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DødheimsgardBlack Medium Current

✦✦✦✧ Surprisingly accessible, as far as avant-garde black metal goes. The album’s experimentation comes at you as curveballs without warning; while not every bet pays off, there are definite rewards here if you’re patient enough to receive them. Vicotnik’s vocals are a conspicuous letdown when compared to the lush production, instrumentation, and expansive songwriting.

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GridlinkCoronet Juniper

✦✦✦✧ This is fucking ridiculously blistering post-grindcore that feels more like speed metal than anything else. Note that this is technically a double album, with the second half dedicated to “karaoke” versions of the 11 songs. Also note that, even doubled up, the album is less than 40 minutes long. Also also note that, even listening solely to the trve 19-minute core album will leave you exhausted.

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AutopsyAshes, Organs, Blood And Crypts

✦✦✧✧ OSDM pioneers are back with another slab of gory filth. This time, they’re sounding more experimental and expansive than on their previous albums, and that’s for the good. You’ll hear plenty of nods to virtually all over kinds of metal… so long as those influences are from 1987. There’s lots of tasty shredding all over the place, too.

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SadusThe Shadow Inside

✦✦✧✧ Holy crap, new Sadus! Not that I was asking, but this album finally settles the question, What would this band sound like without bass legend Steve DiGiorgio? Answer: not-as-interesting Bay Area thrash. That’s not to say it’s bad by any means, so if that’s your mood and you want something new-ish and shreddy, give this a listen!

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CapraErrors

✦✦✦✧ It doesn’t get more hardcore than this, Capra’s second album. This album may have a runtime of 31 minutes, but you definitely get your money’s worth here. Anyway, it’s hard to criticize anything on here, without feeling the guilt of spending time outside of the swirling circle pit that this music requires.