Lollipop Magazine

Legion Of The Damned – Ravenous Plague – Music Stream

April 7, 2014

Head-down, serious thrash from the Netherlands. Meat-and-potatoes thrash.

Falling In Reverse – Fashionably Late – Music Stream

April 4, 2014

Able to write catchy choruses most pop metal and pop punk bands would kill for, Ronnie Radke writes trite lyrics he believes so earnestly, it’s embarrassing.

The Crimson ProjeKCt – Live In Tokyo – Music Stream

April 3, 2014

Two sets of three King Crimson alum and using the “double trio,” The Crimson ProjeKCt is a suitably ambitious offshoot from the legendary prog masters.

Def-Con-One – II – Music Stream

April 2, 2014

Pure opening-act mediocrity from the UK. Def-Con-One is a throwback to scores of second stage Ozzfest bands from the late ’90s-early ’00s.

Veara – Growing Up Is Killing Me – Music Stream

April 1, 2014

Like loads of good-but-indistinguishable pop punk bands of the late ’90s, they have heart and skills, but haven’t found their unique voice by their 2nd album.

Letlive – The Blackest Beautiful – Music Stream

March 31, 2014

Pop raps (remember 311? No?) and Linkin Park clean vocals offset with screaming and metal groove are a mix bound to sell.

Slough Feg – Digital Resistance – Music Stream

March 21, 2014

Slough Feg wastes no time delivering fuzzy NWOBHM feelings on “Digital Resistance,” the title track of their ninth studio album.

Eldritch – Tasting The Tears – Music Stream

March 20, 2014

Intriguing, moody power metal from Italy. Incredibly (for this genre), the singer doesn’t overplay it.

Nashville Pussy – Up The Dosage – Music Stream

March 19, 2014

Nashville Pussy is guaranteed to clear all the shit from your sinuses with all-business rock cleansers.

Sister – Disguised Vultures – Music Stream

March 18, 2014

Scandinavia has always been the place to look for sleazy glam punk rock ‘n’ rolla, and Swedish outfit Sister delivers the goods.

Indian – From All Purity – Music Stream

March 7, 2014

The opening track is a howling hell hole of a song, recalling Made Out of Babies at their most cathartic. Plus, it’s called “Rape.”

Behemoth – The Satanist – Music Stream

January 31, 2014

Nergal has defeated leukemia and hosted a Polish version of The Voice, all while creating brutal death metal. It’s kind of hard not to root for the guy.

Dum Dum Girls – Too True – Music Stream

January 30, 2014

My brother-in-law saw this band open up for Ben Gibbard, and his zero-word review was a lethargic shoulder shrug. Maybe they’ve improved with age? Maybe not.

Satan’s Wrath – Aeons of Satan’s Reign – Music Stream

January 29, 2014

Greece’s Satan’s Wrath is actually much closer to traditional heavy metal than it is to the storms of the antichrist.

Weekend Nachos – Still – Music Stream

January 28, 2014

The 90 second “Satan Sucker” manages to cram in an unsettling intro, a freight train midsection, and a lurching, menacing outro before you can come up for air.

Naam – Vow – Music Stream

January 27, 2014

With Hawkwind and Iron Butterfly on the mind, Namm forge their own meandering path through the cosmos and desertscapes.

Deicide – In The Minds of Evil – Music Stream

January 10, 2014

“In The Minds of Evil” is heavy as hell, but it’s got groove and craft as well. This is how death metal is done.

Marmozets – Music Stream

January 9, 2014

This clunkily-named band has angsty roar, belted-out melodies, and some tenderness, slathered atop powerpop riffery and stick-twirling drumming.

Matt Pryor – Wrist Slitter – Music Stream

January 8, 2014

The Get-Up Kids got less terrible with every release, as the cute college girls I assigned to review them for the magazine often noted.

Death Angel – The Dream Calls for Blood – Music Stream

January 7, 2014

This is straight-up bloody meat thrown to ravenous thrash fans — prototypical thrash that is equal parts Slayer and Megadeth.

Dream Theater – Music Stream

January 6, 2014

It’s great to report that “Along for the Ride” from their 2013 self-titled record is along the lines of Dream Theater’s classic early work.

Red Fang – Whales and Leeches – Music Stream

January 3, 2014

Portland, Oregon stoner rock crew turned heads with their eclectic 2011 release, Murder the Mountains, but things may have gone off the tracks since then.

Boardwalk – Music Stream

January 2, 2014

Pleasant, predictable, and mesmerizing. Breathy, gauzy female vocals, and a hipster dude handling the deeply-reverbed guitars, and a drum machine set on snooze.

Twilight of the Gods – Fire on the Mountain – Music Stream

January 1, 2014

This talented bunch quickly grew beyond the initial concept to play classic, galloping, mall-strutting ’80s metal.

Blitzen Trapper – VII – Music Stream

December 31, 2013

Seventh full-length. And the music, heard here on “Ever Loved Once,” is just as straightforward and unpretentious, with a confident alt.country swagger.