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
First Listens With Two-Star Ratings
Intervals — A Voice Within
★★☆☆ This album is a bit of a headscratcher. When it’s working, it’s a fairly interesting bit of jazz metal. Other times, it sounds like a djenty Papa Roach. See the rest here
Nausea — Condemned To The System
★★☆☆ Fairly solid grindcore that’s not terribly complicated, but also not entirely memorable. Worth a listen, but only just one. Still, I can’t complain. See the rest here
Pantokrator — Incarnate
★★☆☆ This is a pretty solid bit of melodic death metal. It’s not particularly special or innovative or memorable in its own right. But it evokes enough Soilwork and Amon Amarth that I wouldn’t kick it out of bed right away. See the rest here
Mustasch — Thank You For The Demon
★★☆☆ This is an odd bird. On the one hand, it’s really excellent at what it does: it’s a ballsy rocker that packs a few surprises. On the other hand, it’s a stretch to call it metal. All that said, though, it’s worth a listen or two. See the rest here
Caliban — Ghost Empire
★★☆☆ Djentcore! That’s a thing, right? This specimen has all the notes, but not much of the heart. As such, I found myself nodding my head like a good soldier, but not really feeling it or caring so much. So, this album isn’t bad. It just isn’t great, either. See the rest here
Skull Fist — Chasing The Dream
★★☆☆ On the one hand, this is very capably executed speed metal, akin to Racer X or Accept. On the other hand, this album retreads on territory that’s already well worn, with nothing new to offer. Nostalgia for nostalgia’s sake isn’t always a winning policy. See the rest here
Narcotic Wasteland — Narcotic Wasteland
★★☆☆ Imbecilic, but really great fun nonetheless. If you’re expecting Nile-like death metal, you’ll get the speed but not exactly the darkness. That’s okay, though; this album stands on its own. Also, the riffs here are really kinda novel and unusual, so that’s worth a couple of listens already. See the rest here
Iced Earth — Plagues Of Babylon
★★☆☆ This is some seriously old-school shit right here. Think Rage-For-Order-era Queensrÿche or Maiden. It’s enjoyable, for what it is, but it’s also got the palpable feel of stale bread to it. The war’s over, Johnny. See the rest here
Legion Of The Damned — Ravenous Plague
★★☆☆ This is an interesting conundrum. On the one hand, this album is rockin’ a very alternate-universe-Slayer vibe. On the other hand, it’s kinda forgettable. Worth a second listen, but there’s something very humdrum about it all. See the rest here
