Another year down… As always, these were my favorite albums of the year regardless of originality, impact on any genre, or any other superfluous qualifier. The only thing that mattered was how much I personally enjoy it. As has kind of been my thing, instead of rambling on my own for 50 entries, I prefer to highlight some of the other users on the site and their opinions. I think it breaks up the monotony. Thank you everyone for another year of music and thank you to the users whose posts I’ve highlighted below.
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Genre: Symphonic Blackened Deathcore // Review
Recommended Track: Elegy II: Devise
** Absolutely brutal. Now THIS is how you mix an album. The sound production is clean yet retains extremely heavy crushing guitar tones that pierces through an epic melodic soundscape. Vocals are powerful and dirty to the core. Phenomenal release here. I just seriously don’t get the dislikes for this. I love it all. — ShadowNeko
** Doesn’t have the same lightning in a bottle magic of Melancholy, but Shadow of Intent are very good at what they do. There isn’t a bad song here, but comparing the relatively tame Reconquest to Melancholy’s phenomenal Dreaded Mystic Abyss represents the gap between the two albums. That said, been spinning Saurian King and the title track(s) since release; Elegy II: Devise is absolutely delicious. — ChodeTalker
Genre: Shoegaze / Alternative // Review
Recommended Track: Closet
** I am stoned but this album absolutely slams for a debut. It is coherent and the right length for an easy digest. It can be a gate opener to bands such as Vein.fm, Deftones, Converge, Hum, Loathe, and Static Dress. The cover of Bjork’s Enjoy sums up the sound of the album – 90’s noise drenched with post hardcore and shoegaze. Listen to it or Ducky will find you? — StonedManatee
The dudes from Vein.fm like Deftones so much they made a second band worshipping Chino & co. This time the 90s alt-metal and gaze nods are even more evident. These are nicely complemented by a cookie-cutter production/mixing/mastering trio that packs a punch without being muffled. Mayhaps the best alternative metalcore album yet (still waiting for that RYM tag approval). — dedex
Genre: Doom / Death // Review
Recommended Track: Pictures of Endless Beauty Copper Sunset
If you didn’t know, Celestial Season was a doom band from the early nineties that quickly abandoned the sound for stoner rock similar to Trouble and Cathedral before eventually breaking up. They eventually reformed in 2020 picking up where their doom classic Solar Lovers left off. Of all their albums Mysterium II is easily their best. Utilizing the best influences from classic albums such as Serenades, Shades of God, and Turn Lose the Swans. Mysterium II is full of lethargic tempos and sullen tones, all backed by violin and guitar melodies and death growls. If the classic doom albums still speak to you, this is easily worth checking out. — Trey
Genre: Indie Rock / Shoegaze // Review
Recommended Track: Stillness (Way Beyond)
** Physical Thrills’ biggest flaw is its lack of a benchmark “hit”. There are two or maybe three songs that stand out as having potential mass market appeal (one was already released as a single), but this really isn’t that kind of album. Nothing here will restore Silversun Pickups’ standing on the Billboard the way that ‘Lazy Eye’ or ‘Panic Switch’ did during their prime. However, Physical Thrills just might be their most completely rewarding record front-to-end. This is the sort of album that you will want to experience – perhaps through a pair of high-quality headphones, or maybe while sitting alone at the top of a hill overlooking the city. Physical Thrills demands your focus and immersion, a clear sign that Silversun Pickups are accessing their artistic side and perhaps better than they ever have before. What felt like a band in decline just a few short years ago has been given a shot in the arm. — Sowing
Genre: Post Black Metal / Shoegaze // Review
Recommended Track: Mono No Aware
** What if Sylvaine was always meant to be stylistically married to the works of Neige and Alcest, pushing the boundaries of the duality of Alcest’s music, while offering a different but familiar view of soundscapes fans of Alcest have already explored, but that are now presented to them under a different light and voice… Sylvaine’s music is highly evocative, nostalgic even, a gateway into a world of nymphs, ghosts and empyreal remnants from beyond the veil. In spite of its ambitious length, “Mono No Aware” manages to cradle you for nine minutes effortlessly, transitioning into the hazing gaze of “Nowhere, Still Somewhere” almost seamlessly, like an opulent dream, and that’s not a feat a mere copycat can get away with. — Dewinged
Genre: Deathcore // Review
