August Burns Red — Rescue & Restore
★☆☆☆ I’m giving ABR a single star for effort, but honestly: this album is a mess. See the rest here
Category: First Listens
Palms — Palms
☆☆☆☆ Not only is this not metal, but it’s not very inspired or even fully-formed besides. And this, friends, is why Isis was right to break up when they did. See the rest here
Attila — About That Life
☆☆☆☆ This is fucking garbage. See the rest here
Extol — Extol
★★★☆ It takes a lot for prog metal to sound unique these days, but this eponymous album from Extol does just that. See the rest here
Philip Anselmo — Walk Through Exits Only
★☆☆☆ This is more of an incoherently abrasive tone poem than a collection of tunes. While there’s nothing inherently wrong with that, a lot of the material on here just feels dumped on the ground. Either that, or I’m clearly not smoking enough dope to enjoy this album. See the rest here
The Black Dahlia Murder — Everblack
★★★★ An instant death metal masterpiece, every bit as compelling as its predecessor. Everblack also manages to push the envelope in terms of complexity, taking chances that almost always pay off. See the rest here
Chthonic — Bú-Tik
★★★☆ Just the lightest smattering of synthy power does not at all get in the way of Chthonic’s high-energy blend of speed metal and Taiwanese opera. See the rest here
