Throwdown — Intolerance
★★☆☆ It’s hard to care about this thrash-meets-hardcore album. Oh, it’s meaty and metallic enough, but it’s also a bit unconvincing. Take half a listen and tell me if you disagree. See the rest here
First Listens With Two-Star Ratings
Lay Down Rotten — Deathspell Catharsis
★★☆☆ There’s some decent shredding going on here, but there’s also an embarrassing datedness to the album, from its lyrics and Eastern-bloc vocals, to its lazy thrashy meanderings. And then there are the drums. The drums are often really shockingly sloppy in passages on virtually every track on the album (especially the double-pedal work). See the rest here
Ringworm — Hammer Of The Witch
★★☆☆ What I really like about these hardcore veterans is that they’ve peppered this album with interesting and atypical riffs. What I really dislike about them is that those interesting riffs are just plugged into the same old tired song format. Also, the vocals are 100% screamed at 100% intensity without rest. See the rest here
Conan — Blood Eagle
★★☆☆ This album is really heavy. And really moody. And unrelenting. And a bit boring, honestly. Then again, I don’t smoke dope, so what do I know. See the rest here
Carnifex — Die Without Hope
★★☆☆ This album is caught halfway between deathgrind and technodeath, between sounding like The Black Dahlia Murder and The Acacia Strain. While that sounds great, the problem is that the shifts between modes happen too quickly to really seat the listener in either. It’s still a well-done bit of nastiness, though, with a nice assortment of riffs and leads. See the rest here
Prostitute Disfigurement — From Crotch To Crown
★★☆☆ Very technical death metal, on a par with Gorguts or Disincarnate. Impressive, furious, but a little dated by now. By the way, I can’t say that I’m in love with the band’s gratuitously misogynistic tone. I get the need to be shocking, but c’mon. See the rest here
Morbus Chron — Sweven
★★☆☆ This is a conflicting album. On the one hand, you get the sense that it does an excellent job executing on whatever kind of music it’s trying to be. On the other hand, it’s not quite outlandish or groundbreaking enough to be notable. Combined, it comes across as a high-water mark of self-informed nonreferential music that’s equal parts doom, sludge, and Southern rock. See the rest here
Behemoth — The Satanist
★★☆☆ This album is as good as Behemoth gets. And that there is mixed praise. It is relatively expansive, and more mature than you’d suspect. But it’s also a bit tired and unexciting. Still, it’s a bit of an improvement over Evangelion. See the rest here
Conquering Dystopia — Conquering Dystopia
★★☆☆ The debut album from this talented instrumental supergroup is turgid with virtuosic excellence, letting loose an unfettered stream of steaming self-indulgence. Analogies to pissing notwithstanding, it’s definitely an entertaining ride, but almost impossible to remember once the ride is over. See the rest here
Suicidal Angels — Divide And Conquer
★★☆☆ Delightfully uncomplicated thrash, with a hint of Slayeresque sensibilities. This isn’t going to make it to the New York Times Book Review, but it is going to get your head to bob. See the rest here