Recommended Track: Origin of Sin
** Well this is certainly a step up, haven’t vibed with a Chelsea Grin release this much since Ashes To Ashes. Vocals are disgusting and the riffs gurn-inducing. — KrillBoi
** Is the saying true that you can have too much of a good thing? Apparently, so. Chelsea Grin throws the kitchen sink at this album from start to finish. All of the Deathcore tropes whizz by your ears in fast succession. The downside is that nothing sticks or becomes memorable. Songwriting has been traded in for how many “sick” tricks can be thrown at the listener. I blame Lorna Shore’s “To The Hellfire” for creating waves of bands looking for their TikTok moment or generating hundreds of reaction videos. — YellowVoid
I agree with most of YellowVoid’s opinion. This album does throw every deathcore trope at you. I also blame Lorna Shore for the surge in interest in deathcore, and in a lot of deathcore bands doing what they think they have to in order to get noticed. On, Suffer In Hell I definitely noticed. The difference between my opinion and YellowVoid’s is I think there are plenty of things that stick. Most of them are the cyclical keyboard melodies, but those melodies combined with a hell of a lot of chug are pretty damn great. — Trey
Genre: Funeral Doom // Review
Recommended Track: Dissolution
** No point in discussing over this instrument by instrument. This is pure atmosphere that is tearing down all your shields and pulls you down into a melancholic state that can hardly be taken away. — rage11111ro
** this is definitely their most stripped back, ‘bare essentials’ record. where it lacks the dynamism of monotony fields (at least, for a funeral doom record), it proves even with six rather similar songs in pace they remain compelling, sometimes gut wrenching. i’d be lying if i said i didn’t want a bit more from this album but this band are top of the rung of funeral doom – the atmosphere and mood of this album is so tangible and it’s such a consistent record front to back. — DarkNoctus
Genre: Technical Death Metal // Review
Recommended Track: The Living Abyss
** Another great technical DM band from USA and their second LP. Unusual is, that it is not only hyper=speed TDM as a lot of band produce, but there are mostly longer compositions often connected by intros, in middle tempo (double bass going mad sometimes) combined with quicker and blastbeat passages of course too. And it is full of riffs and melodies, especially in solos. — SkapalPes
** My first taste of Aethereus and it just keeps getting better with each listen. Too much dissonance for some but it’s started growing on me like a staff infection. — Steiner
Genre: Progressive Death Metal // Review
Recommended Track: Architecture of the I
** Persefone finally make an album I knew they’ve had in them all along. Although this overly bombastic flavour of metal is not necessarily what it’d go for, I can at least now appreciate their song-writing abilities somewhat coming to full fruition and showing great maturity. It’s still a little all over the place, what with them trying their hands on symphonic, progressive, death, and a bunch of other metals. — The Aspie Fantastie
** The results of metanoia could have easily spelled disaster for the perpetually-underground sextet. To upend a lot of their own personal conventions in favor of an exciting, albeit risky, pursuit is worthy of commendation by itself. Considering how Persefone not only avoided post-metal pitfalls, revamped their songwriting without dismantling the foundation, and then passed the ultimate test with flying colors, there’s little else that can be said outside of admiration. Resident percussionist Verdeguer shines as the man who transforms the release immensely, marking the album as his official coming-out party; his knack for fills, pulverizing rhythms, and ingenious restraint dominate metanoia, acting as the lifeblood of multiple cuts off the record. Original member Mestre concocts a brilliant bass exposition, obtaining a crucial role in the delicate production and increasing the depth of a given song. Fellow contributions on metanoia feel electric, brimming with life and a simple joy for the art of music. — MarsKid
Genre: Djent // Review
Recommended Track: Phantoms
