Thou — Heathen
★★★☆ This album some dystopian futureworld lovechild of Isis and The Ocean. I’m dutybound to classify it as doom metal, but that’s like calling Sriracha “ketchup.” See the rest here
Category: First Listens
Basement Torture Killings — A Night Of Brutal Torture
★☆☆☆ Well, I’ll give BTK this much: this grindcore is pretty frantic. But it’s also fairly lo-fi, nonsensical, and slippery to boot. If all you want is grossness at high speed, you’ll probably enjoy it. Otherwise, it feels like a lesser version of Macabre. See the rest here
Devil You Know — The Beauty of Destruction
★★★☆ This isn’t just a simple amalgam of styles that you tend to get with metal supergroups, but an interesting bit of exploration away from their metalcore and thrashy origins. When it works, anyway; sometimes the experiments fall flat. And overall there’s a haunting similarity to the Frankenstein quality I remember hearing on many of the Roadrunner United album. See the rest here
Lord Mantis — Death Mask
★☆☆☆ This album flirts with being interesting. See the rest here
Svarttjern — Ultimatum Necrophilia
★★☆☆ Slightly more interesting than just by-the-numbers black metal, but this still manages to not come across as surprising or inventive. It falls somewhere between Burzum and Dethklok somehow. See the rest here
Winterstorm — Cathyron
★☆☆☆ This is expertly done… I suppose. I mean, it’s got everything I’d expect from Bavarian power metal: galloping riffs, synth pads at all times, and anthemic and awkward vocals that are a bit too conspicuous in the mix. It’s all a little tired for me. But if you like this sort of thing, well, check this album out. See the rest here
Winger — Better Days Comin’
★★☆☆ This is an oddly satisfying album. It never strays far from its bun-shaking hair metal roots, but it comes atcha by way of a surefooted technicality and progressiveness a la King’s X. This is a must-hear (especially the stand-out track “Tin Soldier”), but probably just once. See the rest here
Cormorant — Earth Diver
★★★☆ It’s like someone took some of the best parts of Opeth, Mastodon, The Ocean, Isis, and Enslaved, put it in some rusted out machinery, and extruded out a nasty but delicious paste. See the rest here
I Killed The Prom Queen — Beloved
★★☆☆ Very well done mathcore that yet somehow fails to inspire. You’ll nod your head, but kinda because you just have to, ya know? Nice interesting and “brutal” breakdowns, though, so there’s that. See the rest here
Pyrrhon — The Mother Of Virtues
★★☆☆ This is pretty much Gorguts by way of The Melvins or Fantômas. If you’re into that sort of thing. It’s expertly done, but there’s no way I can do anything other than hold on to the dash for a whiteknuckled ride that is impossible to remember as soon as it’s over. See the rest here
