What’s up, guys? It’s your old boy Waldo here to peck in with you guys about some new releases. You know, in case you were interested, and BOY HOWDY ARE YOU! I’ll bet you read my column all of the time.
Nearly 30 years ago the Crown started thrashing out and are now releasing Royal Destroyer. There’s a lot to be said about this band, semi-underground heroes that have suffered through MULTIPLE lineup changes. What we have here is their second in a row with the same lineup! I know, right? So, here’s the deal, with a healthy dose of doom, hardcore punk, but this is a death/thrash record, and not a bad one at all. There are some weird moments, but all in all it’s basically what the Crown are known for. The production is good here, a little polished, but hey, that’s them. 8 Fucking Pecks.
Metalcore is alive and well with London three-piece, Pupil Slicer and their full length Mirrors. This is no Salvador Dali movie here (although maybe it is a reference). I have to start off by saying, metalcore isn’t really my thing (heard that one before have ya? Well, I’m a parrot and I’m prone repeating things.) This is frantic, but makes one hell of a racket for a three-piece. The general rule here is “glitch” I mean there are some ambient passages, some part that could be considered “normal” grindcore, but all in all this is an exercise in weirdness. When PS gets, fast—boy are they fas— but in general, this is a lot of mid-paced and slower stuff here, but it is all eccentric. I’m not really sure what to make of this, it definitely has moxie, as I haven’t heard anything this chaotic in quite a while. The one gripe I have is this comes across a little too “electronic” sounding at times. All in all, a promising debut. 6 Fucking Pecks.
Alright, guys, until next time… Waldo OUT!
