Sharp Pins: Radio DDR (2025)

It’s raining, and the camera tracks in toward the window of a yellow school bus. A young child, dripping wet, stares wistfully out the window at something. Cut to an over-the-shoulder shot as we see what the boy is staring at. It’s blurry due to the camera’s focus on the window, but that shifts to outside. We see a young girl twirling in the rain, her head tilted toward the sky, smiling as the teachers run in slow motion to usher her to the bus. What? Oh, something from Sharp Pins. Anything from the Radio DDR album that came out a few months back. Yeah, that one. Just use that in place of any sound…

ChrisDecember 19, 2025Leave a comment

cradle of filth - the screaming of the valkyries album cover

Vinyl, The 9C Files

The 9C Files: Cradle Of Filth’s The Screaming of the Valkyries

At this point what do you even call Cradle of Filth? If you’re one of those black metal purists who will only listen to necro-fi recordings recorded in a forest with a tattered extension cord stealing electrical currents from the parents of one-man band bedrooms¹you probably shrugged the band off ages ago. Even fans of the band’s symphonic gothic black metal melange probably had a hard time somewhere around the time of their leap to Sony for Damnation and a Day and Roadrunner for Nymphetamine and its followups. Whatever your hangup, I’m here to tell you that for the last 10 years Dani Filth and Co. have been bringing the unrighteous metal might, and The Screaming of the Valkyries continues the trend of being distinctly CoF even as it consumes more thrash and melodic influences. Come live deliciously with me below the jump.

ChrisDecember 14, 2025November 26, 2025Leave a comment

Vinyl

The Vintage Caravan: Portals (2025)

The Vintage Caravan would never have popped up on my radar were it not for Mikael Åkerfeldt’s appearance. And truth be told, his contribution is my favorite thing about Portals, the Icelandic trio’s sixth full-length of stoner progressive rock. I mean, you took one look at the band’s photo, saw that hat, and probably guessed the vibe from that, right? But if you guessed that, you probably also know that’s my weakness, my comfort food. Happily, even though the Åkerfeldt track is the highlight, the rest of the album ain’t too shabby, either.

ChrisDecember 12, 2025Leave a comment

Vinyl

Osees: Abomination Revealed At Last (2025)

Another year, another batch of releases from John Dwyer under various names and organizations. But he’s most known for the garage/psych/kitchen rock juggernaut Osees, a killer band who changes styles almost as often as they do band names. But the latest name seems to have stuck, being in place for six years. The style, for better or worse, has also stayed largely the same: a mix of harsh bursts of punk that after a while all roll into each other, making Abomination Revealed At Last an album I gave one or two listens before shrugging it aside. Maybe it’s the times, but coming back to it I can still see my issues, but I also see many little things that bring the songs to life in a way I ignored, to my detriment.

ChrisDecember 11, 2025Leave a comment

Vinyl

King Witch: III (2025)

Simple tastes. Tight riffs. Big snares and plenty of cymbal sizzle, with the bass holding it all together in conjunction with the Almighty Kick. Stretch beyond pentatonic scales at your peril and, best of all, make sure the vocals can settle a hummingbird one moment, and rip the shingles off a house the next. I don’t know that I was expecting it to blow in from Scotland, but it’s no matter when King Witch get practically everything right about what I love in heavy music on III, their (you guessed it) third full length. All the above criteria are met, there are a few surprises, and best of all, this baby comes in at a lean 44 minutes. I always said, if it can’t fit on one side of 90-min cassette, it can probably be cut.

ChrisDecember 10, 2025Leave a comment

Vinyl

Yoo Doo Right, Population II & Nolan Potter: Yoo II avec Nolan Potter (2025)

Ever have one of those workdays that beat you down to the point you can’t remember your name, let alone whatever you had planned when you got home? Today was one of those days, and with only two hours to go I’m going to be very brief about my love for Yoo II avec Nolan Potter, the (possibly) sole output from a two-hour live jam session between Austin, TX psych rocker Nolan Potter and the experimental explorers from Québec: Yoo Doo Right and Population II. TL;DR? Hawkwind circa Space Ritual meets garage groove for some sweet extended jams, perfect for settling down into a better headspace.

ChrisDecember 9, 2025Leave a comment

Consuming the Tangible

We are what we consume

Category: Vinyl

Sharp Pins: Radio DDR (2025)

The 9C Files: Cradle Of Filth’s The Screaming of the Valkyries

The Vintage Caravan: Portals (2025)

Osees: Abomination Revealed At Last (2025)

King Witch: III (2025)

Yoo Doo Right, Population II & Nolan Potter: Yoo II avec Nolan Potter (2025)