** Step aside Periphery-pussies, time to show how a real band djunz m/ — Toondude
** I love the way the album title is basically them saying “Yeah, it’s another fucking Meshuggah album, what are you going to do about it?” — Normaloctagon
** Apart from a few clean sections, this is the Meshuggah that fans of the band want and come to expect. Jens sounds great, Tomas brings phenomenal drum work to the table, and Mårten and Dick hold down the songs with their trademark madness-infused Godzilla-sized polyrhythmic riffs. What is missing is Fredrik. Apart from the few guitar solos sprinkled throughout the album, he doesn’t seem to make a mark on most of these tracks, which is somewhat disappointing. Breakdowns are sure to be found, thanks to Mårten, and anyone looking to start a mosh pit in their own home will be able to do so, but don’t expect the jazzy complexity of The Violent Sleep of Reason’s “By the Ton” level proportions. — chameleonic
Genre: Tech Thrash / Metal // Review
Recommended Track: Memory Failure
** 40 years since their inception and Canada’s greatest contribution to metal music continues to soar. Lesser on hypertechnical riffs, more heavy on spacey atmosphere, ear-catching chord progressions and terrific vocals/production. Second half is nothing but total bangers. — ChaoticVortex
** Definitely more straight forward alternative/sci-fi/experimental/thrash. But really, when you phrase it that way you realize how unique Voivod are to be making this style of music at all. — SpideryMan
** This album is a bit more accessible then the previous (which doesn’t mean, that The Wake was not accessible). There are a lot of catchy melodic/rhythmic moments, which I really appreciate, they help to distinguish between the tracks better. Apart from that it’s your typical Voivod: celebration of maths in music, praise of asymmetry, ode to the currents of cosmos. Musicianship is beyond any standards. It’s also admirable, that they can show off those skills within coherent, structured and comfortable for the listener compositions, without resorting to selfish and ultimately boring instrumental masturbation. — alkostach
Genre: Black Metal / Folk / Ambient // Review
Recommended Track: Years of Silence
** Finally gets interesting at 4:25 in “Presages from a Restless Soul”. The vocal harmonies and leads add depth to the bm compositions that allows the listener to really immerse into the sound. The elongated riffs return not long after to balance it back out. The rest of the album is also solid with the ensuing songs comprising many interwoven parts including symphonic midpaced passages and twin guitar leads. Not as immediate as his previous works. — Muzz79
** Pretty damn solid black metal here. The riffing is extremely on point and easily the highlight here due to this man’s ability to set the tone with his string fiddling! Was shocked to find out that this is a one man band after listening to the project a few times. Definitely an album that will stay in rotation and a band that is worth keeping an eye on. I recommend giving it a listen! — Combustion07
Genre: Progressive Metalcore // Review
Recommended Track: Makeshift Harmony
** This definitely slaps harder than Will Smith, more like Mike Tyson. Monuments’ best album so far! — Soilworker90
** Despite all of the challenges and seemingly constantly shifting lineup, ‘In Stasis’ is Monuments’ best record to date, excelling at everything the band does best, from bouncy, technical riffage as heard on “Lavos”, to the band’s signature soaring vocal melodies over intricate rhythmic sections and impressive technical prowess. While it’s not a perfect record by any means and could benefit at times from a bit more sonic diversity, it’s an incredibly enjoyable and addictive listen that makes one thing clear in every second of its runtime: Monuments is back and better than ever. — Crxmateo
** What a great album! I haven’t injected something this quick in my system since my booster shot. The virus that this *** fights off is mundanity. There’s nothing boring or average about this album, it is simply what I needed to keep my hopes for metalcore in 2022 alive. I’m sorry Silent Planet, I love you guys, but this *** is fire. Now *** off everyone in my life, I have some musics for this progressive djentleman to listen to. m/ — pizzamachine
Genre: Black Metal / Hardcore / Ambient // Review
Recommended Track: Nocturnal Philosophy
What does black metal and hardcore sound like? I don’t know if I can tell you because, despite the genre list attached to this band, this sounds just like regular 90s-era black metal to me. There’s the high tempo percussion, the recognizable black metal riff style, tremolo picked leads, and the typical higher pitched rasps. What sets it apart and makes it worth listening to is the moods it creates with the guitar leads and riffs. Also, there’s just the slightest bit of ambient influence in these songs which breaks up the black metal onslaught. — Trey
Genre: Post Metal // Review
Recommended Track: Cold Burn
