Make Them Suffer – On Evolution and Contrast
A band that has never been afraid to change things up as they progress and evolve, Australia's Make Them Suffer continue to bring new sounds into their music even after a span of 15...
Misanthropy – The Ever-Crushing Wright of Stagnance (Transcending Obscurity Records)
So I had no idea what was happening when I first hit play on this new Misanthropy record The Ever-Crushing Weight of Stagnance, the third studio album for this Illinois act via Transcending Obscurity...
In We Fall – Inner Self (Eclipse Records)
As a staff our varied, eclectic tastes in heavy music allow us to develop content that’s equally diverse. As much as we love progressive, technical, or extreme forms of metal, sometimes you need that...
Katarina McGinn Best-of 2024
After diving back into the writing groove in the second half of 2023 after a little sabbatical, 2024 was all about branching out. Something that occurred in both my personal and musical life, meeting...
麥琪麥琪 MakeMake – We Are One (Self-Released)
麥琪麥琪 MakeMake is a Taiwanese metal band that taking some nods from the rising Japanese scene in terms of combining heavy, metalcore-styled riffing and more melodic segments that aren't afraid of combining some modern...
Helloween – Live at Budokan (Reigning Phoenix Music)
Well-respected for their lengthy discography and contributions to the power/speed metal scene, Helloween in its current incarnation celebrates the various lineups over the years in a larger seven-piece outfit. Choosing to capture a Japanese...
Alkymist – Under Synergy
Photo: Roeluf Witmans
When it comes to fusing together music in a way that remains ear pleasing while also expansive, progressive, or atmospheric, the results can be mind-altering if done correctly. Such is the case...
Amber Creek – 9 Months of Winter
Baltic hard rock act Amber Creek have been releasing some singles as well as a 2020 EP in their catalog, but 9 Months of Winter marks the first full-length from this group. What makes...
After Lapse – Pathways (Frontiers Music)
Impressive out of the gate with their debut album from 2022 Face the Storm, After Lapse from Spain waste no time in releasing a sophomore outing with Pathways. Expanding to a sextet through the...
Selected Singles – Best-of 2024
I really kept an eye on singles this year, devoting this on-again off-again column to it when I could this year. With streaming working the way it does, more artists are noticing that full...