Aster Tracks

Last month Cascadent released “Watch the Tail” featuring Michael of Satyr and this month they are keeping that momentum on their own with new single “Sunset in a Sense.” The single itself releases one week from the posting of this review, so if you’re a fan of this band or just guitar driven post-hardcore you will enjoy this one. You can read our review of the previous single and check it out below. “Sunset in a Sense” is, to me anyway, a better song than its predecessor. The first verse has a certain groove that cannot be denied and it has a solo section that is quite compelling. Aside from that I don’t have too much to say, this isn’t a track that has anything you haven’t heard out of the genre. One thing I will say of Cascadent, however, is that a lot of these bands who are out here off of this genre very much seem to release by the numbers tracks and record but it really feels like in this case they really have a care and passion for what they do. I wish I had more to say on Cascad...

Disclaimer: The following is a re-post from earlier this year. This review was originally posted alongside three others but, in the time, since posting those reviews allegations of sexual assault have emerged about a musician, I gave a lot of praise to. I ask that you always believe victims and give your support to artists who work hard and manage to maintain being an unharmful person. If you like the new Paramore record you should probably check out Dry Cleaning. This was one of the bands Hayley Williams cited listening to during the process of creating This is Why. On their own terms Dry Cleaning has made quite a statement, finding some pretty big success in the post-punk realm off of their last album; Stumpwork, which was released last year. “Swampy” is actually a B-side of Stumpwork , with the original versions of “Hot Penny Day” and “Gary Ashby” being found on that record as well. The title track has a slower, more abstract instrumental that almost reminds me of an M...

The Octane-core triple feature may be over but modern butt rock will never stop dropping no matter how forgettable it all may be. Las Vegas’ Escape the Fate is one that was close to my heart in childhood, but I was mature enough to let it go when the first singer turned out to be a monster and the second started pumping out music that had no sense of quality whatsoever. Still, every time they drop a record, I feel strangely drawn to it and so I did listen to Out of the Shadows for just a couple of hours on the commute to and from work and I definitely have some feelings about it. The first thing that strikes me about these new songs is that I find it difficult to believe a producer would let any band out of the studio with these lyrics. Opening track “Forgive Me” has lines like “I killed myself today” and “I sold my soul to be reborn.” In fact all of “Forgive Me” is especially hard to get through, it sort of sounds like Google translate emo speak. This may be the most notable song with...

Every once in a while, an artist is around so long it’s hard to believe that they haven’t dropped an official full length. While English rapper Ashnikko didn’t wait over a decade like another solo artist whose first record dropped this year, seven years is quite a long time. So long in fact that I didn’t realize Weedkiller was a debut as I thought we were counting 2021’s Demidevil, a mixtape that I actually took some highlights away from when it was released. In fact, throughout the years there have been quite a bit of Ashnikko tracks that had my attention, so I was excited to get into this new album. There are lots of memorable hooks on Weedkiller, while Ashnikko certainly isn't a superb rapper she does try and she is a consistent pop vocalist. Something I do enjoy about her rap style, however, is her ability to take elements of the genre that would be laughable from her peers and make them compelling. A lot of the subjects of these songs are edgy without crossing over into accide...

Unfortunately, all good things must come to an end, so today we end our Octane-core triple feature with Manchester alternative duo, Hot Milk. My experience with Hot Milk up until this point has been a mixed bag. I was enjoying their music just fine until I absolutely loved 2021’s I Just Wanna Know What Happens When I’m Dead, which the year it came out I appreciated for its pop sensibilities and larger than life rock and roll sonics. But, as time went on, I became sort of disenchanted with Jim and Han. Not just because their music is all sort of samey but also as the two stepped more and more into the limelight, I found them to not only be arrogant, but also like they genuinely think they are better than the rest of their scene. Still, I waited quite a bit for this debut record so I’m giving it the fair shake it deserves. One thing I actually enjoy about Hot Milk even still is how much care you can tell went into their themes. Across their entire discography up until this point the band...

The Octane triple feature continues with the new one from North Yorkshire’s own Asking Alexandria, a band that may be even more hated than The Word Alive in that they actually are hated. The first four records in this band’s discography are pretty respected but after that fans start to resent every move the boys make and for good reason. Gone are the days that this band wrote interesting blends of metalcore and electronica backed by their classic rock infatuation and they’ve sort of gone all in on just that one influence . Something interesting happened during my experience with this album though, call it my low expectations, but I didn’t really hate this one? Don’t get me wrong, there’s a lot of problems on here, in fact the way Danny Worsnop chants “bad blood” as the first line of the record sort of makes my skin crawl. This band does have some moments in them, however. The hook on “Bad Blood” is fun, Danny sounds like there’s real emotion backing up what he’s singing about and the ...

Love them or hate them; The Word Alive are alternative metal titans. It’s always interesting to me how metal bands like this find themselves in places where they have a huge adoring following but a mutually agreed upon inconsistent discography. Their last record, Monomania, had mixed reception for its improved sonics that were gained by sacrificing any real originality. I personally had Monomania as a contention for my album of the year but saw it place quite low. Though I will say upon a revisit I did find some tracks to be pretty enjoyable but also not really anything I’m eager to go back to. We open the record on “The Word Alive is Dead,” a song that sees a gradual build in heat and pretty standard lyrics welcoming the listeners to the record. I feel like I should be against this in theory but honestly I welcome meta ideas especially in a genre like alternative metal, which at its best isn’t taking itself too seriously. In practice, however, I find this track in particular to be qui...