★★★☆ This is satisfyingly straightforward thrash, not bogged down by overthinking or overproduction. There is a sameness to the material and pace that starts to bog you down after a while, but the overall sound is just different enough to not sound too derivative (while still be very firmly rooted in the genre it so lovingly emulates). See the rest here
★★☆☆ I’m going to throw out some names that crossed my mind as I listened to this prog metal epic, and you tell me if you can resist the siren call: Textures. Chimp Spanner. Allan Holdsworth. Fredrik Thordendal. Compelling, right? And yet, about halfway through, the album loses its footing and starts sounding like just another djent band. See the rest here
★★★☆ A throwback? Perhaps. But this album from Helloween-offshoot Gamma Ray also offers an updated take on some vintage power metal, with hints of Savatage, Queensrÿche, Blind Guardian, and yes Helloween. And Priest. And Queen? And to be honest, the album starts to overstay its welcome about two thirds of the way in. See the rest here
★★☆☆ Holy fuck, is this folksy. With most other bands, folk metal tips over too easily into awkward caricature. But somehow, not only do Equilibrium avoid this trap, but their unflinching commitment helps them create an authenticly uplifting headbanging experience. At its best, “Erdentempel” sounds like Týr as performed by DragonForce. See the rest here
★☆☆☆ Blech. I mean, for blackened death metal, it’s pretty good. But it’s so self-consciously de rigueur that the whole thing reeks of awful familiarity. See the rest here
★★★☆ This is a fun half hour of grindcore, as perfectly gross, silly, and sloppy as the genre demands. You’ll likely appreciate it more if you keep in mind that this is the product of a co-ed Bay Area supergroup, featuring ex-members of Exhumed, Repulsion, and local heros The Iron Maidens. See the rest here
★★★☆ This is a mighty fine riff salad of an album. And while there’s plenty of room for Obscura’s drummer to showcase his percussive abilities, he also does a great job as composer and ringleader here. The music is proggier than I was expecting (always a bonus), and the sound comes from somewhere between Obscura and Marty Friedman. See the rest here
★☆☆☆ I’m not sure whether to call this powercore (as the band’s marketing materials would want), or bro-metal or what, but it’s unfortunately very lackluster and derivative. See the rest here
★★☆☆ This EP is not unlike taking a quick regional flight: you spend so much of your time getting to cruising altitude, that once you’re there it’s time to start your initial descent. The material here is good and lush and well-done, of course, but Cloudkicker music needs time and space to unfold into its ultimate form, and that means that there’s actually not a whole lot here. See the rest here
★★★☆ Torrential Downpour are so wonderfully weird. They’re weird even for prog metal, which I gather is the only category crazy enough to accept this band. And this album is equal parts Battles, BTBAM, Mars Volta, UK, and Dillinger. The band rely a bit too much here on digital whammy and trebly screeching for my tastes, but aside from that, this album just begs for multiple listens. See the rest here
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