Short Attention Span Record Reviews - METAL SPECIAL

BORTS MINORTS & HUG VICTIM – Brut!
Do you miss Mr. Bungle? (8)

CROWBAR – Zero And Below
You know what you’re getting with a Crowbar album: heavy, sludgy, doomy metal. It’s like the Ramones or AC/DC, all their albums sound the same to the untrained ear, but I’m a professional so trust me when I say this is one of the better Crowbar albums. (8)

FEVER DOG – Alpha Waves
Totally missed out on this one when it came out a few months ago, just discovered it thanks to Vassilis Zacharopoulos at Metal Hammer Greece. An excellent slice of keyboard-soaked glam/AOR/hard rock late-70’s Midwest style, in other words it's striktly for konnoiseurs. (8)

GHOST – Impera
Look. They just keep getting better and better and this album is a masterpiece, OK? (9.5)

HO99O9 – Skin
Hailed as the next big thing this is a rap/punk/industrial aural assault, to be frank not that different from what Death Grips did in the 10’s, or what Atari Teenage Riot did in the 90’s for that matter. (7)

HOT WATER MUSIC – Feel the Void
Continuing their perfect streak of top-grade melodic punk rock. (8)

VEIN.FM – This World Is Going To Ruin You
If you ever wondered what Slipknot would sound like if they grew out of the hardcore scene rather than the metal scene, well, here’s your answer. (8)

ERIC WAGNER – In The Lonely Light Of Mourning
A fitting farewell from the doom metal legend, this posthumous solo album has a certain mid-90’s Trouble vibe to it. (7)

WARRIOR SOUL – Out On Bail
Another slice of competent punk rock ‘n’ roll like all his post-2008 releases. Of course he can never replicate the kick-ass awesomeness of the first three albums, but then again nobody can. (7)

CHIP Z’NUFF – Perfectly Imperfect
I’d say this is Enuff Z’Nuff leader’s love letter to The Beatles, but everything he’s ever done is a love letter to The Beatles anyway. And stop calling them "hair metal" already, you’ve been wrong about this for 30+ years! (8)