✦✦✦✧ This could just be the feel-good hit of the summer: high-quality thrash, updated for a newer generation without feeling like it’s overly pandering or forgetting its roots. Kurdt Venderhoof’s songwriting is consistently strong throughout the whole album, the musicianship as polished as ever… but the real standout here is vocalist Mike Howe, which is reminscient of Blitz Ellsworth at times. See the rest here
✦✦✧✧ The band’s third album finds them slightly farther afield from their signature progdeath sound and into trancier territory. While laudable in their ambition, and not completely surprising given the band’s trajectory up to now, their choices make it harder for the listener to build up a head of steam, as the heavy parts are isolated islands awash in a sea of atmospherics and tonalities. See the rest here
✦✦✦✧ This is Gorgut’s “Catch Thirty-Three,” an experimental, progressive, masterwork. This is not an easy listen, but it is dense and brutal and staggering. See the rest here
✦✦✦✧ High-octane lo-fi sludgepunk that’s reminiscent at times of High On Fire, The Melvins, and Turnstile. I’d say more, but that goes against the grain of this slamfest. Just know that it’s a delightful windmillfest up in here. See the rest here
✦✧✧✧ This is an excellent caricature of Rob Zombie. All the superficial elements are here: big guitar tone, over affected vocals, infantile lyrics, and a fetish for utterly disposable B-movie and porn audio samples. What is regrettably new here is a penchant for out-of-nowhere pauses (including flourishes of acoustic guitar!), which disrupt any hope for decent pacing. See the rest here
✦✦✦✧ This album, one of the first released on Ben Weinman’s Party Smasher Inc. label, is a hard one to describe. I can hear elements of Pallbearer, Dillinger, QOTSA, ETID, Mastodon… and while these are all good bands to emulate, this Brooklyn quarter weave them all together in a way that feels fresh and energetic. See the rest here
✦✦✧✧ This is a marked improvement over the band’s last album, “Savage Gold.” It’s more mature, and the band are more self-assured in their exploration of black metal (laced with metalcore elements). And it’s heavy, thanks to a delightfully prominent bass. Worth a listen? Sure. See the rest here
✦✦✦✧ This album is as subtle as a root canal. But that’s what you want from these Belgian death metal masters. So what if nothing here really stands out as an instant classic? Your knuckles may wind up bloody nevertheless. There are notable cameos on “Retrogore” (from the likes of Revocation and Origin), but that’s like putting a parsley garnish on a flambé. See the rest here
✦✦✦✧ Apparently, Layne Staley faked his own death, moved to Southern California, and fronted this doomrock band. So they’ve got that going for them. But in addition, this is some interesting and catchy swagger, reminiscent of QOTSA and 36CF. Come for the crooning, stay for the dooming! See the rest here
✦✦✦✧ This instrumental power trio’s latest album weaves a nasty web of psychedelic trance mayhem, best described as an intersection between Boris, Don Caballero, Pallbearer, and Gojira. It’s purely of-the-moment, which makes for a compelling and effective forced meditation, albeit difficult to remember. And it’s really meant to be listened to all in one go, which makes it a workout for the listener (not to mention for the band themselves). See the rest here
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