California psych rockers Crooked Flower put out their sixth release, Into the Light, on October 15th. Celebrating the party life with an anti-Prohibition undercurrent, “California” is not just a location for this album but also an adjective. Crooked Flower makes use of many influences, from the sorta-groovy to the truly psychedelic. The ska-inspired guitar line… Continue reading Album Review: Crooked Flower’s Into the Light
Album Review: Patrick Grant’s Re-Release of FIELDS AMAZE and other sTRANGE music
FIELDS AMAZE and other sTRANGE music exceeded my expectations of an album with “creative” capitalization in its title. Patrick Grant’s work was originally released in 1998, featuring “percussion, gamelan, microtonal instruments, and electric chamber ensembles with narrative structures informed by chaos theory, biological forms, and B-horror films.” (Goddamn, that’s a mouthful…) Now for the album’s twentieth… Continue reading Album Review: Patrick Grant’s Re-Release of FIELDS AMAZE and other sTRANGE music
This Halloween, Edge Up With The Cutthroat Brothers
Dastardly Seattle duo The Cutthroat Brothers play dirty, amped-up blues punk with hints of rockabilly thrown in for good measure. Comprised of Jason Cutthroat (vocals, guitar) and former Zeke drummer Donny Paycheck, they work up a spooky juju on their self-titled debut. Basically, they take the sound of classic bands like the Cramps and the… Continue reading This Halloween, Edge Up With The Cutthroat Brothers
Listening Lately: Runescarred, Skumbagh, and Martyr Art
Plenty of interesting tunes have infiltrated the inbox this October…. With a fitting release date of October 31st, Runescarred’s cover of “Moonchild” by Iron Maiden is sure to please oldschool metalheads and modern prog fans alike. Frontman Ven Scott aptly takes on Bruce Dickinson’s epic vocal stylings, with the band adding modern grit to the song’s… Continue reading Listening Lately: Runescarred, Skumbagh, and Martyr Art
Addicted to Making Metal: An AltCtrlToob Video Premiere and Interview with BILL KLOPFER of SKUMBAGH/KAOS REIGN
It’s hard to think of a person in the Connecticut metal scene who has been as committed to music in the face of adversity as Bill Klopfer. In spite of serious chronic health issues and many other challenges life has thrown at him, the vocalist, guitarist, and composer has been cranking out his brand of… Continue reading Addicted to Making Metal: An AltCtrlToob Video Premiere and Interview with BILL KLOPFER of SKUMBAGH/KAOS REIGN
AltCtrlToob: We’re All Going to Hell with “Predators” from We Are The Catalyst
This morning on AltCtrlToob, we have an offering from Swedish hard rock/metal group We Are The Catalyst: “Predators,” an ominous song about overvaluing fame and popularity. Says the band, With this song we wanted to go darker and heavier than we have before, adding an uncomfortable air to our sound. “Predators” is a song about… Continue reading AltCtrlToob: We’re All Going to Hell with “Predators” from We Are The Catalyst
AltCtrlToob: What Is Best In Life? Doom Metal and Pizza
This edition of AltCtrlToob features a few of my favorite things: doom metal and pizza — and documentaries! Thanks to a heads-up from a member of the New England Stoner and Doom Music Facebook group, I checked out The Doom Doc the other day. This chronicle of Sheffield, UK’s underground doom scene has been several years… Continue reading AltCtrlToob: What Is Best In Life? Doom Metal and Pizza