** Music to fold your arms and look sternly to — DavidYowi
** i think what really sets this album apart is just how huge and thick the atmosphere is. they’ve created something truly otherworldly yet devastatingly heavy with no compromises. what a haunting album. — DarkNoctus
** CoL are the true Gang of 4.0. To a point where the last few records are all starting to blend together. The album’s main fault is that it lacks features to distinguish it from its predecessors and also true standout tracks. The opener starts off with one of the dopest album openings they have, and though the track isn’t too fantastic CoLcore, it develops well in the second half. 2 is stronger, darker CoL overall. These tracks feel like they would be sublimed by the synths from last LP which are missed a bit. 3 is on its own not that notable a track, but it is a great transitional interlude and shows that these guys know to craft an album. 4 is the first highlight post-opening with its long slow buildup that resolves extremely well, though again I just longed for crazy synths. I might have gotten my notes meddled but basically 5-6 are softer songs that work well in terms of album structure. 7 is by far an away the top highlight here, laying its atmosphere very well before several heavy unfolds, lining idea after idea, and finally featuring some more prominent synthwork. Fabulous CoL track. 8 is not as good but is also a clearly strong track, on the darker, riffier yet nicely aerial side. I do find that the conclusion track feels a bit long and unnecessary, like a misplaced interlude that leads to nothing. — Bedex
Genre: Post Metal / Shoegaze // Review
Recommended Track: Empty Vials
** Post-Rock obviously has a long and dense history coming from all over the rock and metal worlds. Holy Fawn takes the same approach that acts like Grouper and Sigur Ros took a decade ago and two decades ago respectively. However, they also add that extremely rich sense of shoegaze and black metal screams that one would find on an early Deafheaven project. But moving on Dimensional Bleed is a dense and extremely harrowing listen from front to back that will have you on the edge of your seat the whole listen. The stark contrast between the harrowing black metal screams and the extremely thick ambient drones makes for a very claustrophobic but uplifting listen. If you enjoy a lot of the dense post-metalcore that has been popping up the last few years you will really enjoy this. — ajcollins15
** Melancholic doomgaze with post-rock antics and occasional black metal shrieks – yay! Dimensional Bleed however mainly works as a complete, mainly atmospheric piece: each track toils at differentiating itself from its companions. Not that the textures aren’t pretty, or the overall experience cohesive; it’s just that it mostly works as a whole, its parts only representing “parts”, and not experiences in and of themselves. Shitty opinion, I know. — dedex
Genre: Black Metal / Dark Jazz // Review
Recommended Track: Leviathan
** On the band’s true third album they continue to dial in their ambitious and dark sound with their unique fusion of atmospheric black metal and dark jazz. What?s most impressive about the album is the extreme balancing act that is done with these two Seemingly opposite genres of music. Several artists throughout the last 10 to 20 years have tried the sound but always lack the ability to fully fuse the two genres instead they opt to make it a two-sided affair with neither genre really being put together. Truly an amazing listen from front to back and to top it all off the subtle nuance infuses other genres like post-punk and alternative metal here in there as the album goes along. — ajcollins15
** Black metal already proved to fusion well with many genres: why not dark jazz? These dark jazz parts add a “film noir” vibe that works well with the band’s gloomy take on atmoblack, both aesthetics giving space to let the other one leverage its dynamism. Shame the best example of such an aesthetic is the opener, the rest of the album offering a tad too much monotony. — Dedex
Genre: Death Metal / Sludge/ Post Metal // Review
Recommended Track: All You Will Remember
** This band is more on the sludge and post metal side maybe, idk. And it has some hardcore reminescents, so yeah the metalcore tag would fit if this wasn’t so dense. There’s also a lot of death metal (more in here than Mire) pulling us back to Opeth mid era, and of course black metal aspects all over the place (blast beats and high pitch vocals). And now how do they put all these in one single vibe/ ID is the most impressive. Other point is how they still make it to be this emotional and pure/genuine is beyond my reach and rare as fuck nowdays. Stay tuned on Conjurer mates! — Chino Smoking It Up!
