Suicide Silence - Suicide Silence
“There’s an argument to be had that over the last decade Suicide Silence have been the most continually improved and consistent metal band around… So it’s bewildering that the band have taken such a drastic leap into the unknown on Suicide Silence.” Read the full review here.
Crystal Fairy - Crystal Fairy
“Gather together as motley a crew of sonic alchemists as this and the result is as rocking and off the rails as you might imagine. For every impenetrable moment of meandering creepiness like Necklace Of Divorce and Under Trouble there are references to everyone’s day jobs that keep things from becoming too alien.” Read the full review here.
Zeal & Ardor - Devil Is Fine
“Black metal is perverted through Come On Down’s tremolo-picked fury and shrieking, but then it’s into gorgeous blues croons, classic metal riffing, and back to Satan squeezing Manuel’s knackersack. Whether the genres run in tandem or successively, the blend’s never jarring.” Read the full review here.
Steel Panther - Lower The Bar
“By this point, everybody understands the setup: these would-be Sunset Strip refugees – singer Michael Starr guitarist Satchel, bassist Lexxi Foxx and drummer Stix Zadinia – are the women-objectifying, drug-devouring alter-egos of four LA rockers predisposed towards crafting authentic hair metal anthems with lyrics so jaw-droppingly lewd and so barren of subtlety as to render Vince Neil a latter-day Patti Smith in comparison.” Read the full review here.
Sanctuary - Inception
“It was often the case in the 80s that a band’s demo had the edge on their first album; sometimes on an official debut, studio inexperience and label pressure can detract from the raw, spontaneous attack of earlier homemade recordings. Here’s a classic example.” Read the full review here.
TrollfesT - Helluva
“Even if you find the majority of folk metal to be self-satisfied frippery, these renegades from Norway’s black metal scene overshoot absurdity to end up at a place where normal rules don’t apply and resistance is an alien, non-applicable concept.” Read the full review here.
Immolation - Atonement
“As admired as they are in death metal circles, Immolation have never received much recognition beyond the underground, which would be reason enough for most bands of this vintage (they formed as Rigor Mortis in 1986) to lose interest along the way. Instead, Ross Dolan’s hugely influential crew continue to aim higher and hit harder with every album, and Atonement is yet another concussion-inducing triumph in a career littered with them.” Read the full review here.
King Woman - Created In The Image Of Suffering
“Musically, King Woman’s full-length debut for Relapse refines previous EP Doubt’s rough edges, sounding heavier in tone but also more spectral and nuanced thanks to the band’s improved dynamics, as well as Jack Shirley’s (Deafheaven, Bosse-de-Nage) complementary recording.” Read the full review here.
Unearthly Trance - Stalking The Ghost
“Their first record in seven years in their slicker, more accessible guise comes lumbering straight out of the gates of Hell with Into The Spiral, a 10-ton Mancubus with destruction on its craven mind. In their heyday, these stalwarts stood shoulder to shoulder with the likes of Electric Wizard as giants of the scene, and the best part of a decade has done nothing to dull their instinct for heavy suffering within withering environs.” Read the full review here.
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