The net result of plowing through a weighty tome like this is a sense of awe at how a bunch of kids created their own culture whole cloth, like the music industry on a Utopian, communal, microcosmic level.

Slower! Slower! Jen Cray is bowled over by the brutal trudge of an evening with Down , Weedeater and the mighty Melvins.

William Weikart , the mastermind behind the band Obscured by Clouds , is one literate and surprising person. Tim Wardyn unveils Weikart’s impressive cast of influences (including Chris Cornell and Baroque music), how ex-girlfriends contributed to one of the best songs on their album Psycheclectic, and how his bandmate Thee Slayer Hippy got his name.

What began as a side project for Pantera members Phillip Anselmo and Rex Brown has since become a supergroup within the metal world. Down brought their metal alumni to Orlando, and Jen Cray got herself an invite.

Down II: A Bustle in Your Hedgerow (Elektra). Review by Matthew Moyer.

Reason To Live (Spitfire). Review by Daniel Mitchell.

Live Volume (Sanctuary). Review by Nathan T. Birk.

“What’s in a Name…?” (Alternative Tentacles). Review by Nathan T. Birk.