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In Flames’ Foregone: 2-Cent Review

Posted in Album Reviews, Reviews with tags on 02/03/2023 by korzeck

The end of the world is coming if the status quo continues. We all know that. But is there still a sliver of hope? That’s the question everyone is returning to — ironically, as we try to shake off the collective stupor that the global pandemic inflicted upon us.

It’s also the overarching theme of Foregone, the brilliantly crafted 14th album by Swedish melodic-metal masters In Flames. That’s right: metal. Whereas many of the band’s previous recent records fell under the umbrella of heavy rock, this 12-song tour de force delivers a punishing blow befitting the dire topic at hand.

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We Saw Spirit Mother Play Live — And So Should You, Motherfuckers

Posted in Concert Reviews, Reviews with tags on 11/08/2022 by korzeck

It’s not clear what Boise did to deserve two heart-pounding performances in one year by Spirit Mother. They are one of the best new psych-rock bands on the West Coast — which is saying a lot, given that it’s currently the favored strain of indie music from Seattle to San Diego.

The Bad Penny had the honor of speaking with frontman Armand Lance before Spirit Mother headlined a gig at Neurolux on June 9. And last night, we had the equally great opportunity to finally watch them do what they do best: cause the jaws of dozens of music fans to collectively drop.

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Amon Amarth, Liminal Shroud: Best New Releases

Posted in Album Reviews, New Releases, Reviews with tags , , on 08/05/2022 by korzeck

Hop over to New Noise to check out our inaugural roundup of new releases that drop today.

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Memento: A Spellbinding Set List From Bewitcher

Posted in Concert Reviews, Features, Mementos, Reviews with tags , , , , , on 07/04/2022 by korzeck
Bewitcher’s frontman, Unholy Weaver of Shadows & Incantations

Bewitcher, Portland’s most scintillating speed-metal band since Toxic Holocaust, blew the garage doors off the Shredder in Boise once again on Friday night. It was an exhilarating set played by the band that played the same venue with Nile in mid-April, and with Exhumed and Creeping Death in November 2021.

The 50-or-so attendees danced and rubbed knocked elbows during each song, before and after which Bewitcher’s gracious frontman — who goes by the tough-to-memorize moniker Unholy Weaver of Shadows & Incantations — frequently expressed his appreciation for the crowd.

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Brain Tourniquet Turn Minds Into Mush at 1st PacWest Gig

Posted in Concert Reviews, Reviews with tags , on 07/01/2022 by korzeck
Brain Tourniquet

The phrase “time is of the essence” originated during the construction of the first Transcontinental Railroad that connected rail networks in the eastern U.S. with the western half of the country. Time is also the essence of live performances by Brain Tourniquet, a D.C. band that is powerfully violent to the hardest of cores.

On Friday night, the trio played their first gig in the Pacific Northwest at Boise’s haven for hard and heavy music, the Shredder. In the spirit of Brain Tourniquet’s speedy set — during which they played about 20 songs in 20 minutes — what follows is a rapid-fire attempt to communicate what it’s like seeing them live.

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Unto Others Hit Boise With a Bang (and Bangs)

Posted in Concert Reviews, Reviews with tags , , , , , , , on 05/12/2022 by korzeck
Gabriel Franco of Unto Others at the Shredder in Boise on 5.8.22

It’s been a decade or three too long since mobs of miscreants banged their heads to metal mavens wearing bangs. That’s aside from Dave Mustaine and Joey Belladonna — who, at 60 and 61 years old, respectively, really should move aside. C’mon, guys, let the young ones get their chance.

But on Sunday night at the Shredder, Boise got some fresh air and fresh hair in the form of throwback ‘80s hard rockers Unto Others, a newish quartet from Portland, Oregon, led by frontman Gabriel Franco. Breathing new life into a cauldron of ‘80s hard rock, his group originally spawned in 2017 as Idle Hands. Shortly thereafter, they changed their name to another Biblically referenced moniker, Unto Others.

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Bob Odenkirk’s New Memoir: 20 Key Takeaways

Posted in Comedy, Lists, Reviews, What You Readin' For? with tags , , on 05/03/2022 by korzeck
Bob Odenkirk’s Comedy Comedy Comedy Drama: A Memoir

Thanks to his breakthrough role as Saul Goodman a.k.a Jimmy McGill in Breaking Bad and Better Call Saul, Bob Odenkirk finally got his due in mainstream culture starting in 2009. Landing the part was a game-changer for the actor/writer/director/sketch-comedy icon who had spent more than a decade toiling on dozens of projects that never saw the light of day.

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Wayfarer Blow Away Boise With Blistering Black-Metal Fare

Posted in Concert Reviews, Reviews with tags , on 04/17/2022 by korzeck
Wayfarer at the Shredder on 4.14.22

Make no mistake about it: Denver’s Wayfarer are dead-set on claiming the throne as kings of black metal in the Western U.S. Cofounded in 2011 by guitarist/vocalist Shane McCarthy, bassist/vocalist James Hansen and drummer Isaac Faulk, the group even haughtily describes itself as follows: “Wayfarer is black metal of the American West.”

Reaching such status will be a very tall order, but the quartet (also featuring guitarist Joe Strong-Truscelli) showed promise with a relentlessly crushing concert at the Shredder in Boise on Thursday night. The gig was the penultimate one on their 11-date “Death Rides West” jaunt.

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Yola ‘Stands’ Tall and Proud at Post-Grammys Gig

Posted in Concert Reviews, Interviews with tags , , , , , on 04/14/2022 by korzeck
Yola at the Knitting Factory in Boise on April 6, 2022

British-born, Nashville-based singer/songwriter Yola left the Grammy Awards empty-handed last week, losing to Jon Batiste for Best American Roots Song and Los Lobos for Best Americana Album. Still. the outcomes weren’t a huge surprise for an emerging artist whose music is not confined to a single genre.

Indeed, Yola didn’t seem phased whatsoever when she played her unique blend of pop/country/hip-hop/Americana/soul/R&B/you-name-it to the Knitting Factory in Boise. Smiles abounded through the crowd, who were enraptured by Yola’s vocal range and authenticity — and seemed to know the show was so special, they might tell their kids about it someday.

Her covers of Elton John and Bernie Taupin’s “Goodbye Yellow Brick Road,” Aretha Franklin’s “Day Dreaming” and Anita Baker’s “Sweet Love” iced the cake.

If you aren’t yet familiar with the gift from the music gods that is Yola, check out my recent cover story on the artist for Music Connection. In the feature, she discusses her most recent album, July 2021’s Stand for Myself; growing up practically destitute; the “hot mess” that is U.K. Prime Minister Boris Johnson; and her lifelong love of Dolly Parton.

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Noctambulist, Sunless Eclipse the Rest in Boise

Posted in Concert Reviews, Reviews with tags , on 04/11/2022 by korzeck
Noctambulist at the Shredder in Boise, ID, on 4.10.22

“Just remember what ol’ Jack Burton does when the earth quakes, the poison arrows fall from the sky, and the pillars of Heaven shake. Yeah, Jack Burton just looks that big old storm right in the eye and says, ‘Give me your best shot. I can take it.’ ” -Jack Burton, “Big Trouble in Little China”

The Shredder, Boise’s go-to club for brutal bands, came out of the pandemic with guns blazing. Tech/death-metal legends Defeated Sanity and Skeletal Remains dropped by late last month. Meanwhile, Inferi, Wayfarer, Bewitcher, Nite, Borknagar, Rotting Christ, Necronomicon, the Convalescence and Malevolent Creation will perform there over the next month.

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