First Listens With Two-Star Ratings

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Abbath — Dread Reaver

✦✦✧✧ What happened?! Outstrider was such an interesting and promising evolution of the Abbath sound, itself a sweet culmination and furtherance of Immortal’s journey. And now, Abbath’s third album, feels both less experimental and yet even more detached from its forebearers. It’s also not very intense, if I’m being honest. Maybe this just an awkward teen phase, while the band and music morph into what I can only assume will eventually be a Norwegian black-rock Stooges cover band.

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Rammstein — Zeit

✦✦✧✧ This album seemingly finds Rammstein in a slightly contemplative frame of mind. I say "slightly," because now as ever, the resulting music is such a polished product of the band’s formula — Germanic swagger rock that plays well in the giant arenas required for their pyrotechnic performance — that it’s all but impossible for Rammstein to really surprise or shock anymore.

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Destruction — Diabolical

✦✦✧✧ I’d call this rethrash, but if I’m being honest the only thing modern about it is the mix, and that’s only halfway reimagined. That’s not bad news, especially if you’re a dyed-in-the-wool thrash fan like I am. Just don’t expect much in the way of novelty or ingenuity.

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Northlane — Obsidian

✦✦✧✧ More than anyone or anything I can think of, the latest from Northlane really erodes the barrier between djent and dubstep, for good or for ill. I don’t hate it as much as I thought I would, although the music flirts with nu metal more often than I’m comfortable with.

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Meshuggah — Immutable

✦✦✧✧ I’m sure my Meshuggah fanboyism is well established by now. Imagine then the pain I feel in having to give this album the lowest rating I’ve ever given the band.

The problem really comes down to the first three or four tracks, which establish a feeling for the album as a collection of B-sides, outtakes, and demos of guitar tone.

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Dream Widow — Dream Widow

✦✦✧✧ Dave Grohl is awesome, and this album is not. It’s the audio equivalent of Kylie Jenner wearing a Slayer t-shirt. Then again, I refuse to go along with the Tenacious D thing, so maybe it’s just me. (Then again again, this album really only exists as a prop for Dave’s horror flick “Studio 666,” so let’s relax.)

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Sabaton — The War To End All Wars

✦✦✧✧ The only thing new about this album from Swedish extreme metal war historians Sabaton is that this suite of songs literally tells different specific stories from the First World War. I guess they just never got around to talking about the Christmas armistice in Bastogne until now. Hate on them all you want, but I think that’s actually kinda dope.

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Haunted Shores — Void

✦✦✧✧ Did you know that, before he joined Periphery, Mark Holcomb had started a metalcore band named Haunted Shores? And that, rather than formally ending that group, it morphed into a side project between him and Misha Mansoor? Don’t be minimized by this instrumental shredfest’s small footprint; 37 minutes tends to stretch when it’s almost completely filled with 16th and 32nd notes.

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