ILLEGAL THOUGHTS – An Interview with Christoph Whitbeck and Gretchen Werda of This Criminal Soul

By Jonathan Hammer Has your life been lacking something lately? Have you woken up in the morning and just wished that there was more grit, more edge – more soul? This Criminal Soul, a god damn rock n’ roll band combining the sounds of Motörhead, The Violent Femmes, and any other aggressive rock you can… Continue reading ILLEGAL THOUGHTS – An Interview with Christoph Whitbeck and Gretchen Werda of This Criminal Soul

A Chat with Child Bite

Child Bite is a killer loud rock band from Detroit that splits the difference between noise rock, art rock and hardcore. The band, which features Shawn Knight (vocals), Sean Clancy (bass), Brandon Sczomak (guitar) and Jeff Kraus (drums), raised their profile significantly last year with the release of their Strange Waste EP on Housecore. They… Continue reading A Chat with Child Bite

Who Is The Brain Room?

About six months ago, Jimmy Junk Bird and the Stiffs played an all-day fest at The Outer Space, where we met a groovy band called Quantum Funk.  We got to talking with QF’s drummer Todd Ellison, which eventually lead to booking a show with his other band, The Brain Room — and that show is… Continue reading Who Is The Brain Room?

Interpreting the Stars: A Review of Ulver’s ATGCLVLSSCAP

Ulver: the mighty shape shifters. Black metallers turned electronic artists turned classical composers have once again reinvented themselves into…a jam band? Yes. They’re back and have once again left genre classifiers scratching their heads. They’re the musical collective that won’t stand still and I love them for it. And they haven’t let me down this… Continue reading Interpreting the Stars: A Review of Ulver’s ATGCLVLSSCAP

4 and ½ Stars: A Review of Steven Wilson’s 4 ½

Anyone who is an avid listener of Steven Wilson’s output knows that he has a knack for changing things up. That’s why his recent moves have been frustrating. The last two albums he’s been involved with, despite their excellent craftsmanship, have been pretty predictable. He’s been writing 70s progressive rock; a genre influence that he… Continue reading 4 and ½ Stars: A Review of Steven Wilson’s 4 ½

Album Review: Tengger Cavalry’s Blood Sacrifice Shaman

Deserved or not, folk metal has a less-than-serious reputation — a genre that calls to mind horns of mead and drunk guys do-si-do-ing in the Ensiferum pit.  But Tengger Cavalry, based in Mongolian folk music, eschews the ironic joviality of some of its European cousins.  Featuring throat singing and traditional string instruments along with drums,… Continue reading Album Review: Tengger Cavalry’s Blood Sacrifice Shaman

REIGN OF KAOS: An Interview with Kaos Reign

Bill (left) and Chris hanging out before a show -- photo by Angela Rose Vartuli.

By Jonathan Hammer Thrash, groove, and aggression – Norwalk, CT’s Kaos Reign is a powerhouse for catchy riffs and pounding drums that fly the flag of the old, great name of “metal” high and with pride. Comprised of Bill Klopfer on guitar and vocals (Penitentary, Murder Castle) and Chris Anderson (Murder Castle, Arcane Malevolence), the… Continue reading REIGN OF KAOS: An Interview with Kaos Reign