✦✦✦✧ Barely metal at times, but a very good prog offering nonetheless. It’s a great fusion of 80s and current sounds, at times sounding as much like latter-era Yes or UK as Porcupine Tree or Leprous. It’s an unlikely combination of sources, which I first heard on their previous EP, but this time it totally works without sounding too much like a gimmick. See the rest here
✦✦✦✧ While not entirely groundbreaking, this culmination of Cult Of Luna’s post-metal instrumentals and Julie Christmas’ melodic meanderings is undeniably fresh, winsome, and emotive. The music feels like a synthier fusion of Isis and The Ocean, and the vocals are as entrancing as they are dynamic. This one is a must-listen, and a shoe-in for Arsie competition. See the rest here
✦✦✦✧ Krallice’s style of prog-in-sludge’s-clothing metal is more cohesive and captivating on this EP than their previous album “Ygg Huur,” with hints of Thought Industry and ELP alongside more dominant strains of Agalloch and Pallbearer. I even got a whiff of Meshuggah’s “I” at times. It’s definitely an interesting set of tunes. See the rest here
✦✦✦✧ Bay Area thrash is alive and well! This album sounds like vintage DA, mashed up with some Machine Head, Racer X, Exodus, Sick Of It All, Metal Church… in other words, a melange of vintage early 90s metal. As such, don’t expect any innovation, other that crisp, updated production. You’ll still be quite happy with the expertly delivered headbanging. See the rest here
✦✦✦✧ This is a glorious blend of Voivod and BTBAM, with generous dashes of older Slayer for good measure. At times, this carnival-like shredfest threatens to fly apart from its own frenetic momentum, but this is an entertaining riff salad all the same. See the rest here
✦✦✦✧ At first listen, something feels very off about this latest album from Amon Amarth. The first half in particular finds the band sacrificing their trademark ferocity in exchange for a catchy menace that feels more at home among Soilwork’s darker tunes. Still, the songwriting is tighter than ever, and each member of the band gets props for mixing things up a bit, instead of sticking fast to formula (all of which makes me suspect that this album will grow on me over time). See the rest here
✦✦✦✧ This could just be the feel-good hit of the summer: high-quality thrash, updated for a newer generation without feeling like it’s overly pandering or forgetting its roots. Kurdt Venderhoof’s songwriting is consistently strong throughout the whole album, the musicianship as polished as ever… but the real standout here is vocalist Mike Howe, which is reminscient of Blitz Ellsworth at times. See the rest here
✦✦✦✧ This is Gorgut’s “Catch Thirty-Three,” an experimental, progressive, masterwork. This is not an easy listen, but it is dense and brutal and staggering. See the rest here
✦✦✦✧ High-octane lo-fi sludgepunk that’s reminiscent at times of High On Fire, The Melvins, and Turnstile. I’d say more, but that goes against the grain of this slamfest. Just know that it’s a delightful windmillfest up in here. See the rest here
✦✦✦✧ This album, one of the first released on Ben Weinman’s Party Smasher Inc. label, is a hard one to describe. I can hear elements of Pallbearer, Dillinger, QOTSA, ETID, Mastodon… and while these are all good bands to emulate, this Brooklyn quarter weave them all together in a way that feels fresh and energetic. See the rest here
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