★★☆☆ This is a pretty solid bit of melodic death metal. It’s not particularly special or innovative or memorable in its own right. But it evokes enough Soilwork and Amon Amarth that I wouldn’t kick it out of bed right away. See the rest here
★★★☆ The debut album from this two-piece band from Phoenix is a surprisingly inspiring exploration of doomy wanderings. It’s interesting, listenable, and provocative… three words that don’t typically come to mind when listening to something so inherently sludgy. I am impressed! And I’m going to listen again right now. See the rest here
☆☆☆☆ This is deadly boring, a lackluster blend of Orchid, Bonnie Tyler, and Boston. It’s well done and all, but it’s weighed down by a heavy blanket of downtempo indifference. Also, we should be very clear about this: it ain’t metal, by any stretch. See the rest here
★★☆☆ This is an odd bird. On the one hand, it’s really excellent at what it does: it’s a ballsy rocker that packs a few surprises. On the other hand, it’s a stretch to call it metal. All that said, though, it’s worth a listen or two. See the rest here
★★★☆ Too short for serious consideration, but what little is here is fantastic. This is The Haunted at their most metallic, a sound we haven’t heard from them in years. Very thrashy, and the last track sounds like something you might find on Slayer’s “Undisputed Attitude.” See the rest here
★★★☆ This little album rocks. While you can still here the sampler quality of this quiltwork EP in places, it’s still generally successful as a document of the band’s ambitions and directions, and manages to be cohesive enough to not be a total dysfunctional mess. It’s also both poppier and more metal at times that Periphery II (with standout tracks “directed” by the band’s rhythm section). See the rest here
★★☆☆ Djentcore! That’s a thing, right? This specimen has all the notes, but not much of the heart. As such, I found myself nodding my head like a good soldier, but not really feeling it or caring so much. So, this album isn’t bad. It just isn’t great, either. See the rest here
★☆☆☆ Should a modern metal album aspire to sound like a poor man’s post-Layne Alice In Chains? There are a handful of interesting moments on The Power Of Three, but they’re momentary distractions from the many, many flaws that abound. See the rest here
★★★☆ A subtle, yet inexorable, exploration of sludge collages that are reminiscent of everything from Isis to The Ocean to Pixies to Dies Irae to Bill Laswell. The noise is literally another member of the band on this album. Honestly, I can’t really tell you exactly why it grabbed me from the first listen, but it definitely did. See the rest here
★☆☆☆ This is some seriously self-indulgent stuff. The musicianship is fantastic… but it seems to only serve as an excuse for some out-of-place arias. Also, I can’t imagine ever willingly listening to this again. See the rest here
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