Structures — Life Through A Window
★☆☆☆ This album obliterates the already uncomfortably thin dividing line between djent and nu metal. It’s equal parts Vildhjarta and Static-X. Ugh. See the rest here
Category: First Listens
Barrows — Red Giant
★★☆☆ This instrumental ode to a dying star is groovy, man. Groovy. See the rest here
Misery Index — The Killing Gods
★★★☆ This album both suffers and benefits from feeling like a slightly higher brow Black Dahlia Murder. It’s refreshing and rare to hear the refinement in this brand of death metal, but it also softens the cutting edge a wee bit. Still, this is a frenetic and powerful 43 minutes, and a joy to hear from cover to cover. See the rest here
Lacuna Coil — Broken Crown Halo
★☆☆☆ This is a crowning achievement for Lacuna Coil, with pristine production and their best sonic depth ever. This is also (and more importantly) boring to the point of tedium. Imagine Evanescence without Amy Lee, and you can safely skip listening to this album as a result. See the rest here
Killer Be Killed — Killer Be Killed
★☆☆☆ This is a wildly uneven effort on every level. Vocalists, energy levels, and styles change midsong without warning or reason. The low points, if we’re being very honest, is whenever Max Cavalera or Troy Sanders open their mouths to sing. (Remarkable as it may seem, Greg Puciato’s vocals are a breath of fresh air every time you get to hear them here.) See the rest here
Prong — Ruining Lives
★★☆☆ I’ve had this theory in my head for a while now: Prong has been dead and gone for almost 20 years, and everything we hear now from the band is akin to a new Michael Jackson release: resurrected from lost tapes and B-sides to the Cleansing and Rude Awakening recordings, perhaps propped up with guest musicians, but not truly new. See the rest here
Epica — The Quantum Enigma
★★☆☆ I’ll be the first to admit that symphonic metal isn’t exactly my cup of tea. But this album fuses the typical orchestral bombast with a speed and heaviness that is as effective as the former is saccharine. Epica get props for doing something a bit more compelling than your usual fare… but good lord, is “The Quantum Enigma” overlong. See the rest here
Mekong Delta — In A Mirror Darkly
★★☆☆ This Mekong Delta does a great job of sounding like both modern-day and retro Fates Warning, with some touches of Symphony X and Rush all at the same time. It’s really strange. It’s also very self-indulgent. But their clear ambition is admirable, and at least it’s certainly interesting throughout. See the rest here
Saliva — Rise Up
☆☆☆☆ You’ve gotta be fucking kidding me with this. Papa Roach would be an improvement. See the rest here
Agalloch — The Serpent & The Sphere
★★★☆ No real surprises here from the kings of atmospheric dark metal… just an excellent sonic journey. The album is lush and hypnotic, at times evocative of Tool or Old Man Gloom. Well worth your time. See the rest here
