✦✦✧✧ You’re either already into Sunn O))), in which case nothing I say will matter, or you’re curious, in which case let me assure you: this is an isolated guitar riff reamplified, slowed down, and stretched to an hour… and almost nothing more. See the rest here
✦✦✦✧ Very good rethrash. So what if its idea of innovation is a bit of a retread of thrash’s rich history (this band clearly loves them some Slayer and Testament); it’s still gonna lure you into the nearest pit! See the rest here
✦✦✧✧ This is a very mixed bag for me. On the one hand, Allegaeon’s reputation for being an innovative and supertechnical prog death metal act continues with this album. On the other hand, it’s dogged by a persistent sense of detachment. I chalk it up to an underrepresentation of dynamics or variety, which is a weird thing to say in the middle of a super shreddy arpeggiostorm, but there it is. See the rest here
✦✦✦✧ Grossmann’s third solo album starts out with its best track, the ten-minute blistering “Deep,” but has a hard time reaching back up to the same heights, despite guests Jeff Loomis, Marty Friedman, and Christian Muenzner. Even with that issue, the album is technically just about perfect. Crisp production, better-than-average pacing, and of course world-class musicianship make this one a must-listen. See the rest here
✦✦✦✧ This is modern black metal that I can get behind! Not content to splash around in the Deafheaven kiddie pool of Northwestern American post-metal, this band brings in just enough other elements of sustain momentum (and my interest). Hints of Isis, Behemoth, Gojira, and even Deftones make for a surprisingly lively bit of metalgaze. See the rest here
✦✦✦✧ One of Periphery’s best albums to date. Of course, as is by now mandatory for this band, I need to give you my first impressions, song by song:
“Reptile”: absolutely masterful; a new high water mark for the band; Periphery’s Catch 33
“Blood Eagle”: a fun slice of Periphery when they’re feeling their most metal; all over the radio, though, so I’m probably gonna get over it real quick. See the rest here
✦✦✦✧ This is some feral crusty mayhem, now even more laced with post-punk nastiness. I finally hear the hint of a sound for the band that isn’t immediately reminiscent of someone else. (If hard pressed, I’d name The Haunted, Nails, and of course Dying Fetus, in equal measure.) See the rest here
✦✦✧✧ Solid prog metal from the Cynic and Sadus school of neoclassical musicianship and sooooo much fretless bass (good to hear Hugo Doyon-Karout’s tireless perambulations all over the place). This is an interesting and promising debut; while it loses points for cookie monster vocals and overall anemic production values, it’s still an almost-great album. See the rest here
✦✦✧✧ This is a more proggy kind of Floridian death metal (think old school Morbid Angel with just a hint of Pestilence or Malevolent Creation thrown in). Emphasis on Floridian: this band seem to have doubled down on a garage band ethic, albeit with some welcome bass in the mix; worse is the band’s disregard for the listener’s flow. See the rest here
✦✦✦✦ This is Devin Townsend at his most devy. More than ever, he imbues all of his music here with metal, but in oblique and non-ostentatious ways. Put another way, this album of progressive rock, electronica, choral music, and soundscapes just happens to treat the panoply of metal subgenres as source motifs. See the rest here
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