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REVIEWS
MUSIC
Mean Jeans
Tight New Dimension
Party punk is the best kind of
punk, and Fat Wreck band Mean
Jeans know this all too well.
In fact,
Tight New Dimension
is a quintessential Fat Wreck
offering in its naivety mashed
with nonsense. It’s not surprising
that the band’s unsolicited demo
immediately pleased ears in the
label’s office. The trio do draw a
little too much influence fromThe
Ramones on occasion – the vocals
in particular all too often sound
like a particularly tight imitation
delivered at your local open mic
night – but when a band sternly
describe the impetus behind their
music as “have the most fun
possible,” can we really expect
anything more?
(FatWreck Records) Emily Kelly
Letlive.
If I'm The Devil...
Since their inception in 2002,
letlive. have always stood out
as renegades. Not just in their
injecting some serious and much
missed politics into their punk
rock, but in their bold overlapping
of genres and their massive,
manic live show. It’s only been
three years since their last LP
The
Blackest Beautiful
, but somehow
it’s still been too long between
drinks. On
If I’mThe Devil...
production steps up to meet
the group's powerhouse sound.
It seems as if frontman Jason
Butler’s grandiose vision for the
band might be one step closer to
being realised. Bravo!
(Epitaph) Emily Kelly
The Kills
Ash & Ice
The Kills remain as one of the last
in the crop of Rock’s Last Saviours
who emerged around the turn
of the millennium. How does a
16 year old band who stand for
cool keep it fresh? By wearing
their experience as a badge of
pride.
Ash & Ice
puts Mosshart
and Hince’s authenticity on show,
wearing their bluesy swagger like
a second jacket through some
of the band’s moodiest tracks to
date. Typical Kills’ bravado shreds
through every other track with
stomping big riffs and Mosshart’s
hypercool sneer (
Heart of a Dog
,
Siberian Nights
), but in between
come moments for sombre
reflection (
That Love
,
Echo Home
).
This late in the game, The Kills
stick to tried-and-true, and they’ve
never sounded truer than this.
(Domino) Jake Cleland
DEATH's legendary 1987 debut
Scream Bloody Gore is more than
just an untouchable album -
upon its release, it was positively
genre-creating. meticulously
remastered from the original tapes
by Alan Douches (Mastodon, Nile).
Includes previously unreleased
recordings and rehearsal demos,
super-expanded packaging, and
brand-new extensive liner notes from
former DEATH drummer / Autopsy
founder Chris Reifert, Sepultura's
Max Cavalera, and original Scream
Bloody Gore producer Randy Burns.
OUT NOW ON 2CD AND LP
The most significant and
creatively vital album in
Norwegian Black Metal!
An exclusive high-class
re-issue, mastered by
legendary Satyr himself!
Nemesis Divina
Out Now On
CD & LP
OUT NOW ON CD / CD+DVD / 2LP / DELUXE EARBOOK
Metal Church
XI
Metal Church fans may have
been praying for the band’s
second vocalist Mike Howe to
return to the fold, but they most
likely thought it would never
happen. Well, it has, and the
decision to write a new album
was a welcome one.
XI
feels
like the follow-up to
Hanging In
The Balance
, which was Howe’s
last studio album with the
group. Considering that it’s been
some 23 years,
XI
is quite an
achievement. Howe may have
aged, but his voice hasn’t lost
any power. He’s as distinctive as
ever and fits this band perfectly,
giving each track personality and
a unique edge.
XI
is a first-rate
heavy metal album.
(Caroline/Nuclear Blast)
Simon Lukic