Halford – III: Winter Songs (Metal God Entertainment)
A most un-metal of holidays, Christmas is getting the album treatment from Rob Halford and that’s fine – it sure beats listening to Nostradamus. Don’t ask us why (perhaps it’s the egg nogg), but the...
Hiems – Worship or Die (Moribund Records)
Forgotten Tomb needs to get on the follow-up to Negative Megalomonia and get on it fast. That shit is demoralizing. In its place is the side project from FT mainman Algol, in the form of Hiems. It...
Rimfrost – Veraldar Nagli (Season of Mist/Underground Activists)
No one exploits the thrash angle in black metal like they really should. Sure, there are some true black/thrashers (Auro Noir is always the first band to come to mind) and just about every...
Impious – Death Domination (Metal Blade Records)
Who needs to physically exert themselves when you get wind of this aggressive cardio speed/death album from Sweden’s Impious? Their sixth studio platter, Death Domination doesn’t begin with an unassuming build up or any atmospheric intro,...
Satan’s Host – Power – Purity – Perfection…999 (Moribund Records)
Not so much an improvement over last year’s excellent Great American Scapegoat 666 as it is a lateral move, Colorado’s Satan’s Host return with another slab of Satan-loving extreme metal in the form of Power – Purity...
Elis – Catharsis (Napalm Records)
apalm Records continues to distance itself from bands like Elis, who represent the label’s halcyon days. Good days those were, but like anything, matters got a little glutted (seriously, how many female-fronted bands do...
Brown Jenkins – Death Obsession (Moribund Records)
The last album in which has been a mostly-realized career (Angel Eyes is not something to be fucked with), Death Obsession sees Brown Jenkins continue down its wretched, uncomfortable path. The band (i.e. UA, who handles all...
Ruins – Front the Final Foes (Debemur Morti)
A bit taken aback as to how modern and ready to strike Front the Final Foes is. This, coming from a little-known duo from Tasmania, of all places. Ruins are more or less a less thrashy, more...
Way To End – Desecrated Internal Journey (Debemur Morti)
Reminiscent of the early, distressed works of Ephel Duath, Way to End make life difficult and complicated on Desecrated Internal Journey. It’s a hard listen that sputters along, lacking any real “wow” moments that came...
Revocation – Existence Is Futile (Relapse Records)
A more realized and healthy proposition over retro thrash, Boston’s Revocation display a virtual riff-o-rama on their Relapse debut, Existence Is Futile. Not only is this 11-song platter technically competent, it comes at you from...