Obituary - Obituary
“Obituary have always embodied their ‘meat’n’potatoes’ form of death metal, never mincing their words about being proud flip-flop-wearing, beer-drinking rednecks – and it’s never been truer on a musical level than on this 10th full-length. With 10 tracks and a mere 33 minutes of music (including the title tracks from the recent Thousand Ways To Die EP) and Brave’s opening blink-and-it’s-gone thrashy salvo that instantly jumps at your throat, the whole operation feels like a blitzkrieg campaign – a smart move considering they’ve made the mistake before of dragging out albums for too long (Darkest Days, anyone?).”
Anomalie - Visions
“Founded in 2011 and initially intended as a side-project of Harakiri For The Sky member Marrok to indulge his love for emotional black metal, postmetal and depressive rock, Anomalie has since become its own monster.”
The Charm The Fury - The Sick, Dumb & Happy
“There’s a lot of talk in this Dutch metalcore mob’s bio about how indebted they are to Metallica and Pantera, and there’s plenty of grit and anger in their second album as singer Caroline Westendorp’s gravelly vocals tear through thick, dirty and thrash-laden riffs with ease.”
Ghost Iris - Blind World
“Still in their infancy but already on their second album of intricate yet unobtrusive metal, Denmark’s Ghost Iris find themselves with an identity crisis. They’re seemingly caught between the worlds of hook-friendly metalcore and adventurous progressive meandering, without really being catchy or complex enough to fit into either.”
KXM - Scatterbrain
“On the face of it, KXM are a logic-defying pool of seemingly random talent. Take one former hair-metaller – ex-Dokken guitarist George Lynch – and throw him into the mixer with Korn drummer Ray Luzier, then add the musical chameleon that is dUg Pinnick, bassist/vocalist of the impossible-to-categorise King’s X, introduce them at a party and suggest working together under an impenetrably initialled name (Lynch’s contribution, the ‘M’, derives from the second word in the moniker of his current act, Lynch Mob).”
The Raven Age - Darkness Will Rise
“Much is expected from this young British band, and their debut album suggests they have what it takes to turn that expectation into a reality. The Raven Age don’t hide their influences – Trivium, Killswitch Engage and Bullet For My Valentine are among the mix – but when they get into their stride the result is irresistible.”
Fit For An Autopsy - The Great Collapse
“Despite being relative latecomers to the deathcore slam party, Fit For An Autopsy have become one of its biggest hitters, with 2015’s Absolute Hope Absolute Hell showing enough grunt and new ideas to satisfy both those ingrained and wary of the genre.”
Without Waves - Lunar
“It’s not easy to combine a variety of styles and genres into one melting pot and come out sounding like a band rather than just an aimless scattergun of ideas. Without Waves claim their raison d’être is ‘evolution through experimentation’, and listening to Lunar, with its blast of noise rock, nu metal, jazz time signatures, post-punk and tech-death, you might wonder if they’re more interested in standing out from the crowd than making memorable songs.”
Byrdi - Ansur: Urkraft
“Metal’s continuing evolution reaches both back and forward, the likes of Wardruna unfurling the roots of metal’s past and providing an insight into the ancient traditions and spiritual profundities of Norse culture that provides so much kindling for the black flame.”
Dodecahedron - Kwintessens
“Following the likes of Deathspell Omega down mankind’s cataclysmic chasm, Dutchmen Dodecahedron drag black metal kicking and screaming into our increasingly authoritarian present. Prelude is a military march driven by a savage snare, an apocalyptic herald beset by confusion; the sound of modernity’s rabble eating itself alive as it marches over the oncoming precipice that is Tetrahedron – The Culling Of The Unwanted From The Earth.”
Grails - Chalice Hymnal
“Given the geographical spread of Grails’ experimental sojourns, ‘world music’ is an apt classification for the Portland instrumentalists’ recordings. From Eastern mind-expanse to gritty spaghetti western influences to the widescreen drone of Godspeed You! Black Emperor, European psych rock and ambient electronic meditations, Grails have zero stylistic limitations.”
King Of Asgard - :taudr:
“Parting ways with a label as prestigious as Metal Blade could easily have hurled a spear into King Of Asgard’s whirring spokes, but the Swedes’ first effort for Trollmusic could hardly be more strident or definitive. Still firmly in Viking metal territory, but with plenty of blackened bile underpinning the windswept barrage, :taudr: sounds simultaneously huge and grittily naturalistic.”
Lantern - II: Morphosis
“Lantern’s darkly atmospheric death metal prides subtle murk over outright brutality. Their technically sophisticated gloom contains the trademark Finndeath hallmarks of forefathers Depravity, Demigod and Adramelech, who showcased an impressively melodic and flowing approach that set the 90s Finnish scene apart.”
