B-STOCK: Sleeve damaged but otherwise in excellent condition
Scene One: Regression
Scene Two: I) Overture 1928
Scene Two: II) Strange Deja Vu
Scene Three: I) Through My Words
Scene Three: II) Fatal Tragedy
Scene Four: Beyond This Life
Scene Five: Through Her Eyes
Scene Six: Home
Scene Seven: I) The Dance Of Eternity
Scene Seven: II) One Last Time
Scene Eight: The Spirit Carries On
Scene Nine: Finally Free
Review: ***B-STOCK: Sleeve damaged but otherwise in excellent condition***
Yet another addition to Rhino Records’ Start Your Ear Off Right series hears a reissue of prog metal band Dream Theater’s fifth studio album and first ever concept album. A sequel to the thrillingly titled Metropolis-Part I: The Miracle and the Sleeper, this record builds an intensive recollective sonic theatre out of the mosaic themes of memory and depersonalisation. Themed around the subject of a young man undergoing past life regression therapy, the record is a compelling, initially psychotic howl into the night, and yet it proves an ultimately integrative, recursive experience, adding themes of murderousness and prophetic fate.
Review: This album collects together some of the very earliest pre-Black Sabbath recordings by the group then called Earth (until the permanent name change in 1970), as well as including some pre-Judas Priest Glen Tipton tunes from Flying Hat - these tunes were from a 1973 demo that was recorded a year or two before. There is also a special bonus cut 'Blue Suede Shoes' that was performed as Black Sabbath and mighty one of their earliest ever sessions to make it onto tape and now vinyl for the first time.
Review: Aggression and introspection on offer in equal portions on this hard rock masterpiece. From the opening track, the album delivers a mix of heavy grooves and raw energy, the lyrics exploring both personal struggles and spiritual themes. Highlights include the emotive 'Shine Down', where harmonica adds a bluesy twist, and the heartfelt 'Mama', showcasing a softer side with a deeply personal message. Tracks like 'Speak' and 'The Enemy' stand out for their powerful riffs and infectious energy, while 'One Rainy Day' brings a trippy, experimental vibe. Smacks of brilliance.
Review: Originally released in 2009 and celebrating its 15th anniversary with this half-speed remaster on lush red marbled vinyl, Night Is The New Day serves as a genre-bending meander through progressive Scandinavian metallic sonics whilst pulling on elements of gloomy doom rock and synth-laden coldwave. Often spoken in the same breath and with equal credence paid to the likes of Opeth, Ulver and Porcupine Tree, the album is a work of sublime, depressive beauty with ever-shifting pieces like the bombastic-turned-mercurial 'Forsaker' offset by the post-folk vulnerability of 'Idle Blood', leading many to consider the eighth full-length in the Katatonia catalogue to be the finest summation of their expansive vision. The work would also notably be the last to feature the Norrman brothers handling rhythm guitar and bass duties.
Review: PainKiller, the mythihcal trio formed in 1991, returns after a 30-year hiatus with a bold new album. Featuring the groundbreaking talents of bassist Bill Laswell, saxophonist John Zorn and Napalm Death's Mick Harris on electronics, the band has once again redefined the boundaries of jazz, metal and experimental music. Their original sound, which fused grindcore, ambient and dub, is now expanded with Harris's innovative electronic beats, creating a rich, immersive soundscape. Despite Laswell's ongoing health struggles, including diabetes and heart issues, the album captures a revitalized energy, showcasing the trio's unique ability to merge chaotic intensity with intricate, atmospheric textures. Zorn's impassioned sax and Laswell’s bass, shaped by his limited physical capacity, still bring the raw power and experimental spirit that made the trio so influential. The album blends abrasive sounds with moments of haunting beauty, remaining true to PainKiller’s ethos of pushing musical extremes. With a sound that pushes even further than their past work, this reunion record offers a fresh, electrifying direction, proving that the trio’s chemistry and creativity remain as potent as ever. PainKiller continues to challenge the boundaries of genre, delivering a riveting exploration of sound.
Review: Returning just one year on from 2023's Zig (with what many initially presumed to be titled Zag), Moriah Pereira, better known as Poppy, delivers her sixth full-length LP Negative Spaces. Fresh off of appearances on both the new Bad Omens and Knocked Loose albums, with the latter marking her most unhinged vocal performance to date, this latest work seeks to strike a balance between her established digi-metal-pop formula and more outsider experimentations in both regards to heavier delivery and more complex electronica. Produced by former Bring Me The Horizon producer/keyboardist/programming wizard Jordan Fish, the not-so-strange bedfellows compliment each other majorly with Fish's ear for the sonic coalescence of metallic and industrial soundscapes within glistening pop structures providing an ample playground for Poppy to stretch her vocal cadences and multi-faceted character dynamics to enthralling new heights. This limited indie exclusive pressing arrives on a trifold pink & white split-coloured vinyl.
Review: Originally released in 1993, and noted as the first album on Roadrunner Records to be certified as Gold in the US (before achieving platinum status in 2000), Bloody Kisses served as the third full-length from gothic alternative metal legends Type O Negative. Boasting some of the band's most renowned cuts such as 'Christian Woman' and 'Black No. 1 (Little Miss Scare-All)', while continuing their trend of odd cover versions with the controversial rendition of the Seals & Crofts' track 'Summer Breeze' (which had to be re-recorded and its revised lyrics restored to the original upon Seals & Crofts being offended by Peter Steele's "distasteful" reimagining), the project has since become the high watermark for the group's overall aesthetic and style. This green vinyl 2xLP reissue provides a new definitive home for Steele's revised digipack version that cut away many of the interlinking interludes in an effort to de-clutter the project. A move that may have left a bad taste in other members' collective mouths, but ultimately led to the project being one of, if not, the most notable and adored in the Type O Negative cannon.
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