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By Ryan Falla

Another grand slam of an album to come out in the month of February; Wedge introduces their sophomoric effort ‘Killing Tongue’, the strikingly impressive follow-up to their incredible self-titled debut. This record hits all of the good tones from the ’60s and ’70s, there’s a ton of Hammond organ work, giving the band shades of Deep Purple within their eclectic tonalities. Continue reading “Album Review: Wedge – Killing Tongue”

By Andrew Bansal

Ventura, California’s Dungeons-and-Dragons-themed rock n’ roll group Gygax made a spectacular landing in the world of heavy music in early 2016 with their debut LP, cleverly christened ‘Critical Hits’. In the opinion of just about everyone who listened to it, it’s the finest debut full-length to have graced our favorite genre in a long time. Musically, with their Thin Lizzy-inspired hard rock/heavy metal, Gygax was carrying on from where two of the members’ previous band Gypsyhawk left, but combined with the lyrical theme and imagery, ended up creating a niche all of their own. Now, the ‘2nd Edition’ is ready for release, and it is an exciting time for heshers and nerds alike. After a debut of such sky-high calibre as that of ‘Critical Hits’, expectations were obviously high, but if you thought Gygax would not be able to match and better that effort, you were very wrong. Continue reading “Album Review: Gygax – 2nd Edition”

By Ryan Falla

Well, I’ve already found my favorite album of the year. Fu Machu has released their 12th studio album, ‘Clone of the Universe’, following their last release ‘Gigantoid’ from four years ago. Fu Manchu has established a status as “fuzz rock” pioneers, a succinct mixture of stoner metal and heavy grooves. Their latest release reminds us of why Fu Manchu has garnered this status as masters of their craft. Continue reading “Album Review: Fu Manchu – Clone of The Universe”

By Ryan Falla

John 5 and the Creatures recently released a new studio album, ‘Season of the Witch’, and the newly released live follow-up looks to be exciting as the latest studio release. The 16-track live record ‘It’s Alive!’ is an absolute blast. John 5 and the Creatures is a purely instrumental experience that hits all the right notes; the music doesn’t express the overt flamboyance that tends to follow guitar-virtuoso based experiences. There’s a thin plane of existence between showing off and musical integrity, and John 5 exists comfortably within that niche. Continue reading “Album Review: John 5 and the Creatures – It’s Alive!”

By Ryan Falla

‘Diary of a Creep’, the new release by acclaimed rock act New Years Day, is a six-song EP containing a brevity of covers along with a new original track. A record for established fans of the band, it leads off with the strong original ‘Disgust Me’, which builds a solid foundation for the EP. The successful lead-off track justifies the cover-song-majority on this one. Continue reading “Review: New Years Day – Diary Of A Creep EP”

By Ryan Falla

Howling Sycamore’s self-titled debut album is an exuberantly written one; an exercise in pushing traditional power metal to new heights with uniquely crafted visions. In the case of Howling Sycamore, both the band and the record, a strangely invigorating plateau of power metal is formed through a strongly identifiable tonality that adheres to Twin Peaks style imagery. This is very much a power metal record with flavoring of hardcore or extreme metal. Continue reading “Album Review: Howling Sycamore – Self-Titled”