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Sacrilege! Profanity! Err, Isn’t That the Point of Black Metal? Myrkur
Myrkur proves, by dint of sheer talent, that magnificent Black Metal can be made by those there lady women people. (read more)
albums
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Enter the Arena (Warbeast)
Entering the arena is easy, but it takes killer death moves to get out alive. Can Warbeast provide? (read more)
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Waiting on the Sun (Jule Vera)
While Jule Vera wait for summer, the listener waits for an original hook. (read more)
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(Other People’s) Hooks in the Millions (Olsson)
Destined to be discarded, Olsson pushes the right buttons with Millions. Just not hard enough. (read more)
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As the Stages Burn: Arch Enemy Live at Wacken
Arch Enemy nail the always-tricky task of putting a live performance onto wax (read more)
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Lost in the Ghost Light (Tim Bowness)
A grand statement about a grand era; Tim Bowness revisits rock’s most ambitious escapades (read more)
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The End of Electricity (Domkraft)
Simultaneously doomy and a little dotty, Domkraft freshen the formula with The End of Electricity (read more)
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Clever, Inventive, Versatile… and Dull: Vozrozhdeniye (Arkona)
Accomplished and precise, Arkona’s rework of Vozrozhdeniye nevertheless fails to ignite (read more)
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Records from the Road. BeLive (Rebecca Downes)
No filler. Rebecca Downes only has a couple of albums, but this live set sounds like a Greatest Hits (read more)
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Into The Lesser-Charted Waters of Jazz/Prog/Ambient: Duski
Prog rock, jazz and ambient sounscapes in an impressive debut album (read more)
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Curious Oxymoronic Aggression: Be Nothing (Boston Manor)
Weighty, progressive pop punk rock metal from Blackpool’s Boston Manor (read more)
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Freak Show Candy Floss (Voodoo Vegas)
Voodoo Vegas serve up hard-hitting no-frills rock, killer riffs and shredding solos. (read more)
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Becoming Aware (Paradigm Shift)
With forward-looking approach to progressive rock, Paradigm Shift avoid the cliches. Review (read more)
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Pop Punk’s Trademark Simplicity and Energy (Handguns, Disenchanted)
Is Handguns’ album Disenchanted generic? Pretty much, but it is what it is. (read more)
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Grandiose Autumn Rock Roundup (Bauda, Caligula’s Horse, Vanden Plas)
With releases from Bauda, Caligula’s Horse and Vanden Plas, October sees a plethora of progressive rock records. (read more)
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Crank Thy Humbuckers – Ratatat Release Magnifique
Mahoosive dynamics, the customary duelling guitar chops, and surf drums pulling everything together. Air guitar and dancefloor screwface, in one handy pack. Cribbens! (read more)
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Albums of 2012: Steven Turk’s Choice
an indie rock record of tremendous quality where the singles are difficult to differentiate from the other tracks comprising this compelling slice of modern tribal psychedelic pop (read more)
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Albums of the Year: Tim Hall’s Choices
In many previous years any one of these might have been a strong candidate for my album of the year. (read more)
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The Beginning of the End (of year lists)
Trebuchet spurns faffed-about aggregated statistics and seasonally-adjusted ratings systems. Between now and 2013 we’ll offer some of our writers’ unsullied recollections of albums, events, exhibitions and misc., that over the course of the year prompted them to gasp in admiration (read more)