★★☆☆ Much like Overkill, Exodus is in the business of giving you meat-and-potatoes thrash metal. But as much love as I give Exodus (or anyone) for flying the vintage thrash banner, this album feels a bit too retro. A big part of the problem is that, rather than trying to bring the old form into the present day to freshen it up, the album seems stuck somewhere between 1997 and 2003. See the rest here
★★★☆ This is a potent slab of unfriendliness, a stripped-down and detuned post-industrial attack that’s honestly hard to take in one sitting. That’s surely a sign of the album’s potency, and Godflesh are as potent and outside the norm now as they were 20 years ago. See the rest here
★☆☆☆ Take the ultra-low speed-death stylings of The Acacia Strain, then digitalize and crabcore the fuck out of it all. Repeatedly, this album sounds less like metal and more like an overdriven 8-bit soundtrack. I was headbanging all the while, but only if you also count me shaking my head at the unapologetic artiface of it all. See the rest here
★★★★ Holy fuck. I was all set to give this album two stars as I started to listen to it, but then I gave it a fresh re-listen. It has all the fury of the band’s eponymous predecessor, and the sound is unmistakably Revocation, and at the same time the album sounds like a whole other band altogether. See the rest here
★★☆☆ Meaty as ever, although most of the material on this EP is literally feedback. Still, if you have love in your black heart for PD, this recording is for you. See the rest here
★★☆☆ Take the Scar Symmetry you think you knew, and randomly add J-Pop, Meshuggah, and EDM to the mix. This works more often than you’d think, and at its best the album is a bona fide headnodder. But these changes happen mid-song, making it difficult to get into a real groove with the album. See the rest here
☆☆☆☆ Complete fucking wankery. They’re accomplished musicians, that much is clear. But with that much latitude comes a responsibility to make something even remotely listenable. Which this is not. See the rest here
★★★☆ “Colossus” is a stripped-down but meaty affair, sharing as much in common with Baroness as it does with RATM, post-Layne AIC, the Jesus Lizard, and Stanford Prison Experiment. Everything works here in the band’s favor. The bass and guitars are forever locked in an effectively feral unison, the drums punctuate and drive without mercy, and Jeff Martin’s vocals soar over it all with a self-assured boldness. See the rest here
★☆☆☆ While this is a credible paean to vintage Black Sabbath, this albums gets ponderously tiresome in a hurry. The album is so relentlessly sludgy and lo-fi that it goes from “stoned immaculate” to “trying too hard.” Also, every single track has the ability to feel like it’s too long, regardless of actual clock time. See the rest here
★★★☆ Listening to “Slaves To The Grave” feels a bit like doing homework… and I mean that in a good way, mostly. The album defies expectation at every turn. It’s got a lo-fi production aesthetic that belies the excellent musicianship and sonic craftsmanship that lurks throughout the whole album. Also, while the musical mainstay here is clearly a speedy thrash, the studious and patient ear can pick out variations in the music evocative Ministry and Gwar — two bands obviously shaped by Rigor Mortis in their overlapping histories. See the rest here
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