Mutations are the engines of change; they brought our ancestors from the oceans, lifted us to our feet and folded our brains into maze-like structures capable of great artistry and depravity (see Picasso’s Guernica and Uwe Boll’s filmography). Our proliferation across the planet has created a massive … Continue reading Review: Jinjer – Micro EP
At the crest of the hill, the king removes the hood from his falcon. Instincts return in a flood as it takes flight, surveying the valley below: air, earth and the shivering bodies of prey. With singular focus, the bird plummets to the ground, catching … Continue reading Dewfall – “Hermeticus” Album Review
At this depth, the crushing weight of the limestone can no longer be ignored—confidence carries only so far by torchlight, and the expedition is silent as they enter the pharaoh’s chamber. The room is cluttered with the necessities of the afterlife: wheat for sustenance, amulets … Continue reading Truent – “To End an Ancient Way of Life” EP Review
The traveling carnival is back in town for the summer, bringing with it shrill laughter and garish colors flaked with rust. Wandering past the convex mirrors of a funhouse, you see yourself made monstrous: limbs warp, the torso bloats and your lips pull back, revealing … Continue reading Sulaco – “The Prize” Album Review
Approaching the mouth of the cavern, you see a man sitting cross-legged, clothed only in the smoke from a small fire. Many have vouched for the seer, and after a season of failed crops and illness, necessity outweighs your distrust of the unknown. You will … Continue reading Khanus – “Flammarion” Album Review
Since that day, the only weather has been soot. Rebar juts from piles of blasted concrete like fingers searching for a hold. A crumbling warehouse in the distance is the tallest structure for miles, but none seek shelter within. There are stories—of strange voices, machines … Continue reading Lautreamont – “Silence of the Deceased” Album Review
A scorpion spreads its pincers and raises the cruel point of its stinger in a threat display. An immediate response is triggered in the viewer—the fear of pain, perhaps revulsion at the alien form of the arachnid. The same person’s reaction to seeing balloons or … Continue reading Grayceon – “IV” Album Review
Sleep comes, and the eyes move rapidly behind closed lids. Half-digested thoughts merge into visions both alien and familiar. In these dreams and nightmares, the mind is free to build from memories and from things that never were. Howling Sycamore invoke these surreal landscapes on their … Continue reading Howling Sycamore – s/t Review
Off the South African coast, a seal dives into the water, its movements emitting an electromagnetic field that carries through the ocean. Far below, a shadow moves silently toward the enticing beacon. Water churns, a plume of blood spreads, and the attacker vanishes into the … Continue reading Squalus – “The Great Fish…” Review
The human capacity to create stories—of an afterlife, of the borders of state and country, of the existence of forces inexplicable—constantly shapes the cultural and physical aspects of our world. On their 4th album, Diaspora, SF Bay Area band Cormorant explores the origins and consequences of … Continue reading Cormorant – “Diaspora” Album Review
The City of Rust 