Metallica - Hardwired… To Self-Destruct
“It opens with the title track, a vicious burst of prime thrash with an irresistible chorus and enough spirit and venom to silence anyone who thought Metallica were too old to nail this stuff anymore. In contrast to much of Death Magnetic’s hideous production and distracting sloppiness, Hardwired… is precise and brutal. Maybe Lars has been practising more, or maybe some computer trickery is involved, but Metallica sound closer to the devastating machine of Master Of Puppets than they have in decades.” Read the full review here.
Lamb Of God - The Duke
“Whether or not Lamb Of God fans will be delighted or horrified by the title track of this stopgap EP remains to be seen, but this is a long way from business as usual. Most metal fans can cope with the occasional detour and Randy Blyth’s desire to expand his vocal repertoire was made plain on Overlord from VII: Sturm Und Drang, but The Duke is still a curious side-step.” Read the full review here.
Devilment - II: The Mephisto Waltzes
“The “unique sound” that attracted the Cradle frontman to the fledgling Ipswich band emerges more palpably here than on 2014’s hasty debut The Great And Secret Show, although ‘uniqueness’ mostly extends to banging together symphonic melodic tinkly-synth goth and circle-baiting, meathead groovecore.” Read the full review here.
- Metallica announce new album launch day 'Blackened Friday'
- Metallica: "We hate each other, and we love each other"
- The track-by-track guide to Metallica – Hardwired... To Self-Destruct
- Metallica's Kirk Hammett calls Guns N' Roses a 'nostalgia act'
Teethgrinder - Nihilism
“These Dutch grind merchants’ second album slams into your head like a breeze-block. The relentless pace is powered by frantic, string-slashing guitars, giving Nihilism an air of powerviolence that Nails would be proud of. That said, while the production is admirably visceral, it’s possible for extreme metal to sound so much better in 2016.” Read the full review here.
Diabulus In Musica - Dirge For The Archons
“Diabulus In Musica’s fourth album in 10 years – titled in reference to Archon, one of the creators of the fictional sunken city of Atlantis – pits Zuberoa Aznárez’s clean vocals against death growls courtesy of keyboardist Gorka Elso as the band turn up the heat via an exotic tsunami of chunky riffs, rhythmic tricks and slick operatic shtick.” Read the full review here.
Headless Kross - Projections 1
“Envisioned as the first instalment of an album trilogy, Projections 1 is unquestionably the most eardrum-pummelling and speaker-shaking offering of the doom/psych-informed three-piece’s career so far.” Read the full review here.
Soulburn - Earthless Pagan Spirit
“Their greatest find is Legion Of The Damned guitarist Twan van Geel, here on bass. His acid, high-pitched vocals are perfect for the kind of desperate, Satanic message delivered here.” Read the full review here.
