★★☆☆ This should be a slam dunk for lovers of technodeath. And yet, while it hits all the right marks (speed, technicality, darkness, guitar solos, blast beats), there’s something about the whole thing that sounds too familiar, especially if you’ve spent any time at all listening to any other technodeath band of the last three years. See the rest here
★★☆☆ Oh hey, it’s Kurt Ballou. The sad thing is, the actual music here has the potential to be better than your average doom metal release, but those moments of promise are weighed down by the sameness of the production. The curious result is that, when the band play slow, you’re treated to some interesting dirgeness… but the faster they play, the more anonymized the sound. See the rest here
★★☆☆ I suppose that one needs to hear this album in the context of a well-loved band releasing new work for the first time in decades. As such, it’s a well-made piece of power metal nostalgia, like a new release from Original Queensrÿche or Ritual-era Testament. But those comparisons should also accurately convey just how old-fashioned the album’s aesthetics feel. See the rest here
★★☆☆ Look, when I say this is the Evanescence of Gothenburg, don’t assume that I mean that in a bad way. There’s something soothing in the cloyingly smooth sounds on this album, although not very memorably so. See the rest here
★★☆☆ Yep, Kurt Ballou. See the rest here
★★☆☆ This side project from Jason Popman of Mushroomhead and Gene Hoglan has got flavors from Slayer, Slipknot, Strapping Young Lad (naturally), and a few various metalcore bands. The net result is pleasing enough, and hits all the right notes, but there’s an antiseptic anonymity to a lot of the music here. See the rest here
★★☆☆ Rather than the extreme fearcore of “Wormwood” or sluggish tedium of “Death Is The Only Mortal,” The Acacia Strain treat us this time around to a detuned-as-always party album, of sorts. Not that you could ever accuse the band of being subtle, but more than ever they’re wearing this silly excesses on their sleeves. See the rest here
★★☆☆ 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
★★☆☆ 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
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