✦✦✦✧ Once again, Xibalba add to their growing witches’ brew of influences with ease, melding vintage death metal, grind, doom, hardcore, and sludge. And it all makes ferocious sense! The real surprise here comes in the last two tracks. I won’t spoil it for you, but it gives you a sense of where Xibalba may go in the future, and it’s exciting yet unexpected. See the rest here
✦✦✦✧ This album perfectly marries the attitude of hardcore and the sound of aggressive industrial, resulting in a post-metal, post-punk triumph, reminiscent of (Arsies winners) The Armed’s “Untitled.” The riffs may not always be memorable, but the band commit to them with such gusto that it’s hard to resist their charm. See the rest here
✦✦✦✧ Lorna Shore go full-epic on their latest album, blending blistering deathcore with symphonic embellishments throughout every song (and I do mean throughout; think violin swells and choral pads behind blast beats). The back half of the album does run out of steam, but there’s plenty here to enjoy for at least 30 minutes. See the rest here
✦✦✦✧ Like other Australian prog bands that I happen to love, C-Horse deliver a fascinating suite of tunes that are heavy yet dynamic, with captivating vocals, unusual riffs, and tasty shredding throughout. This reminds me a lot of what I love about Leprous and Textures. I don’t know that it’d go on heavy rotation, but it’s a worthwhile listen if you get a chance. See the rest here
✦✦✦✧ I did not expect this. Oranssi Pazuzu’s latest album is a blend of their previous black metal excellence, plus Nine Inch Nails? plus Steve Reich?! Also, why hadn’t I really considered how well black metal and industrial sensibilities would blend together before now? It’s potent and methodical and devastating. Run, don’t walk, to your headphones! See the rest here
✦✦✦✧ Tasty and super inventive riffs adorn this latest from this British prog melodeath band (if that’s even a thing). More memorable than their 2015 album “Dormant Heart,” this is also mroe cohesive. And did I mention those riffs yet? Impressive to hear this kind of uniqueness coming consistently on track after track, like they have this creativity in a firehose. See the rest here
✦✦✦✧ Another blistering onslaught of crisp death metal from TBDM. There aren’t any instant-classic tunes on here, but plenty of meat on the bone. It almost grooves in places, too! Strong stuff; highly recommended! See the rest here
✦✦✦✧ Perhaps not as catchy as “The Direction Of Last Things,” but certainly more progressive, unpredictable, and fascinating. Hey Intronaut: if you ever need a second bassist and don’t mind remote work, LMK. See the rest here
✦✦✦✧ If you’ve been waiting for Testicle to do something utterly different for once… well, you’re gonna have to keep waiting. Otherwise, this is finely crafted thrash, of course! See the rest here
✦✦✦✧ I had no idea that technical death metal and symphonic metal could coexist so comfortably! Sure, we’ve all heard tech death albums with “orchestral” intros, but those always seem to be only loosely related to each other. Melancholy is the first example I can think of where both genres feed off each other. See the rest here
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