There's loads to admire here--but plenty to test your patience, too. [11 Jan 2014, p.54]

Good, old-fashioned raging against the machine has rarely sounded better. [1 Feb 2014, p.55]

It resonates as the work of a band with the chops to translate thoughtful material into a powerful and purposeful force. [1 Feb 2014, p.53]

This is a very reflective record that refuses to exist only on one level, and though it's a cliche to say it, the more you put into it, the more you'll get out of it. [1 Feb 2014, p.52]

This is a collection of classic covers and reimaginings if Primus gems done country-style. [25 Jan 2014, p.54]

Good in the dark on headphones, but it's not going to get the party started. [25 Jan 2014, p.54]

They gather together the bit you might have missed to keep the good times rolling. [25 Jan 2014, p.54]

Beyond the admittedly impressive riffing, the rest of what's on offer is perfunctory. [14 Dec 2013, p.60]

Its longer arrangements are glacial expressions of the grotesque; sludge-speed metal that taps doom for tonal contours but keeps the texture popping enough to remain compelling. [21 Dec 2013, p.70]

It's six tracks bleed with conviction and emotional commitment, while a sense of austere grace adds depth to the jagged musical content. [21 Dec 2013, p.69]

The end result is excellent in places, but easier to admire than endure. [21 Dec 2013, p.69]

Shelter is the first great album of 2014. [18 Jan 2014, p.52]

It's the sound of an already good band driving themselves to become greater, determined to not only maintain their impressive momentum, but also to head beyond where they've already been. [18 Jan 2014, p.52]

The music and lyrics the band supply to chronicle these periods of confusion and transition are more than enough to steal the show. [11 Jan 2014, p.52]

They're the latest addition to an emerging new breed of post-hardcore acts that are deliberate, delicate, messy and aggressive all at once. [21 Dec 2013, p.70]

It's a little formulaic, but that doesn't matter when it sounds so hard-hitting. [21 Dec 2013, p.70]

Wonderfully inessential as anything off their 2012 full-length, Self Entitled. [7 Dec 2013, p.54]

For its first half, Life, Love & Hope plays to Boston's strengths.... Sadly, from the insipid If You Were In Love onwards, the album loses its way catastrophically. [7 Dec 2013, p.53]

This is more Beige Flag--and would have been more aptly titled Why... [30 Nov 2013, p.54]

The tense atmospheres and '80s-strength songwriting neutralise the ever-present threat of lapsing into pastiche. [30 Nov 2013, p.53]

[Peace is] packed with well-crafted and thoughtfully arranged compositions. [28 Sep 2013, p.54]

It's too forgettable to be offensive. [23 Nov 2013, p.53]

It's a divergence from Green Day, certainly. But a good one. [23 Nov 2013, p.52]

Karnivool have made a record to enjoy as much as admire. [20 Jul 2013, p.54]

Metal may have become more extreme in Carcass' absence, but they still take 90 percent of the pack to (medical) school. [7 Sep 2013, p.51]

The downside is some songs stop and start abruptly, all dusted with Weiss' preferred up-and-down vocal melody. [2 Nov 2013, p.54]

It's business as usual, then--even with a manic cover of 99 Bottles Of Beer. [2 Nov 2013, p.53]

Aftershock proves that they can still produce the goods in the studio. [2 Nov 2013, p.52]