Niki Thunders and the Temperamentals is the side project of Skitzo Calypso singer/guitarist Brad Cox. It’s a bit of an alter-ego, drawing more influence from punk, 80s pop and glam than the melodic hard rock of his main project. Niki Thunders offers three moody songs on Myspace that are somewhat varied musically, yet very cohesive. “To Die Like Morrison” begins… Read more »
Label: Bi-Polar Records Released: 2007 Between the Lines and Beyond the Static is a solid rock album. It has riffy guitars, crunching rhythms and vocals with nice range and movement. The production is crisp and clean and brings out the best in the band’s abilities. This largely straightforward hard rock album is heavy, but not too heavy and polished, but… Read more »
* Oct 20 @ Bowery Poetry Club, 308 Bowery, New York, NY 10012* featuring Polar Bear Club, Dear Tonight, The New Dress, Nakatomi Plaza, Scream Hello and Fire When Ready Red Leader Records Showcase October 20 @ Bowery Poetry Club – 5:30pm A ridiculously amazing showcase for Red Leader featuring some of the label’s most ridiculously amazing bands. Seriously…the lineup… Read more »
October 15, 2007, Rams Head Live!, Baltimore, Maryland I hadn’t heard of De Novo Dahl prior to seeing them on the bill for this show. Other than a few tracks I sampled to get an idea of what to expect, this show was my first exposure. That being said, I don’t think there was much that could have prepared me… Read more »
Label: July 10, 2007 Released: Eschatone Records The Hanslick Rebellion was once heralded as “possibly the finest band to ever call Albany home” (by a writer from the local paper). I suppose that might be true, but it’s still not much of a case for greatness. Neither is the re-issue of this ten-plus-year-old live recording. Back in the 90s, the… Read more »
In light of the upcoming gig and repackaging, Led Zeppelin now has a Myspace page. You too can be “friends” with one of the all time greats (even if that friendship with John Bonham is posthumous). In addition to the Myspace presence and yet another repackaging/remastering, Led Zeppelin’s whole catalog (yeah, that means Coda too) will finally be available through… Read more »
Label: Acerbic Noise Development Released: 2004 Hematovore is what you’d get if really heavy, technical bands scored movies. Untitled is a constantly changing landscape, yet the songs flow together into a single piece of work. The band combines layers of the technical thrash of Prong and difficult to nail down avant-garde experimentalism with the melodic theatrics of Queen and Maiden… Read more »
Label: Full Breach Kicks Released: September 4, 2007 In their prime, Sweet was only about a half step from being the Bay City Rollers, but that half step made all the difference in the world and Sweet remains one of the best of the early glam bands. However, their close proximity to badness is a potential pitfall they pass on… Read more »
Label: Rhino Released: October 2, 2007 The trouble with this four CD box set is that it splits the difference between serious and cursory metal fans, probably only half-pleasing each camp. The serious metal fan is less likely to be interested, but may find a few gems over the course of the four discs. Certainly Tygers of Pan Tang or… Read more »
Houston, TX duo Papermoons is leaving for a short tour tomorrow in support of their debut 7-inch. Released in July on Team Science, the record was pressed on gorgeous blue and orange-splattered vinyl and is limited to 500 copies. The 7-inch also comes with a CD version of the four songs and includes a fifth bonus track. Check out the… Read more »