Ok,
so this doesn't look like a hip-hop record, but it is. Moreover, it's a hip-hop
record inspired by the music of Marilyn Manson. Broken Klutch cuts up Manson
songs and raps over them. It's what he says “is the illusion of how it would be
like if I collaborated with Marilyn Manson”. The music sounds pretty cool, and
his rhymes are also pretty good. It's some out there abstract hip-hop similar to
Dalek or K-The-I??? I'd recommend this one, it's pretty interesting and the
concept is well executed. Who would've thought this would be good? Be sure to
check out Broken Klutch’s other records too. You can do that at his website:
http://www.pregnantklutch.com. (Eddie Fleisher)
I first heard these
guys via their 2003 EP ‘Midnight Spookshow’. That was a promising release,
showing a horror rock band still leaning a bit on their influences but moving in
the direction of something more unique. With ’13 Halloweens’, Calabrese have
fully come into their own. Punk, metal, and surf guitar all blend together into
a cohseive sound topped off by melodic and distinctive lead vocals (no Danzig
worship going on here, nor am I reminded of AFI as I was on Calbrese's previous
EP). On top of that, the songwriting and production are top notch. Even
the four songs revisited from the previous release sound fresh in their new
renditions. Standout tracks include “Zombie I”, “One of Us”, “Backseat of My
Hearse”, “Eyes Down”, and a couple of re-recorded favorites from the EP: “Blood
in My Eyes” and “Crizilla”. Honestly, though, there’s no filler on here. In my
review of the band’s previous EP, I said it was worth considering but not a must
have. Well, ’13 Halloweens’ is a must have for anyone into horror
rock. Hell, even if you don’t consider yourself a horror rock fanatic and just
like good hard rocking music with hooks you should check this out. For more
info go to
http://www.calabreserock.com/. (Bob Ignizio)
Caldwell
are yet another band mixing together metal, hardcore, and emo. If you’ve read
my reviews of similar artists in the past, you probably know that in general I
don’t care for this particular style. That said, I want to be fair because
Caldwell isn’t bad for this sort of thing. I still don’t like ‘em, mind you,
but for those who like this style I’d like to provide something more useful than
a standard “metalcore sucks” review. Like most bands in this subgenre, there’s
a mix of tortured screaming vocals with more melodic passages, but here the two
styles mesh together better than usual. The songs are catchy, although the
occasional syrupy sounding chorus is a problem for me. Still, overall a solid
album for the genre. If you like bands like Atreyu and As I Lay Dying you
should check this out. If you don't like those kind of bands, then Caldwell
isn't likely to do much for you, either. (Bob Ignizio)
Okay,
this is ambient music. So if you don’t like the genre to begin with, this ain’t
gonna’ change your opinion. However, if you’re like me and enjoy zoning out to
some trippy mellow tunes now and then, The Colorforms should be just your
thing. No beats to speak of, just lots of swirling spacy sounds to put you in a
meditative mood. If you’ve got headphones, break ‘em out because this sucker
has lots of layers to it, many of which require your full attention to discern.
It’s definitely not for everyone, but if you like stuff like Aphex Twin, The
Orb, or Hawkwind’s early nineties albums you should check these Cleveland boys
out at their website:
http://www.colorforms.net/. (Bob Ignizio)
Ok,
so this doesn't look like a hip-hop record, but it is. Moreover, it's a hip-hop
record inspired by the music of Marilyn Manson. Broken Klutch cuts up Manson
songs and raps over them. It's what he says “is the illusion of how it would be
like if I collaborated with Marilyn Manson”. The music sounds pretty cool, and
his rhymes are also pretty good. It's some out there abstract hip-hop similar to
Dalek or K-The-I??? I'd recommend this one, it's pretty interesting and the
concept is well executed. Who would've thought this would be good? Be sure to
check out Broken Klutch’s other records too. You can do that at his website:
I first heard these
guys via their 2003 EP ‘Midnight Spookshow’. That was a promising release,
showing a horror rock band still leaning a bit on their influences but moving in
the direction of something more unique. With ’13 Halloweens’, Calabrese have
fully come into their own. Punk, metal, and surf guitar all blend together into
a cohseive sound topped off by melodic and distinctive lead vocals (no Danzig
worship going on here, nor am I reminded of AFI as I was on Calbrese's previous
EP). On top of that, the songwriting and production are top notch. Even
the four songs revisited from the previous release sound fresh in their new
renditions. Standout tracks include “Zombie I”, “One of Us”, “Backseat of My
Hearse”, “Eyes Down”, and a couple of re-recorded favorites from the EP: “Blood
in My Eyes” and “Crizilla”. Honestly, though, there’s no filler on here. In my
review of the band’s previous EP, I said it was worth considering but not a must
have. Well, ’13 Halloweens’ is a must have for anyone into horror
rock. Hell, even if you don’t consider yourself a horror rock fanatic and just
like good hard rocking music with hooks you should check this out. For more
info go to
Caldwell
are yet another band mixing together metal, hardcore, and emo. If you’ve read
my reviews of similar artists in the past, you probably know that in general I
don’t care for this particular style. That said, I want to be fair because
Caldwell isn’t bad for this sort of thing. I still don’t like ‘em, mind you,
but for those who like this style I’d like to provide something more useful than
a standard “metalcore sucks” review. Like most bands in this subgenre, there’s
a mix of tortured screaming vocals with more melodic passages, but here the two
styles mesh together better than usual. The songs are catchy, although the
occasional syrupy sounding chorus is a problem for me. Still, overall a solid
album for the genre. If you like bands like Atreyu and As I Lay Dying you
should check this out. If you don't like those kind of bands, then Caldwell
isn't likely to do much for you, either. (Bob Ignizio)
Okay,
this is ambient music. So if you don’t like the genre to begin with, this ain’t
gonna’ change your opinion. However, if you’re like me and enjoy zoning out to
some trippy mellow tunes now and then, The Colorforms should be just your
thing. No beats to speak of, just lots of swirling spacy sounds to put you in a
meditative mood. If you’ve got headphones, break ‘em out because this sucker
has lots of layers to it, many of which require your full attention to discern.
It’s definitely not for everyone, but if you like stuff like Aphex Twin, The
Orb, or Hawkwind’s early nineties albums you should check these Cleveland boys
out at their website: 