✦✦✧✧ Unsurprisingly polished rockmetal from a band that is ostensibly Creed with a different singer. (No flippant dismissal intended by that statement; you merely have a right to expect a certain amount of polish from these guys.) The biggest problem here, then, is that all that gloss is in service of material that is uninspiring. See the rest here
✦✦✧✧ BAN do a phenomenal job here of blending stereotypical Norwegian black and experimental American post-black metals (which is ironic since they’re French), and seem to have fun playing with one’s expectations throughout their new material. Special shout-out to Vindsval, whose vocals are particularly atmospheric and (from a musical standpoint) almost worthless otherwise. See the rest here
✦✦✧✧ A tight sampling of LOA’s multiple moods, moving seamlessly from groovy hard rock to more experimental forays. This is more their mellowest record to date, but there’s still a streetwise menace to be felt throughout. If the result sometimes sounds like Alice In Chains as often as it sounds like Nothingface (or older LOA), that feels like an easy price to pay. See the rest here
✦✦✧✧ TDWP take their industrial/glitchy djentcore style into a more accessible direction. But this new sound is only interesting in a heady, shoegazer way, with ruinous pacing issues and very little emotional heft behind any of the album’s tracks. Maybe this will make TDWP more of a household name; if their aim is to be more like Asking Alexandria or Breaking Benjamin, this may be the way forward, and I wish them luck. See the rest here
✦✦✧✧ Feral as ever, Exhumed continues to distance themselves from their very Carcass-like beginnings while still holding true to the nasty aesthetic that the subgenre is known for. The riff salad that is this album however feels a little less inspired than previous works. Not the band’s best, but still rollicking good fun. See the rest here
✦✦✧✧ This is the closest Hellyeah have come to producing an entirely listenable album; fully half the tracks on here are winners or near winners. If the band’s considerable press efforts are to be believed, this is evidence of a change in direction for the band, conceived of before Vinnie Paul’s untimely death in 2018. See the rest here
✦✦✧✧ Of course Opeth would start this album with a Mellotron sample. And yet, everyone’s favorite was-metal prog rock band are newly channeling 70s proto-metal here. The result is darker and more interesting than their last few albums. I’m still waiting in vain for a Damnation Part II, but I give Messrs. See the rest here
✦✦✧✧ A cozy blend of early Mastodon’s playfulness and Baroness’s swampiness. Dark, dirty fun. I just wish it was more emotive or interesting. See the rest here
✦✦✧✧ Whoa, when did Korn discover djent or deathcore?! It’s all fairly interesting update to the band’s sound. But the entire reason to listen to this is the fact that this is a new Korn album; otherwise, I don’t know who this is for. See the rest here
✦✦✧✧ Of course George Lynch shreeds in this. But, where’s the bass, Dug?! See the rest here
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