★★☆☆ 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
★☆☆☆ Well, I’ll give you this much: Ulcerate has delivered a pretty disgusting piece of work. The problem is, it’s not particularly compelling or memorable. Vermis is a whole lot of grossness without anything to really say. See the rest here
☆☆☆☆ The idea of this album isn’t terrible, but its execution is so tedious that it can only be seen as a chore. See the rest here
★★☆☆ This is pretty much exactly what you’d expect: Scandinavian folk metal done impeccably well, with hardly any surprises at all. See the rest here
★★★☆ Three stars? Have I lost my mind?!
So here’s the thing: I generally douse Gwar in a shower of wound-stinging salt for being a too-long-in-the-tooth art project band. Their Scatterbrain-meets-Jello-Biafra vocals and spacey high-concept foolishness definitely inspire snobbery. But behind that, the band is just wailin’ all over the place on this album, like a more punk version of Slipknot with their tongues very firmly in their cheeks (or someone else’s). See the rest here
★☆☆☆ Not nearly as sophomoric as some earlier albums from TDWP, the band earns points for giving it a real effort. But my oh my is this an unenthusiastic album. I had to refrain from fast forwarding… not once, not twice, but 14 times during my first and only listen. See the rest here
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