** Continuing the formula deployed on 2018’s Mire, Conjurer fuses everything extreme metal together: sludge, black, hardcore, basically everything that falls under the post-metalcore umbrella, with doom making a striking apparition. Pathos is an aesthetic tour de force, coupled with songwriting that definitely establishes Conjurer as a major extreme metal actor. — Dedex
Genre: Blackened Symphonic Deathcore // Review
Recommended Track: The Book ov the Eldritch (Second Movement)
** Great stuff. The cleans work really well with their style and Adam returning on vocals is a blessing in its own right. — PuncakeTheThird
I’ve never heard these guys before this album, so I can’t tell you how this compares to their previous stuff. I only know that it’s good. If I had to describe this (and I kind of do), I would call it atmospheric chug with frequent high-speed breaks. I like how this album swaps between symphonic and ambient styles so that things never feel too two-dimensional. If there is one nit-pick, it’s that I’m not the biggest fan of the clean vocals, they’re not a deal breaker though… just not the best part of the album. — Trey
Genre: Psychedelic / Doom // Review
Recommended Track: A Love Like Ours
** Death, Where is Your String may take a little extra time getting used to compared to Avatarium’s other albums, but it’s yet another instance of the band’s consistent high quality in action. The more folk-oriented approach is a sensible move and only heightens the group’s chemistry, making for some stellar textures throughout. It’s hard to tell where this album stands in comparison to the others, especially with the songwriting having more of a grower feel than usual. But knowing my tendency to appreciate their work even more after reviewing it, this could very well end up being one of their best. — PsychicChris
I’ve never really appreciated Avatarium’s earlier albums, and I didn’t expect to like this either. S0, color me surprised. This is easily the best thing they’ve ever done. They dropped some of the doom elements that were clearly holding them back and replaced them with more psychedelic rock influences. These changes have made for songs that are catchier, more dynamic, and with more individual character than anything they’ve done before. — Trey
Genre: Ethereal / Indie Folk // Review
Recommended Track: Balloon
This is a tough one to describe. At most times, the music is literally a single guitar playing a cyclical ethereal/ambient melody with Sophie Well kind of doing hybrid singing/speaking over the top. The atmosphere that’s created by this simplistic formula is infectious. I love to just put this on and chill. The Code is great for late night listening when nothing else is going on and there isn’t any other sounds in the house. — Trey
Genre: Symphonic Melodic Death Metal // Review
Recommended Track: The Hunt
This is some classy, well-written symphonic melodic death metal. First, the symphonic elements aren’t used to just create bombast (although there are parts like that too), they definitely have a soundtrack feel to them. The riffs aren’t anything to brag about, but they’re chuggy enough and a great augmentation for the symphonic parts. Also, great death growls and good clean singing. As far as this genre of music is concerned, it’s definitely near the top. Also, the production is crisp, clear, and powerful. — Trey
Genre: Industrial Rock // Review
Recommended Track: One More Time
** A majority of the songs come across as very carried, providing ample room for catchy choruses, carried by Chibi’s voice with the typical pop ingenues like doubled voices and reverb. Speaking of Chibi’s voice: If there is one feature that I identify as a (small) novelty on Fascnination is an increased emotionality in Chibi’s voice. For this she sometimes goes into high realms, sometimes she uses a subtle sobbing. A nice little ingredient to a well known recipe. — XyphDryne
At this point, it seems pretty obvious that the sinister, guitar-driven version of The Birthday Massacre is gone. In its place is a mellow 80s electro-pop meets post punk style that is still very good, it just takes more time to endear itself. After multiple albums of trying to get that style right, they continue to get closer to succeeding. The songs are catchy, the electronics continue to get better in the absence of guitars, and Chibi’s vocal melodies continue to mature. — Trey
Genre: Indie Pop / Indie Rock // Review
Recommended Track: Growing Up
