✦✦✦✧ I have somehow been snoozing on Logan Mader’s work after he left Machine Head. What a great time then to hop on Once Human’s bandwagon: this album feels like a wholly cohesive statement, yet not quite like anything else you can hear today. Lauren Hart’s vocals that remind of Chester Bennington as often as of Joe Duplantier, all to great effect. See the rest here
✦✦✦✧ A fairly heavy, if not too polished, album of lavish prog folk metal and a fitting continuation of the band’s evolution into being a spiritual if not literal eastern extension of the Gothenburg sound. Solid from start to finish, although I do yearn for a standout classic or two (although “Windmane” comes close). See the rest here
✦✦✦✧ As ever, this band has two modes: sumptious gorgeousness and feral mathcore aggression. What’s new and noteworthy is how well those two threads can be woven together, and in how many different combinations they work in tandem, not quite as relegated to their separate corners as before. I’m hardpressed to think of another band that can pull this off so effectively. See the rest here
✦✦✦✧ If there’s a surprise here, it’s only how fun this new slab of NWOBHM is. And if you’re truly surprised, that’s on you, buddy. Also, Biff Byford’s pipes sound fanfuckingtastic… but everyone here sounds great, thanks in part to the pristine mix courtesy of Andy Sneap. Just, ya know, fuckin’ listen to it already! See the rest here
✦✦✦✧ This is the frontrunner for the best progressive metal album of 2022. It is an order of magnitude better than their previous album (which, as an Arsies contestant, was clearly no slouch). Seriously, it’s better in just about every way I can imagine. It shreds, but when it doesn’t shred, it emotes. See the rest here
✦✦✦✧ Korn’s fourteenth studio album showcases a streamlined and mature band that have learned how to cherry-pick from their various tics, reinvesting in the ones that still bear fruit (e.g., a seemingly endless penchant for fun guitar tones) and distancing themselves from those that no longer do (Fieldy’s scalloped tone). It’s a shame that there are no real instant classics here, which would be a far more fitting reward for their evolution. See the rest here
✦✦✧✧ Three tracks; 62 minutes! But don’t let that scare you off: this is a compelling trip. It’s also totally stoney as fuck. But it works for me! Also, where are my pants? See the rest here
✦✦✧✧ Look at this three-necked instrument! This guy is still a shredding maniac. The album is definitely worth checking out for its unpredictable creativity and alien imagination, even if it is hardly rock, let alone metal. I’d describe it as a modern instrumental Zappa-like exploration, and I mean that as nicely as I can. See the rest here
✦✦✦✧ Aethereus’ sophomore album find the band in even more uncomprosingly dissonant form. Seamlessly transitioning from tradition techdeath to Gorguts-inspired mayhem is a talent in and of itself. And then there are the orchestral elements: rather than slathering the album with typical metal symphonic filler, the band present sections that would be at home with some of modern classical’s most atonal standardbearers (e.g. See the rest here
✦✦✦✧ This is an uneven deathcore album, but the highs outweigh the lows. I can’t help but imagine that if the band had focused on a 45-minute album, it might have made it to four stars. Alas, this 67-minute opus makes you hang in there for all the gems, which are plentiful thankfully. See the rest here
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