alternative metal

Quicksand Extend Their Welcomed Comeback with ‘Distant Populations’

Quicksand Extend Their Welcomed Comeback with ‘Distant Populations’

Post-hardcore veterans, Quicksand return with Distant Populations, a brooding album that demonstrates artistic valor and a grounded sense of discipline.

Alice in Chains’ ‘MTV Unplugged’ Is a Grunge Staple and a Series Standout

Alice in Chains’ ‘MTV Unplugged’ Is a Grunge Staple and a Series Standout

Twenty-five years after its release, Alice in Chains’ MTV Unplugged is an essential grunge album and a career-high point for the band.

30 Years Ago Primus Went ‘Sailing the Seas of Cheese’

30 Years Ago Primus Went ‘Sailing the Seas of Cheese’

Primus’ Sailing the Seas of Cheese established a template for how a band could achieve both a large, passionate fanbase and a modicum of mainstream success.

L7’s Major Label Catalog Is Salvaged From Out-Of-Print Limbo With 3-CD Box

L7’s Major Label Catalog Is Salvaged From Out-Of-Print Limbo With 3-CD Box

L7’s new box set Wargasm: ‘The Slash Years 1992-1997’ reminds us how essential the band’s classic material was—and still is.

Tomahawk Take Some Amazing Departures on ‘Tonic Immobility’

Tomahawk Take Some Amazing Departures on ‘Tonic Immobility’

Tomahawk’s ‘Tonic Immobility’ doesn’t sound resigned to repeat the familiar tropes and traps of the past. There are amazing departures, incredibly textured asides, and several flights of fancy.

Melvins’ ‘Working With God’ Displays a Refreshing Sense of Humor

Melvins’ ‘Working With God’ Displays a Refreshing Sense of Humor

Melvins come across like a musical Three Stooges on this compact, but cheerful new album in their prolific and storied career.

Between the Grooves: Nine Inch Nails – ‘Broken’

Between the Grooves: Nine Inch Nails – ‘Broken’

Nine Inch Nails' 1992 EP is half an hour of visceral, undiluted anger delivered through muscular, caustic guitars and Trent Reznor's anguished screams. It's concise, focused, and arguably the pinnacle of Nine Inch Nails' discography.

The 10 Best Alternative Metal Songs of the 1990s

The 10 Best Alternative Metal Songs of the 1990s

Antichrist superstars, astro-creeps, and broken machines all assemble for this look back at the ten best singles from alternative metal's golden era.
Mastodon’s ‘Medium Rarities’ Could’ve Used More Substance

Mastodon’s ‘Medium Rarities’ Could’ve Used More Substance

Medium Rarities is the kind of album that will appeal mostly to longtime Mastodon fans.

L7’s ‘Smell the Magic’ Is 30 and Packs a Feminist Punch

L7’s ‘Smell the Magic’ Is 30 and Packs a Feminist Punch

Abortion is under threat again, and there's a sex offender in the Oval Office. A fitting time, in short, to crank up the righteously angry vocals of feminist hard rock heavy hitters like L7.

Deftones Pull a Late-Career Rabbit Out of a Hat with ‘Ohms’

Deftones Pull a Late-Career Rabbit Out of a Hat with ‘Ohms’

Twenty years removed from Deftones' debut album, the iconic alt-metal outfit gel more than ever and discover their poise on Ohms.

King Buzzo Continues His Reign with ‘Gift of Sacrifice’

King Buzzo Continues His Reign with ‘Gift of Sacrifice’

King Buzzo's collaboration with Mr. Bungle/Fantômas bassist Trevor Dunn expands the sound of Buzz Osborne's solo oeuvre on Gift of Sacrifice.