✦✦✦✧ First off, I can’t in good conscience call this metal. That said, this is clearly one of the best metal albums of the year. The Armed are the closest group I can think of that truly treat the genre like it’s one equal color on their palette; they’re not metal-with-embellishments, and they’re not pop with high gain guitars. See the rest here
✦✦✦✧ This is Mutoid Man’s most restrained effort, but it’s still energetic and catchy and raw. Stephen Brodsky just keeps aging like wine, as both a guitarist and vocalist. Ben Koller doesn’t miss on the skins. And High On Fire bassist Jeff Matz really shines. Also, it’s been a bit since I’ve heard Kurt Ballou’s production on something new. See the rest here
✦✦✦✧ You know what this reminds me of? VAST. It reminds me of a djentier, heavier VAST.
I fucking love VAST! See the rest here
✦✦✦✧ While not as experimental or envelope-pushing as previous albums, this is still a tasty slab of grindish thrashy metalcore. Half the many riffs here are groovy as hell, while the other half are just punishing. See the rest here
✦✦✦✧ This is a goddamned winner, folks. Virtuosic technical death metal with surprisingly catchy hooks and even more unique cleans sprinkled tastefully throughout. I don’t know how they manage to sound dynamic while also keeping the foot on the gas. Innovative, groovy, just rad as hell. Also did I mention that Cattle Decap is as gross as ever? See the rest here
✦✦✦✧ Body Count meets Sick Of It All meets latter-day Childish Gambino. II feel that shit! Also, for lots of reasons, this might be the sexiest metal album I review all year. Just listen to it; it’s 15 tracks in under 30 minutes. See the rest here
✦✦✦✧ This is actually pretty good! Kip frankly sounds better than ever. And the rest of the band are a murderer’s row of musicianship. That said, the band now find themselves exactly where they’ve always been: just outside every envelope we’d assumed contained them. Not quite Kix, not quite Dokken, not quite King’s X, not quite Queensrÿche… but somehow evocative of all of them. See the rest here
✦✦✦✧ This is what it would’ve sounded like if Slayer had pivoted to thrash in 1987.
What are you waiting for? Get in the pit, hessians! No mercy!! See the rest here
✦✦✦✧ A stunningly beautiful and powerful album that defies genre boundaries. The band’s unique blend of melodic black metal, progressive metal, and post-rock creates a sound that is as haunting and uplifting as it is unpredictable. Avienne Low’s vocals are a standout, soaring over the complex instrumentals with grace and power. See the rest here
✦✦✦✧ One of In Flames’ better late-stage albums. This feels like a return to the Gothenburg melodeath form that this band helped define. The back half of the album does wear out its welcome a bit, though. See the rest here
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