King Buffalo :"Dead Star"

I normally complain about long songs, but this Pink Floyd like drone is how you do it as we are seven and a half minutes in before I care about how long the song is. It is just the opener that is long. I mean 16 minutes is pretty ballsy way to open your album, though Devils Blood has done similar. The bass line gets cool and creepy around the 9 minute mark., It gets kinda of Tool like when it builds up. There is a more sedate introspection to the almost acoustic dream folk of "Echo of a Waning Star" . "Ecliptic" is kraut rock synth driven. Sounds like moon music. There is a little more to it than most of the synth wave kind of thing these days. But it's an instrumental so limited to atmosphere.

The palm muted Tooly grooving returns for " Eta Carinae". The bass playing is not as ambitious as Tool's on this song, and they are not as dark as Tool. With more Thin Lizzy like guitar harmonies on this song. The title track is more of a drug ballad. Almost closer to the Foo Fighters than any of the more groove driven places they have taken us so far here. It is rally well done and sounds great , I no longer do drugs to I am sure that would help the over all experience. Evne with no drugs these guys put even thought and talent into what they do to keep my interest. It is funny that as far a stoner metal goes they draw more influence from Tool than Black Sabbath.

The last song "Red Star pt 2 " is more along the lines of  Queens of the Stoneage. The vocals are less hooky than what Homme might do. The guitar playing on this album is excellent and is what steals the show. The vocals at least try. There is a a heavier build that is the album most meatl moment on this song., I will give this an 8.5 . It was really well done , but did not make me rush to download it .

Marissa Nadler & Stephen Brodsky : "Droneflower

I was aware this album  was coming out and it kind of flew under my radar. I suppose I did not hunt it down as eagerly as I might have if I had gone into this knowing it was a solo album. I can be skeptical  o these collaborative efforts.  This one finds her collaborating with  Brodsky from Cave-in. He also plays in Old Man Gloom, Mutoid Man and is an ex-member of Converge. His presence is really more on the plodding tension of the guitar in the second song. He back ground vocals are minimal . This gives her more of a Chelsea Wolfe feel. There is a less of a country vibe, even on songs like "Watch the Time " where it feels like the guitar is going for that more. This is interesting because it feels like they are so ware of working with each other that he wants to be more country and she wants to be more rock.

Like the intro the second take on "Space Ghost" seems to be an atmospheric interlude as well, than song focused. This one has more going on and cooler sounds comprising it. "Dead West"  is ghostly and atmospheric , but not unlike the second song in other aspects. Their cover of "Estranged " by Guns n Roses is pretty brilliant.  The Use Your Illusion albums need more props, there is some good shit on there.  I think one big difference is how the acoustic guitars are produced on this album. They are warmed sounded and contrast her voice rather than blend with it's sound so on "Shades Apart " carries sonic echoes of "Watch the Time".  Her vocal placement works better here. "Buried Love" is short it takes time getting to the song then only has a minute and a half to work with from there.

The album ends with a cover of Morphine's "In Spite of Me" . I think this speaks to Axl's songwriting as on "Estranged you can still hear the original songwriting, where this one gets absorbed by the person covering it. The country vibe of feels more like what I want from her.  Brodsky's contributions to this song are not as prominent. This makes it clear to me that I would have preferred just another proper Nadler album.  I will give this one an 8.5. Her normal albums are in the 9.5 to 10 range so that might give you an idea how this measures up again her normal level of work. At least Brodsky had the good sense to not try singing duets with her.  .

Russian Circles : "Blood Year"

These guys are one of the handful of instrumental bands that can keep my attention. The first little ditty sounds more like an intro than a song, so I am saying that "Arluck " is the first actual song, for the purpose of this review. It takes all the things they do well and encapsulates them. The most impressive of these things is the mighty chug they lock into. On the last album they were darker and bringing more black metal influences in. This time around most of that is gone and it feel more honestly them.  I like this album's sweeping sonic scope, the only problem is the 3rd and 4th song sound like movements of a larger piece and I listened to this album twice through until I figured out where one song began and the other ended so they sound very similar.

 There might be more ebb and flow to "Milano". This the exception to the rule when I said most of the black metal elements where gone, some still lingering."Kohokia' is a like a bass heavy version of the previous song. The more I listen to it the more the songs run together. "Ghost on High" is just an intro for "Sinaia", which is  first song that really starts off with a different tone to shift the dynamics and stand apart as a entity unto itself.  There is a show gaze meets post rock vibe with a heavy sonic pump to it."Quartered" closes the album. It displays a majority for their strengths from the big powerful chug, to a great drum sound. The only problem being that I feel like this is being recycled. The only new element to it is the more atmospheric guitar that is layered over it.

They do recycle a great deal of sounds and idea's from past albums. It is a balance of if it is not broke don't fix it and progressing.  I don't hear much in terms of progress, but it sounds more like they have refined their sound down to what has worked for them in the past. This might come across as lazy to some, but if you are really into these guys then I think you will dig them getting back to basics ans stripping away some of the other hats they have tried on in the past. I will give this one an 8.5.

Silver Snakes : "Death and the Moon"

Not industrial , but influenced by it in the same way rock bands like Stabbing Westward and God Lives Underwater were in the 90s. There are electronic beats, but that doesn't mean they are industrial as Radiohead has those at times . There is at times a Nine Inch Nails sense of angst.  The chorus of "Wool" helps give a hooky sense of dynamics and prove they can write a fucking song when they feel like it. Some times the get too noisy for their own good and the over drive over powers what might have been a decent song if different production choices had been made.

Some times the Nine Inch nails influence is thicker than others.  I like the groove to "Black Fire'. The singer has room to open up and sing with more soul. Sure there are familiar elements, but it is worked in with what feels is more natural to them and a glimpse into who they really are once their influences are not so blatantly worn on their sleeves. There is a more urgent brooding to " Dissolve". It creates a more interesting layer to the melodic drone they hit you with.  By the time we get to "Lavender" I am listening for the moments that do not sound like Nine Inch Nails, as I have already lived through Filter and the parade of those kinds of bands from the 90s. So the female vocals and the more chilled out vibe are welcome. When the more grunge tinged guitar cranks up there has been more of a dynamic spread to make it appreciated.

"Gone is Gone" goes from the introspective brooding to loud rock guitars in a way that recalls the good cop bad cop , loud to soft dynamics employed by the alt rock of 90s acts. I will round this one down to an 8.5 as it leans so heavily on the Nine Inch Nails influence. If I heard more of who they are I might have gotten more invested in this album. It sounds good and they have decent songs, if you are into industrial rock acts with more emphasis on the rock side, you might dig these guys.