I learned about Alex the Astronaut purely on accident. I was looking for artists similar to Amy Shark, and someone recommended this album. I have to say, other than the fact that they’re both from Australia, they actually have nothing in common. Happy accident, though, because I really like How to Grow a Sunflower. Alex The Astronaut is kind of hard for me to describe. It’s like happy upbeat indie pop / indie rock music, over which Alex tells stories in a kind of folky delivery with a unique spoken-word delivery. It’s really hard to describe this since this isn’t a style I usually listen to. Unfortunately, no one else reviewed it or even left a soundoff… so, you’ll just need to check it out. — Trey
Genre: Industrial Rock // Review
Recommended Track: Control Z
** This is my new favorite Stabbing Westward album. It’s a great culmination of their past work mixed with the production of The Dreaming making them sound more modern, fresh, and relevant than ever. Repeated listens uncover layers upon layers of hidden depth. — IamNOTninjaNICK
Chasing Ghosts is a dark, dreary album full of pulsating synths, pounding rhythmic percussion, and aggressive yet accessible riffs, all rounded out by the strong vocals of Christopher Hall. It is the seamless follow-up to Stabbing Westward’s seminal peak, Darkest Days. When Stabbing Westward hit the scene the first time, they quickly drowned in a sea of genre saturation combined with high label expectations that quickly turned to indifference, but they don’t have to worry about those things anymore. Hopefully this second era won’t end up with the same footnote, – Wrong Place, Wrong Time – because Chasing Ghosts is absolutely the right release… hopefully it’s finally the right time. — Trey
Genre: Symphonic Doom/Death // Review
Recommended Track: Chronicle of the Dead
I used to love doom, but it feels like I don’t have time to sit through such extended and lethargic songs these days. I need music that can hold my attention at least the majority of the time while I’m driving to work or making dinner or whatever… I can’t be spending half my drive listening to lo-fi drone. Fortunately, Abyssic doesn’t have that issue. Despite being doom/death, the band still has dynamics and tempo shifts, and thanks to the choir and symphonic elements, even the most lethargic of passages still has something memorable to offer. If you don’t have the attention span to sit through most doom, Brought Forth in Iniquity might be your gateway into the genre. — Trey
Genre: Black Metal // Review
Recommended Track: Salve
** “Superação”, the Portuguese word for exceed/surpass, is probably the best way to describe Mirage and what it represents for Gaerea, creatively and professionally. It is a leap forward in every aspect of the game. An upgraded version that surpassed itself not by reinventing the wheel or exploring new territory, but by leveraging the collective’s strengths; amplifying and perfecting them, thus achieving greater consistency and songwriting prowess. Qualities that make Mirage the band’s most interesting effort to date and certainly one of the best black metal albums of 2022. — TheNotrap
Super solid (almost) no-frills black metal. The guitar melodies are second to none, and the aggression is non-stop. One of the best black metal albums of the year, for sure. — Trey
Genre: Atmospheric Metal / Blackgaze // Review
Recommended Track: Eyes
** A ton of beautiful vocal and atmospheric melodies on this mixed with some nice heaviness. Great sounding production. — autoNamed
** This is like if Coheed and Cambria or Devin Townsend suddenly decided to make blackgaze — pjquinones747
**i took my dog tilian to get neutered over the weekend and passed this album leaving the vets office as we were walking in. it had a cone on its head. — TheSpirit
If you go into Radiant Bloom expecting to hear the ‘black’ part of black gaze, you’re going to be disappointed. As Brandon mentioned above, the album has no balls. What it lacks in edge and aggression, it makes up for with some of the sweetest upbeat melodies and atmospheres you’ve heard. It’s the only metal album I’ve ever listened to that could be described as floating through the clouds. So, yes, Radiant Bloom sounds less like blackgaze and more like a heavier Angels and Airwaves, but that isn’t necessarily a bad thing, IMO. — Trey
Genre: Progressive Metal // Review
Recommended Track: Nocturnal Light
