✦✦✧✧ Proving that they are still a band that marches to the beat of their own badly mixed drums, Metallica have filled this (their tenth studio album) with riffs and aggression “inspired” by their thrashier past. This is a welcome departure from the overarching theme of the band’s last few albums: ill-conceived experiments in audio engineering gone wrong. See the rest here
✦✦✦✧ This debut from underground noise rock darlings seems to hit all the right notes at first blush: feel-it-in-your-balls drums, screechy screams, maximized and compressed bass and guitar, tasty feedback doled out generously. There’s also a self-conscious and catchy winking quality here that occasionally threatens to undermine the band’s emotional effectiveness. See the rest here
✦✦✧✧ There’s a well-considered trajectory lurking within the formulaic confines of this sludgy album, almost bordering on the progressive side. Mostly, the plotted journey is a morose one, meandering awkwardly between Deafheaven and Isis. There are, however, tasty moments throughout that make it a worthwhile listen. See the rest here
✦✦✦✧ This album cements Kvelertak’s position as the new kings of the black ‘n’ roll subgenre. More than ever, the band establish an hitherto unrecognized middle ground between Emperor and Rush circa “Caress Of Steel.” On this, their third album, Kvelertak made the inspired choice of substituting producer Kurt Ballou with Nick Terry, which serves to lend a clearer focus to what the band’s all about. See the rest here
✦✦✦✧ This is almost a very good album. You’ve got an intriguing blend of sounds here, from Deafheaven to Ufomammut to Indian to Isis to Zombi, and with a maximum track length of 5:30 you’d think that this would be the perfect sludge album for me. Sadly, the pacing here is a little too brief for my liking; promising ideas are not always given enough time to germinate, and song endings tend to come quickly and from out of nowhere. See the rest here
✦✦✦✧ At first blush, this latest missive from Testicle is a slightly more polished retread of familiar Bay Area thrash territory. But it doesn’t take long into the first listen to realize that this is actually the sound of a band reinvigorated. Definitely the best thing that Testament has done in years (although the transition from Killer to Filler after track 6 could not be more obvious; skip that shit, unless you really, really want to voluntarily listen to a tune called “Canna-Business”). See the rest here
✦✦✦✧ This album is so ambitious, coming up with descriptive comparisons is itself a daunting proposition. But here goes: take the constituent parts of this supergroup (namely, Animals As Leaders, The Faceless, Veil Of Maya, and Animosity), then pervert those elements with equal parts Intronaut, Meshuggah, Gorguts, and Disincarnate, and then sprinkle in a little EDM-inspired jazzmetal. See the rest here
✦✦✧✧ You know, I don’t hate this! Jamey Jasta’s voice is irritating as always, but the music behind it is more interesting this time around (or at least less repetitive) than on their previous album. Of course, this is notably faint praise, which only gets you so far; in my case, it got me as far as the first 5 tracks. See the rest here
✦✦✦✧ Everything that was ever great about Immortal can be found on this album. But it’s no mere retread or victory lap. Instead, you get a real sense of fun coursing through this tour of true (as opposed to trve) black metal. I couldn’t help but smirk appreciatively the whole time. See the rest here
✦✦✧✧ I really should stop listening to Opeth. This album is even further removed from progressive metal, and much closer to what I’d expect from Leprous or Ghost. Or the more expositional tediums of Dream Theater. It’s really not until “Will O The Wisp,” fourteen minutes into the album, that the band revisits familiar musical territory. See the rest here
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