Browsing Tag

Melvins

Play That Funk Metal Music and Hit Play on Master Splinter’s Latest Installation of Clamorous Rancour, Wednesday Night

Posted on 28 November 2023

For their latest release, Wednesday Night, the trailblazing outfit, Master Splinter, which is hell-bent on being the breakthrough outfit out of the year funked up a sludgy and clamorous alt-rock aesthetic reminiscent of Mudhoney, Melvins and Soundgarden while proving once again that Mike Patton isn’t the only one capable of delivering the Mr Bungle effect.

If you’ve ever wondered what it would sound like if a 70s funk rock ensemble had a violent acid trip with instruments in hand while being caught in the throes of lust, indulge in the Portland, Oregon-hailing troubadours of rhythmically tight, face-melting aggression’s latest offering, which punches through hip-hop-inspired drums and uses the devil may ensnare vocal lines to rile up the energy from the searing hot guitars and prowling basslines.

The 2023 Remaster of Wednesday Night hit the airwaves on October 26; stream it on Spotify.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Fill your cup with the frenetic furore that spills from the punk rock veins of Lex Maria’s single, Plague or Pain

Posted on 15 July 2023

Nestle into a riotous plague-pain dichotomy with the standout single from Lex Maria’s sophomore EP, Ghosts. The clamorously cold post-punk single, Plague or Pain, from the Swedish purveyors of angst-fuelled alternative rock, is a messily discordant hit that fans of Melvins, Pixies, and Sonic Youth shouldn’t need to be asked to listen to it twice.

The heavy down-tuned guitars paired with the pervasive air of self-reported sexual frustration and the Marilyn Manson-esque effect-laden spoken word verses create a strong sonic tonic which won’t be everyone’s cup of tea, but if cacophonous catharsis is your poison, fill your cup with the frenetic furore that spills from the punk rock veins of Plague or Pain.

Ghosts was officially released on June 30; stream it on Spotify.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Sabres sold sludged-up punk sanctuary in their latest single, Moronic

Posted on 29 May 2023

Now the 2006 sci-fi comedy film, Idiocracy, has become a contemporary documentary, the intelligent amongst us are left picking up the pieces of dissonance; Sabres’ latest sludged-up punk track, Moronic, is the ultimate antidote to the frustration and futility that comes as a consequence of living in the 21st century.

After noting how fans at live shows got into the groove of the dystopia-reflecting release, the Portsmouth-hailing duo shared the primal fury of their latest single that bares teeth at the right-wing press with the airwaves to extend further catharsis to the disenfranchised by association with their common sense. The incorporation of a heavily distorted reading from Nineteen Eighty-Four was a vindicating touch to the flawlessly tension-contorted release.

You will have plenty of chances to catch Moronic live as Sabres have filled their 2023 gig calendar with slots supporting Mondo Generator in addition to festival billings and dates with the support act, Hot Juice.

Moronic was released via Mayfield Records on May 19; get it in your ears by heading to Spotify.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Trash n Privilege brought 80s hardcore punk back to the airwaves with The Pain I Like the Most.

Posted on 16 April 2021

Trash n Privilege reintroduced hardcore punk to the airwaves with their anthemically-charged EP, One More Round, featuring the standout stormer, ‘The Pain I Like the Most’. The intensity of the instrumental aggression is enough to give Melvins a run for their money.

The American punk outfit fronted by Steve Shepard takes plenty of influence from the Californian and DC hardcore scenes in the 80s. Lyrically, they’re even more of a visceral force to be reckoned with. The Pain I Like the Most is packed with the abrasive emotions that usually come with negative connotations, but Trash n Privilege proved how necessary they are for endurance.

With their curveball melodic breakdown that leads to a wall of punk discord before the outro in their nuanced track, Trash n Privilege succeeded in affirming that they’re one to watch. Anyone who likes to vent through music that doesn’t buy into the ironically toxic woke culture which manifests on Twitter through very different kinds of breakdowns will want them on their radar.

The Pain I Like the Most is available to stream via SoundCloud.

Review by Amelia Vandergast