By Khagan Aslanov
The hallowed indie band returns with a refined album that may miss the frenzy but still lingers like a restless spirit.
Hailing from Siksika Nation, about an hour’s drive east of Calgary, punk quartet Iron Tusk have spent the past five years conjuring thrashy, doomy tracks that explore their supernatural surroundings.
Anchored by drummer and Band Council representative Carlin Blackrabbit (Sikoha’tsista), Iron Tusk has spun pandemic malaise into hard-rock gold with the arrival of their latest offspring, “Abyss.” A one-track minefield of chainsaw guitar riffs and pressurized percussion, “Abyss” rips open a psychic chasm that threatens to swallow the world.
Strident vocals and fiery lyrics drive the entire musical mechanism toward the precipice as guitarist/producer Craig Bear Chief, guitarist/vocalist Ty Maguire and bassist/vocalist Buddy Wolfleg detonate a galvanizing think bomb. Balancing light and darkness on a razor’s edge, the volatile depth of this single makes “Abyss” a fitting aftershock to the band’s soul-devouring 2020 EP, Iron Tusk III: Dream Eaters (Transistor 66).
By Khagan Aslanov
The hallowed indie band returns with a refined album that may miss the frenzy but still lingers like a restless spirit.
By Ben Boddez
The Nashville indie-rocker faces mortality head-on with stripped-back sounds and razor-sharp lyricism.
By Leslie Ken Chu
The Afternoon Bike Ride singer’s debut solo album considers our connection to the Earth through hushed vocals and introspective soundscapes.