★★☆☆ At its best (ie: “Bad Vibes”), this album demonstrates an energy and vitality that is undeniable and infectioous. At its worst, it is just another forgettable exercise from The Kurt Ballou School Of Overdrive. See the rest here
★★☆☆ While others are trying to reform their djenty excesses, Vildhjarta doubles down on their latest EP. The result: a somewhat satisfying, yet very confusing, 24 minutes that goes whichever way it pleases. Perhaps it’s the unpredictability that makes the EP’s high points so good… but the overall experience is not unlike getting roofied (or so I hear). See the rest here
★★★☆ Don’t let the sophomoric title or cover art fool you. Instead of a bad COC knockoff, this is basically a Massachusetts metalcore supergroup (with ex-members of Shadows Fall and KSE), giving themselves free license to use metalcore as a base camp for all their frenetic, frantic excursions into many other metal genres. See the rest here
★★★☆ Definitely taking more than one page from the Black Dahlia Murder playbook, this melodic death metal manages to sound just different enough from the rest of the pack to feel interesting. This is a grower (and not an easy one at that), and not entirely as original as BDM. But IKE does have something going for it that BDM does not: easy accessibility to their latest fucking album online, that’s what. See the rest here
★★☆☆ This is a tricky album. On the one hand, it’s an excellent bit of metalcraft. On the other, it’s somehow existentially boring. There’s nothing I can put my finger on very easily… it just doesn’t seem very interested in itself, beyond the rote regurgitation of modern metal tropes. Perhaps the best response I can come up with for this album is, “Yep. See the rest here
★★☆☆ As always, this Soulfly album suffers greatly from a seriously lacking self-editing. Here, you’re treated to some interesting (albeit already belabored) ideas, but heavily encrusted with the unshakable feeling that you’re listening to Max Cavalera noodling around without wit or reason. It’s a well-produced indulgence, but one that never lets you forget you’re in Max’s world, like it or not. See the rest here
★★☆☆ It’s been a long time since I actually cared about a Fates Warning album, but this one is a pretty good one to come back for. Don’t be fooled by the first 20 minutes, which are marred by hints of Parallels-era weakness, and definitely don’t miss the three-song prog powerhouse of “I Am,” “Lighthouse,” and “Into The Black”; these old boys still have some energetic surprises in them yet. See the rest here
★★☆☆ The most monstrous of this year’s Cookie Monster vocals, this album still manages to keep things interesting, taking unexpected musical turns that verge on progressive… while still staying firmly rooted in the familiar detuned deathcore territory of bands like The Acacia Strain and Thy Art Is Murder. Original enough to not be completely disposable, but not excellent enough to withstand obsessive re-listens, Oceano still turns in an album worth at least one perusal. See the rest here
★★☆☆ BOS take the state-of-the-art to a new level: instead of having programmed drums, it’s as if every single element on this album is produced to the level of artiface. There isn’t a guitar part that couldn’t be gated, or so it goes. Despite the machines having taken over, there are still some legitimately enjoyable parts throughout the album. See the rest here
★☆☆☆ This album can be described as having three modes: unabashed fanboy aping of prog rock classics, unabashed self-parody, and unlistenable bombastic crap. The best that this album can do, Enigma Machine, manages to escape the gravitational pull of Erotomania. Otherwise, you’re not missing much at all. See the rest here
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