** Didn’t had much interest in jamming to this, but its very solid, like every song is a pleasant listen with great hooks and instrumentalization. You can really feel they are trying their best here to make a good balance of old and new Ryche, it actually reminded me of Promised Land at times with the dark, proggy vibes. — ChaoticVortex
** I’m glad these guys have still got it. Skimmed the album yesterday and was very pleased with the proficiency, vocals and how the drums are mixed. Probably best drum sound of the year so far. — Gnocchi
For those that have been waiting for an actual legitimate return to Queensryche’s classic sound (and not just a surface level throwback), Digital Noise Alliance is it. It delivers everything their 2013 self-titled release did, but it also includes a lot of elements that were missing such as the sophisticated nuance in the songwriting. Digital Noise Alliance isn’t just a homage to the past, though, because it also takes the best elements from Condition Human and The Verdict, such as the metallic edge and progressive slant. Altogether, Digital Noise Alliance is probably the closest modern Queensryche has ever been to recapturing their classic sound, but it’s still decidedly contemporary with its use of the more metallic and progressive elements first introduced with Todd La Torre. — Trey
Genre: Atmospheric Rock // Review
Recommended Track: We Rise
** Artsy rock music with grand female vocals and a focus more inclined towards a consistent atmosphere and less towards catchiness. Very solid. — dedex
I honestly thought The Gathering were over. It had been so long since their last actual release that it felt like they had finally given up… but then came Beautiful Distortion. This album shares more with The West Pole than Disclosure. It’s catchier and less experimental and quirky. It also shares a little bit with some of The Gathering’s Anneke releases such as the gothy electronics of “Weightless” which would fit comfortably on Souvenirs or the alt doom of “We Rise” which sounds like something from How to Measure a Planet. — Trey
Genre: Indie Pop/Electronic // Review
Recommended Track: So Wie Ich
Lotte’s name is on the album. If you’re listening to this, you’re listening for the voice of Lotte. Her soft, breathy, delivery is what makes every one of these songs. That’s not to say the music isn’t enjoyable, it’s just I stay for the sound of her voice. As for the music, Woran Haltst… is an eclectic album featuring everything from Paramore style poppy punk of “Fuck Baby I’m in Love” to the electro-dance of “Was Machst Du” and even lush ambient electronic ballads like “Dunkelrot Zu Schwarz”. Her singing is enjoyable enough and the music catchy enough that I can enjoy this even though I don’t speak a word of German. — Trey
Genre: Progressive Death Metal // Review
Recommended Track: Called Home
** Yeah, absolutely. This is their best album to date! One of the greatest moment in melo-tech death metal, where cleans and harsh come together and suit perfectly. Allegaeon u made me impressed! — terriblekonrad
** There are numerous things astonishing about Damnum. I say astonishing not to diminish the impact of previous records-not the shredding riff factory fun of Elements of the Infinite or the expansive punchy bombast of Apoptosis. It is decidedly not shocking that, upon their 6th record, Allegaeon would still rule harder than something that would rule greatly, say, perhaps, an exceptionally long ruler. One that would measure not in inches nor feet but in light years. Now that’s a ruler. This is Allegaeon. — Dedes
Genre: Technical Death Metal // Review
Recommended Track: Enslavement
** album does a lot of things really well, and adds a layer of melody that Psycroptic hasn’t explored before. It may be too much for the whole album as Enslavement onward softens the album and throws in some choral elements. The first four tracks are quite exceptional though and each track on the back half features many highlights of the album.rAlso the vocals are some of the best since Chalky departed — WretchedCacophony
** Solid album. It doesn’t hit the consistent highs of As The Kingdom Drowns, but it does feel like a continuation of it. “Enslavement” is probably one of the best, and most unique sounding songs they’ve ever produced. — Alien Six
Genre: Progressive Death Metal // Review
Recommended Track: Slaves
** a lotta bands write progressive music with “moments” in mind, soundscapes that build towards a natural peak and then ebb away, but I think I’ve heard very few albums in the last few years that nail that approach like this one does — Essence
** MY MIND IS BLOWN!!!!! Might be my favorite this year either this or the new esoctrilihum album it?s like opeth dream theater and the faceless had a baby and became atheist — DeathDrummer69
Genre: Black Metal // Review
Recommended Track: Feigned Retreat
I have to admit there’s nothing ‘special’ about Of Lineages Once Forgotten. Katharos play the kind of epic keyboard-accentuated melodic black metal that has been around for decades, but they’re also really good at it. The main draw is the well crafted guitar melodies, and that classic black metal atmosphere. — Trey
