Top 10 ‘Book-Lines’: Staff Picks
"These words boast the power of cinematic dialogue, yet they've never touched an eardrum." [...]
Articles by Michael Snoxall
About Michael Snoxall
Infernal Execrator – Ad Infinitum Satanic Adherent
It would be a misstep for any fan of black or death metal to overlook Infernal Execrator. [...]
Irreversible Mechanism – Infinite Fields
"There are capable musicians here, but after thirty-nine minutes, it’s hard to feel excited or engaged by much of what happened during Infinite Fields." [...]
Serpents Athirst – Heralding Ceremonial Mass Obliteration
"Heralding Ceremonial Mass Obliteration is violent, hateful and dynamic in its approach to those qualities, all while staying absolutely true to black metal’s earliest roots." [...]
Misþyrming – Söngvar elds og óreiðu
"For all the originality this album bears, never does it compromise the cold, unwavering qualities that made black metal such a special genre to begin with." [...]
Darkthrone – Goatlord
Goatlord is a twisting, monstrous, writhing mass of ugly and expansive metal. [...]
Kayo Dot – Coffins on Io
"Coffins on Io is a far cry from anything else Toby Driver has done, but in an even more monumental and towering way than most." [...]
John Darnielle – Wolf in White Van
"Wolf in White Van begins at its end and works backwards, exploring deeply—but not too deeply—the circumstances that led a man to a point that could possibly be described as his happy ending, but calling it that doesn’t feel quite right. Perhaps it’s best described as a contented conclusion; turning on the axis of a pivotal moment that turned a troubled, social, growing young man into the secluded monster he always hoped he could be." [...]
Objectivity in Music and the Dogmatic Censorship of Subjective and Rational Thinking
"If you are one of those people who refuses to accept that proper opinionated discussion can exist and that we all need to tip-toe around stating our feelings for certain music (or anything), then you are the problem you so desperately seek to vanquish." [...]