Mini Reviews From Around The Bowl (6/5/25)
Eat up.
The Callous Daoboys – I Don’t Want to See You in Heaven
MNRK Heavy | May 16, 2025
To be honest, the past two The Callous Daoboy albums didn’t really do anything for me. After listening to their latest, though, I finally get it. This album manages to be simultaneously more weird and more accessible than their previous releases. The musicianship here is intricate and creative, and I continue to be fascinated by the sounds Amber Christman gets out of her electric violin. Importantly, the band doesn’t take themselves overly seriously. A playful sense of humor pervades the album, and even the darker moments, they seem to be having so much fun. It is a rare band that can play this level of genre fusion and not only make it sound good, but make it sound totally natural. Of course mathcore and nu metal and pop punk and 90’s alt rock ballads go together. How could I ever have thought otherwise? – Professor Guanaco
Vauruvã – Mar da Deriva
Self-Released | May 9, 2025
I am always thrilled to hear that one of Caio Lemos’s projects has released new music, and the new Vauruvã album doesn’t disappoint. If you’ve heard the band’s previous albums, you know what to expect: dense, progressive atmospheric black metal incorporating Brazilian folk influences. The top adjective I’d use here is dense. This is music that immerses you in layers of sound, and transports you to a different time and place. Forget Europe and North America; some of the most interesting black metal today is coming out of Brazil. – Professor Guanaco
YASS – Feel Safe
Crazysane Records | June 6, 2025
It’s only called krautrock if it comes from the Kraut region of Europe. If you dug the psychedelic, synth-infused, Joe-approved shenanigans of Haunted Plasma last year, don’t miss out on the genuine article here. It’s no less heavy on the dark, grandiose cyberpunk vibes, yet simultaneously feels more boiled down to the essentials, sticking more rigorously to the principles of rhythmic and vocal repetition, and often mandating a stricter dance regime. While tracks like “Suit” and “T.I.V.” may invite cynical visions of neon cityscapes, the pounding, primal thumping of “Pulse,” “NoBot,” the title track, or lead single “Got Hurt” want to see you in an ill-lit basement, sweating profusely as you throw your limbs around incessantly to the unabashed straightforwardness of the bone-shaking beats. If you’re not one to wear yourself out like that, at least make this the soundtrack to your next night-time drive. – Hans
Freeze The Fall – The Red Garden
604 Records | June 18, 2025
I’m calling it now: Freeze The Fall will be playing the main stage at festivals all over the world by next year. You only have to listen to one song from these young musicians to see dollar signs and know that they are going to be huge. It doesn’t matter which song you listen to because every song on their album The Red Garden is a hit. The Kelowna newcomers have that modern metal sound that is highly polished and ready for radio, video games, movie trailers, and social media montages. Freeze The Fall sounds like if you took Paramore‘s pop punk sensibilities and mixed it with million-view-on-Youtube metalcore acts. With some money backing them (just look at their music video) the sky is the limit. Major labels better get on them now before I start my own label just to sign them. Freeze The Fall is your kid’s soon-to-be-favorite band. – 365 Days Of Horror
Phantom Spell – Heather & Hearth
Cruz del Sur Music | July 18, 2025
There’s a tendency among throwback acts of any genre to signpost towards a style that didn’t actually exist in the era the band is ostensibly supposed to be replicating. This makes it that much more special when you encounter something like Phantom Spell, who sounds not just like a genuine artifact of early ’70s prog rock, but like a band that could hang with the greats. Save for the speedy romp that is “Evil Hand,” the songs largely have the vibe of Kansas epics, replete with dueling guitar and organ a la Deep Purple and drawing from the Baroque side of Rainbow. It is by its very nature stuff you’ve heard before, but every aspect of it, from the writing to the performance to the production, is top notch; this is a truly excellent record. – Spear
