorcycle Club's Peter Hayes features heavily, both as a guest guitarist and co-producer, and previous single Come On was co...

(This post is a continuation from the previous two "catch-up" posts, and covers albums I didn't get around to giving a proper review to in August and September.) BLUE OCTOBER I Hope You're Happy August 17, 2018 • Up/Down Highlights  Daylight •  I Want to Come Back Home •  I Hope You're Happy Remembered by most as the one-hit wonders behind 2006's Hate Me , Blue October has soldiered on to build a small but devoted fan base and an impressive resumé; I Hope You're Happy is their ninth album, and fourth to be fully funded by crowdsourcing. It also features some sharp songwriting and tasteful pop elements that could absolutely blindside listeners who have only heard Hate Me , but longtime fans will just smile and enjoy it like they have the other eight. SLAVES Acts of Fear and Love August 17, 2018 • Virgin Highlights  Cut and Run •  Magnolia •  Chokehold Scuzzy UK duo Slaves' third album finds them trimming the fat a bit (at nine tracks, ...

PIG DESTROYER The Diplomat From: Book Burner Released: October 23 Where many metal bands can't resist the temptation to slow their tempos down, record a few more radio singles or (God forbid) try an acoustic number as they get older, Pig Destroyer just might be a metal anomaly because they seem to only get heavier . The grindcore giants' fifth album Book Burner came after a brutally long five year wait, and hit the scene like a nuke wrapped in barbed wire. The Diplomat showcases a smorgasbord of riffs and headbanger-approved velocity... and it's Enter Sandman compared to the majority of Book Burner , such is its grievous intent and cathartic carnage.

Pig Destroyer released Book Burner this week. If you checked out the stream last week, you already know it's unbelievably awesome. If you didn't, at least peep the newly released video for The Diplomat , premiered today by the fine folks at Noisey. It's got space monkeys, green blood, a mysterious briefcase... why are you still reading? Oh, it's also probably the most accessible song on the album, which should tell you that you want it. Book Burner is out now on Relapse.

Yesterday, I made mention of the fact that next week's releases mark one hell of a smorgasbord for folks who like their music on the heavy side. Well, the Trail of Dead and Stone Sour albums both mark probably the respective bands' fiercest efforts, but they're Ace of Base compared to today's offering.

This post was going to start with a stream of Green Day's new album, but: a) The NME exclusive stream is limited to the Brits. b) You have to "like" their Facebook page to gain access elsewhere. c) Doing so in Canada opens up a link to Rdio. d) Rdio is a subscription based service that gives limited free trial time and asks for credit information. e) We've already heard 1/3 of it, and the other 2/3 isn't worth all that effort. So, that still leaves us with some good content, all of which is readily available.