Track Review: “I Am Alive” by CalatrilloZ

Photo by Alex Kie.

Called “blissfully eccentric” and “charmingly histrionic,” the London symphonic rock quintet CalatrilloZ previews their upcoming album Psalms of Zahyin with the proggy  single “I Am Alive.”  Fans of Circus Maximus and the like will enjoy this band a lot.  Check out “I Am Alive” below: CalatrilloZ has a complicated theatrical backstory that I don’t think is necessary to… Continue reading Track Review: “I Am Alive” by CalatrilloZ

Track Review: Artur U & The New City Limits’ “On a Holiday” and “Monkey House”

After listening to a couple tracks off their debut album Holiday From Eternity, Artur U & The New City Limits was not our cup of tea.  “On a Holiday” starts off with a bang, but quickly fizzles. I’m not even sure the first words are in English. The vocals are both male and female, paired up… Continue reading Track Review: Artur U & The New City Limits’ “On a Holiday” and “Monkey House”

No Need to Worry: A Review of Grizzlor and Barren Womb’s Split EP (Riotous Outburst Records)

We might as well toot our own horns over here at Alternative Control because we were one of the first blogs in the United States to give Norwegian noise punk duo Barren Womb press for their excellent debut album, The Sun’s Not Yellow, It’s Chicken (Spartan Records, 2014). They returned the favor by appearing on… Continue reading No Need to Worry: A Review of Grizzlor and Barren Womb’s Split EP (Riotous Outburst Records)

EP Review: Fistula’s Destitute 2015 Demo Sessions

By Jeffery McCarthy Against All Odds Productions For a release that was recorded live with vocals recorded separately, the entire five song onslaught comes off as a companion to Vermin Prolifocus (released in 2014 on Patac Records). Fistula is a band that hails from Ohio; their veracity is a driving force throughout each song and… Continue reading EP Review: Fistula’s Destitute 2015 Demo Sessions

Track Review: Fulgora’s “Splinter” and “Crutch”

By Jeffery McCarthy Against All Odds Productions This is the second single from the St. Louis/Baltimore-based thrash/grindcore project, with more forthcoming from the album Stratagem (coming out March 24, 2015 on Housecore Records). “Splinter” opens up and I swear I’m balls deep in a Soundgarden track from the early nineties, which of course is not… Continue reading Track Review: Fulgora’s “Splinter” and “Crutch”

I…Must…Erase: A Review of Steven Wilson’s Hand. Cannot. Erase.

Steven Wilson is responsible for many of my favorite records. When push comes to shove, he’s one of my top three musical artists. Throughout his career, he’s delved into many different projects. And every one of them has something special to offer. Porcupine Tree’s In Absentia is a modern day Dark Side of the Moon… Continue reading I…Must…Erase: A Review of Steven Wilson’s Hand. Cannot. Erase.

Album Review: Lightning Bolt’s Fantasy Empire (Thrill Jockey Records)

By Jeffrey McCarthy Fantasy Empire, the sixth official release by Providence-based power duo Lightning Bolt, is by far their most dynamic yet. The clarity of the recordings is much improved from previous ones — as Doug Mosurock of NPR put it, “(i)t’s less a blur and more a detailed map of planned aggression.” The fuzzed-out riffs… Continue reading Album Review: Lightning Bolt’s Fantasy Empire (Thrill Jockey Records)