Verano’s Dogs – Summoning the Hounds
The band does not reinvent the wheel, but firmly implants themselves as a worthy entry into the annals of grindcore done well, done in an interesting manner, and done with fury and passion.
Gourmand – Blossoming From The Grave
What Gourmand do so well on this album is to seamlessly mesh weirdo, technical death metal with strange time signatures, bizarre riffs, and the like on one hand, and seriously emotional, passionate music on the other.
Dark Fortress – Spectres From The Old World
Dark Fortress both digs deep and imagines large on this hour long effort. With black metal as their vehicle, they ride through the cosmos and traverse the wide spaces between atoms, all of it in the service of understanding our insignificance.
Atavisma/Void Rot Split
Unlike many splits, this particular one shows consistent excellence. Kudos to Everlasting Spew for recognizing an opportunity to put together two bands that would mesh so well together, yet each show their own personality.
Henry Kane – Age Of The Idiot
Angry, disturbed, ominous, triumphant…this album is all of those things, and more.
Ashen Chalice – Gdje sva srca gore
I’m still not sure I fully understand what’s going on here, but I know that it speaks to me in deep and meditative ways, though the sound itself is harsh and disturbing.
Lucius Fox – Quaternary Panorama
Good experimental/disparate music NEEDS to have good melodies, as Frank Zappa taught us, and Lucius Fox not only gets that, but they hammer it home with head bobbing goodness.
Blasphemer – The Sixth Hour
This is a very strong release.
Dead Hour Noise – Sleeping Dogs
Dead Hour Noise truly has something for everyone and Sleeping Dogs is the most bold, complete, and exciting debut I’ve heard in a long time.
مَوْلَى-Mulla
I present to you, Mulla, a raw black metal band from the country of Iraq. Their release, مَوْلَى is something that will cut you down to the core.