Daath – The Concealers (Roadrunner/Century Media Records)
Very interesting, this union between metal label heavyweights Roadrunner and Century Media. Has the industry really shrunk this much? God help us all if it has…
Anyway, this label partnership should only help Daath, who...
Candlemass – Death Magic Doom (Nuclear Blast Records)
By all accounts, this is not the best Candlemass album since Nightfall, contrary to what Leif Edling says, but it’s still a marvel, jam-packed with classic doom goodies that go on and on. The second album with...
Arise – The Reckoning (Regain Records)
Ah, melodic death metal done right. We’re quickly running out of bands like Arise, who while following the melo-death playbook play-for-play, are equally as competent, if not jarringly memorable. In a nutshell, that’s The Reckoning,...
General Surgery – Corpus In Extremis (Listenable Records)
Carcass worship at its finest, it’s most “exhumed,” so to speak. Veteran Swedish death metallers General Surgery have made a career out of aping Carcass circa 1991 and considering how well the recently reunited...
Amesoeurs – Amesoeurs (Profound Lore Records)
Anyone bowled over by the blissful serenity of Alcest’s Souvenirs D’un Autre Monde will no doubt be charmed by Amesoeurs. The “other” project for Alcest mainman Niege, Amesoeurs are a revealing cross-section of most things pertaining...
Despised Icon – Montreal Assault DVD (Century Media Records)
Notoriously delayed, Montreal Assault suffered from a litany of problems on the manufacturing side of things, causing its released to be pushed back from a proposed fall of 2008 release to now. Nevertheless, it’s an all-encompassing...
Burning Human – Resurrection Through Fire (E1 Music)
The new/old/but now side-project band of Shadows Fall drummer Jason Bittner, Burning Human takes a couple pages and then some from the creative wasteland that was mid-90’s American death metal. Bittner once again proves...
Hellsaw – Cold (Napalm Records)
The name “Hellsaw” won’t strike fear into anyone and with song titles like “Psycho Pastor” and “I Saw Hell,” one could almost write this off as slap-stick black metal. Yet it’s not and Cold is more...
Sirenia – The 13th Floor (Nuclear Blast Records)
Methinks Sirenia will take quite the tomato tossing for The 13th Floor from some less-than forgiving members of the metal press, but you gotta hand it to these Nords: the bulk of these songs are sticky-sweet, loaded with...
Mono – Hymn To the Immortal Wind (Conspiracy Records)
The first thing you’ll notice about the latest Mono album, their fifth, is the packaging - the booklet and artwork tying into the story of the music, giving a further dimension to this stunning...