Lollipop Magazine

HateSphere – Bloodred Hatred – Review

September 24, 2003

Thick and not steely and screechy, a sort of halfway handshake extended to high-fidelity American death metal. That’s one big-ass drum sound…

Brick Bath – Rebuilt – Review

September 24, 2003

If any band is deserving of the 100% American metal buzz currently swirling around Brand New Sin, God Forbid, and Shadows Fall, it’s California’s Brick Bath.

Madder Mortem – Deadlands – Review

September 11, 2003

Vocalist Agnete Kirkevaag is overseer of the complex, mind-frying prog metal that roils beneath her wings at a fidelity level mercilessly exact.

Darkest Hour – Hidden Hands Of A Sadist Nation – Review

September 11, 2003

A relentless blast of drums, cymbals, high-horse, note-dense riffs, and vocals that sound a bit like a hardcore snob making fun of the Gothenburg sound.

Poisonblack – Excapexstacy – Review

September 3, 2003

Sentenced’s Ville Laihiala on guitar and NOT vocals, Excapexstacy is closer to the plush, Gothic 4/4 mass of Rapture. Slow, mournful, and perfectly-produced.

The Haunted – One Kill Wonder – Review

August 27, 2003

Sonically fried my system with its perfect drum sound, Marco’s purely thrashy vocal attack, and its groove at these unsafe speeds. Marks off for brevity.

Rapture – Songs for the Withering – Review

August 27, 2003

Smooth, driving, immediate, groovy, and clean Finnish churn-metal delivered with the utmost hi-fidelity. Clean and death vocals trade magnificently throughout.

God Dethroned – Into The Lungs of Hell – Review

August 27, 2003

Death metal with only scant leanings toward thrash and death-with-melody, Into the Lungs of Hell won’t change the mid-tier status of this long-suffering band.

Buzzcocks – Interview

August 6, 2003

An interview with Pete Shelley

“Dead Mexican in my Headphones”: MC5 Solo Cake Memories – Column

July 23, 2003

I interview rock guys two, three times a week. I use voice recognition software to transcribe these interviews. It doesn’t always come out as planned though.