✦✦✦✧ If there’s a surprise here, it’s only how fun this new slab of NWOBHM is. And if you’re truly surprised, that’s on you, buddy. Also, Biff Byford’s pipes sound fanfuckingtastic… but everyone here sounds great, thanks in part to the pristine mix courtesy of Andy Sneap. Just, ya know, fuckin’ listen to it already! See the rest here
✦✦✦✧ This is the frontrunner for the best progressive metal album of 2022. It is an order of magnitude better than their previous album (which, as an Arsies contestant, was clearly no slouch). Seriously, it’s better in just about every way I can imagine. It shreds, but when it doesn’t shred, it emotes. See the rest here
✦✦✦✧ Korn’s fourteenth studio album showcases a streamlined and mature band that have learned how to cherry-pick from their various tics, reinvesting in the ones that still bear fruit (e.g., a seemingly endless penchant for fun guitar tones) and distancing themselves from those that no longer do (Fieldy’s scalloped tone). It’s a shame that there are no real instant classics here, which would be a far more fitting reward for their evolution. See the rest here
✦✦✦✧ Aethereus’ sophomore album find the band in even more uncomprosingly dissonant form. Seamlessly transitioning from tradition techdeath to Gorguts-inspired mayhem is a talent in and of itself. And then there are the orchestral elements: rather than slathering the album with typical metal symphonic filler, the band present sections that would be at home with some of modern classical’s most atonal standardbearers (e.g. See the rest here
✦✦✦✧ This is an uneven deathcore album, but the highs outweigh the lows. I can’t help but imagine that if the band had focused on a 45-minute album, it might have made it to four stars. Alas, this 67-minute opus makes you hang in there for all the gems, which are plentiful thankfully. See the rest here
✦✦✦✧ While arguably less experimental than the band’s previous two albums, F2A2’s sixth album is every bit as punishing and satisfying. It does feel like they keep finding new ways to merge deathcore and Gojira, not that I’m complaining one bit. See the rest here
✦✦✦✧ These Tennesseean techdeath titans have done it again: ridiculously tight shredding at blistering speeds. The danger with this kind of approach is that it is apparently easy to misbalance things and totter over into self-indulgent forgettability (I say “apparently” as I’m not nearly the musician that these folks are). But this time around, they show just enough restraint to help the album avoid problems with pacing or tedium. See the rest here
✦✦✦✧ The third album from this French quartet comes across as impressively technical and jarring, like a good prog metal album should. It reminds me of Intronaut, The Faceless, and Cynic at their best, but somehow doesn’t feel as self-indulgent as those bands do at their worst. And I say that, even with a truly excessive amount of saxophone all over the place. See the rest here
✦✦✦✧ This is Trivium’s best album in a decade. On top of everyone’s already ridiculous shredability, Matt Heafy’s vocals are vastly improved, if a little more metalcore than is strictly advisable — his low-rent Hetfieldisms only show up toward the end of the album, thank goodness. And the band’s trademark small-plates approach to metal remixing is more cohesive and sensible here than ever before. See the rest here
✦✦✦✧ This is a fun and blisteringly shreddy album, landing somewhere between techdeath and melodeath. It’s also catchy and infectious, not just here or there but throughout the entire album. And rather than rely on gimmicky attempts to out-heavy the next band, this quarter focuses on fundamentals like technical prowess and strong songwriting. See the rest here
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