★★★☆ This is the toughest review I’ve had to write all year. Yes, this is the debut album from what was ostensibly a marketing stunt, a J-Pop girl band fused Akira-style with a metal band. It shouldn’t be good, like the first DETHKLOK shouldn’t have been good. What to say, then, about the fact that this album features muscular riffs, sick solos, wall-to-wall ear candy, and two of my favorite breakdowns of 2014? See the rest here
★★★☆ This is step up from their previous album, “The Power Within,” largely in terms of composition. The blistering musicianship and polished production are as good as ever. There’s still an overall overfamiliarity to a good chunk of this music, like you’ve heard it before, in a way that doesn’t quite come across as homage. See the rest here
★★★☆ This album lives in a sweet spot halfway between The Melvins and Alice In Chains, but the end result is better than you could expect from that kind of description. Full of dark swagger, it’s an unusual record, and one that rewards a careful listen. You might not bang your head, but you’ll certainly snarl along when you listen to it. See the rest here
★★★☆ Goddamn, but this album is fun. Our favorite Scottish pirate metal band do good on this one, with a perfect blend of frivolousness and serious riffs. It’s really hard note to smirk and imagine sloshing a frothy mug of beer to each tune. Even the Taio Cruz cover feels good to hear. See the rest here
★★★☆ My very first impression was that, while there’s nothing new or fancy here, that familiarity comes across as classic more than tired. Beneath the surface of this short and sweet deathy brutality, however, these guys are experimenting a little with mood and dynamics, in a way that reminds me of a more Euro version of The Black Dahlia Murder. See the rest here
★★★☆ This album starts out with some a fierceness that never completely dissipates, even as the music transitions from ballsy detuned death to a more traditional metalcore. Even at their most derivative, Darkest Hour have an undeniable energy pumping right into your face. Scowlworthy from beginning to end, and that’s a good thing. See the rest here
★★★☆ I’m not entirely sure how this band did it, but they’ve created a rough and rugged album of deathy noisy hardcore that doesn’t feel exhausting or derivative, no matter how much those words might objectively apply. There’s a cleverness and freshness to their onslaught, even while never straying very far from their Cannibal-Corpse-meets-Kurt-Ballou ethic. See the rest here
★★★☆ Long live Overkill Incorporated! Their latest product is just as ferocious as any before it. The songwriting on this album aims less for coherent songwriting and more for fun thrashy moments… and the trade-off works remarkably well. Also, of particular note to me: D.D. Verni’s bass tone is just as coppery as ever, but the way that the mix has dialed in his mids and low end is gonna be hard to improve upon. See the rest here
★★★☆ Now this is some tasty doom! This sounds like a cross between Candlemass, Ihsahn, and Tom G. Warrior. Heavy to be sure, but also interesting just when the relentless pressure starts to get a bit repetitive. Shreddy riffs all over the place. Also, Finnish has got to be one of the uglier languages to scream. See the rest here
★★★☆ It would take a PhD in Djent Studies to correctly identify this album as Monuments and not TesseracT. But there’s something refreshing in the way that the band double down on their jerky tendencies, while putting down more layers than ever before. Also, Monuments definitely throw down the heavy when they feel like it. See the rest here
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