Attila — Guilty Pleasure
☆☆☆☆ Take Marilyn Manson, Limp Bizkit, and Attack! Attack! and extrude them through a rusty meat grinder. That’d still be preferable to this album. See the rest here
Category: First Listens
Iron Reagan — The Tyranny of Will
★★☆☆ Given that this is from the guys who brought you Municipal Waste and Darkest Hour, this album is surprisingly (and unapologetically) punk. And for the most part, it really works. This album may not sound like it at first blush, but it’s got more in common with S.O.D. than with Rancid (or with Darkest Hour, for that matter). See the rest here
Demon Hunter — Extremist
★☆☆☆ When Demon Hunter put their minds to it, they can really throw down some mean metalcore. The problem with this album is that the band seem much more inclined to devote themselves to schmaltzy power metal. See the rest here
Soulburn — The Suffocating Darkness
★☆☆☆ If you like sloppily-performed black metal with endlessly shifting tempos and more vocal reverb than the Mormon Tabernacle Choir, this is the album for you! See the rest here
Ghost Brigade — IV – One With The Storm
★★☆☆ The various sounds on this album belie the split personality of Ghost Brigade, who are now borrowing as from Alice In Chains and Queensrÿche as they do from Katatonia and Soilwork. After the energetic opening track, what follows is a long progression of downtempo anthems. There are some compelling tracks (“Stone and Pillars” is a fantastic example), but the majority of the material here is hard to feel strongly about either way. See the rest here
Nightingale — Retribution
★☆☆☆ This is some lovingly crafted schmaltz. We’re talking album-oriented gloss, like a modern update on ending credits music to a movie from the 80s. I kept expecting a duet with David Coverdale. See the rest here
Earth — Primitive And Deadly
★★☆☆ This is a weird combination of drone metal, shoegazer, and Metallica’s “Lulu.” See the rest here
Bloodbath — Grand Morbid Funeral
★★☆☆ For the pedigree that comes along with this supergroup (Opeth, Katatonia), the resulting album is surprisingly so-so. It’s a perfect and credible fusion of Entombed, Morbid Angel, and a smattering of other classic deathgrind acts. And you’ll nod your head throughout your listening experience. Just don’t be surprised if you feel like you’ve heard this before. See the rest here
Beyond Creation — Earthborn Evolution
★★★☆ Since I’m a graduate of the Steve DiGiorgio School Of Excess Bass, it’s almost impossible for me to not admire this album from Beyond Creation, especially with some of the songs being thinly-veiled excuses for fretless bass worship. And to be honest, those egregious moments are when the album falters the most. See the rest here
Skyharbor — Guiding Lights
★★★☆ If you liked TesseracT’s last album, you’re going to like this one as well for a few reasons (not the least of which is that Daniel Tompkins is the lead vocalist for both bands). It’s lush and layered and gorgeous. I just wish it was slightly more metal than it is. See the rest here
