Silverstein: Dead Reflection
Dead Reflection shows the band’s development in a subtle manner, carrying tropes and images with crowd-pleasing lines rather than intense guitar riffs.
post-hardcore
Planes Mistaken For Stars: Prey
Post-hardcore outsiders reconvene to unleash a harsh and harrowing assessment of modern society.
Balance and Composure: Light We Made
The Pennsylvania post-hardcore band Balance and Composure have changed a bit. Is it a slick and successful movement toward a fresh sound, or is it an awkward stumble?
HEIRSOUND – ‘Merge’ (EP stream) (premiere)
HEIRSOUND's new EP is radio-ready alt-pop with a heavy coat of pop-punk, taking the best of every world in which it dabbles and layering extra energy on top until everything screams.
Big Ups: Before a Million Universes
Before a Million Universes might at times sound like Slint, but Big Ups have their own union and calamity to make their bleakness something of their own.
Senses Fail: Pull The Thorns From Your Heart
The latest Senses Fail album is a journey from the heart of darkness to the heart of the sunrise.
Counterbalance: Hüsker Dü – Zen Arcade
Something I learned today: Black and white is always grey. And this week's Counterbalance takes a look at a 1984 turning point in punk. Turn on the news for the 219th most acclaimed album of all time.
…And You Will Know Us By the Trail of Dead: IX
After a few albums of focused hard rock, Trail of Dead confidently begin to reintegrate the more pop-oriented experimentations that killed their early 2000s buzz.
Alive Like Me: Only Forever
The record may not stand up to the closest of scrutiny, but it is pleasantly engrossing in its own way.
Outline in Color: Masks
Just as its title implies, this is metal wearing a disguise.
Rescuer: Anxiety Answering
If there’s anything to be said of Rescuer, a Tampa-based band, it's that they certainly play LOUD.
Owls: Two
Two is certainly a good album, and it’s absolutely the one Owls wanted to make. It’s just not always a record I want to listen to.