Never Obey Again – The End of An Era (Scarlet Records)
Modern metal has taken on influences from a broad range of styles – bringing acts like Spiritbox and In This Moment to healthy headlining status as the next generation to keep the movement alive....
Death Dealer Union – Initiation (Napalm)
When you hear a band that settles into the 'modern metal' category, there are certain things you expect. Leave it to freshly minted Death Dealer Union to manage to subvert those expectations by bringing...
Mercenary – Forward Momentum in the End Times
Photo: Lucas Peter Bunk
When it comes to a strong musical blend of melodic death, groove, and power metal, Mercenary seem to check all the boxes of creative flow throughout their long history. Even amidst...
Thorn – Evergloom (Transcending Obscurity)
The year of death/doom continues on, friends. This time around, the featured act is Arizona’s Thorn; the solo project of Brennen Westermeyer, who also plies his trade in the grindcore arena with the aptly...
Gory Blister – Reborn from Hatred (Eclipse Records)
Active since 1991, Italian technical death metal trio Gory Blister show no signs of deceleration when it comes to musically enticing material for this latest album Reborn from Hatred. Receiving stellar reviews over the...
Wormhole – Almost Human (Season of Mist)
Continuing to gurgle along through sci-fi soundscapes that insidiously blur the lines between technical and slamming death metal, Wormhole have reached their third full-length offering with Almost Human (their first for Season of Mist)....
XFEARS – Investment in Change
This scribe has been an ardent follower of progressive rock / metal since childhood really – watching the evolution of acts like Kansas, Yes, Genesis on through to Rush, Fates Warning, Queensrÿche, Dream Theater...
Crazy Mad Ride – Life, Liberty, Death (Sliptrick Records)
Georgia is home to strong sports teams like the Georgia bulldogs in college football as well as the Atlanta Braves for professional baseball – yet not necessarily as well known for its metal bands....
Mortal Factor – Where To From Here? (Darkstorm Records)
Swiss band Mortal Factor began in 2003, playing over 130 shows together since their inception. Over the years they’ve issued a demo, a split release with Brazilian thrash band Hicsos, plus a full-length in...
Cryptopsy – As Gomorrah Burns (Nuclear Blast)
Believe it or not, As Gomorrah Burns is the first full-length Cryptopsy album in over a decade, coming off of 2012's self-titled effort. They kept themselves busy with the two The Book of Suffering...
PassCode – September 5, 2023 – Gramercy Theater, New York, NY
Personally, it was a chance encounter with PassCode's 5th full-length album Strive in late 2020 that sparked quite a revolution in yours truly's musical tastes. Being exposed to sounds like Blood Stain Child's vastly...
Huronian – Beyond Frozen Heights (Gruesome Records)
Born in 2020, Italian quartet Huronian set a course to recreate the glory days of melodic death metal with blackened elements. Issuing a self-titled EP that included a Dissection cover, their debut album for...
Contorsion – The Children of the Snake (Self-Released)
Contorsion is a Swiss act with plenty of history – forming in 2004, they’ve released a demo, three full-lengths, and an EP prior to this latest six-song EP outing The Children of the Snake....
GridLink – Coronet Juniper (Willowtip)
Back in 2014, we thought we had heard the last of grindcore outfit GridLink. Longhena was stated to be the band's swansong, and it was an incredible way for a band to go out....
Death Dealer Union – Initiation Time
A fairly new act formed in 2019, Death Dealer Union offer a fresh take on the modern metal sound by giving it equal footing in more classic and current styles. Amid a variety of...