Genre: Metal/Metalcore // Review
Recommended Track: Golgata
** After Soilwork made their unexpected return with The Living Infinite, things were surprisingly good for the band. They managed to find a working formula and even maintain a high quality on their next two releases. If there was a criticism to be had, though, it was that maybe Soilwork was getting a little too comfortable in their sound; Overgivenheten fixes that. Overgivenheten is easily Soilwork’s most ambitious and diverse release since The Living Infinite, and they even managed to pull it off on a single disc instead of two. If there is a problem, it’s that maybe the album is a little too long and could have done with a few of the more conventional tracks being cut. — TerraIncognita
** I feel this one kicks the living shit out of Verkligheten … which seemed to add the Night Flight prog touches to the songwriting more prominently – but (and I understand they had to gently break the new drummer in) was otherwise by-the-numbers Soilwork … this one’s a different animal… this album is in both turns more laidback n simultaneously more potent aggressive bursts than its uhh predecessor, for lack of better term(inus)… — prnzokoshiro
Genre: Industrial Rock/Alternative // Review
Recommended Track: Quicksand
At their core, The Anix are an industrial rock band in the same vein as Stabbing Westward, Machines of Loving Grace, and God Lives Underwater but they take the genre in a different direction. Instead of angsty industrial, Revenge revel in chill atmospherics, ambient waves of synth, and melancholy to augment the alternative rock portion of their sound. It’s a nice change from the stereotypical industrial blueprint, and is done very well. — Trey
Genre: Post Rock/Metalcore/Mathcore // Review
Recommended Track: Mutual Ruin
** The band was on the cusp of their post-metalcore sound for years and 2018 saw the full delve into it. Harsh screams, heavy guitars, booming drums, and thick/rich synths and drones. On this new album, they delve more into the post-metal pocket which might seem like a more obvious direction than it did originally. This album is drenched in synths and reverb making it a grand and explosive listen. The pacing of the album is still a bit strange in pockets (like some tracks feel like they should have been somewhere else). I think the band will build off this into a new direction into the future, but for now, it is probably goodbye to the post-metalcore sound they had created for years. — ajcollins15
** yeah it’s good. Eva’s carrying the record with her vocals, the soundscape is wide and full of lil details, and the back-and-forth between mathcore and post-rock is a tad more seamless than on TWD – yet the math/post parts are still mostly distinguishable. What’s missing, to me, is the sheer memorability. This is due to a) the flow – this one struggles to find a pace whereas TWD’s most prominent feature is the smoothness of its flow – and b) the songwriting – ain’t bad, I just feel the songs spend too much time trying to switch gears: they just can’t go full throttle. gud shit, but this ain’t the best album released on Feb 4th and that makes me sad. — dedex
Genre: Blackened Deathcore // Review
Recommended Track: Souls Asunder
** This is so much better than the recently revered deathcore stuff. There’s actual songwriting, the breakdowns are well-integrated, there is no vocal fuckery, there are pretty female vocals and there are catchy moments all the time. This band is what earlier attempters such as Wind of Plague or early Make them Suffer should have been — XfingTheSullen
This is symphonic deathcore, but it’s honestly nothing like the Lorna Shore album that dropped on the same day as this. This is guitar-driven with the symphonic elements as a supporting role. The tempos are also much more varied. The production and song structures aren’t nearly as dense and layered. There’s prominent female vocals in addition to the deathcore stuff. Essentially, it a great album that is much easier to get into the first time than the new Lorna Shore. Definitely recommend. — Trey
Genre: Black Metal/Sludge // Review
Recommended Track: De tes yeux bleus perlés
** Mesmerizing and relentless, Celeste have hit the sweet spot between their vicious aggression and their haunting atmosphere, producing the best album of their career. — PortalofPerfection
** Again a mixture of atmosludge and atmoblack, Assassine(s) goes towards more midtempo territories with synths, female vox, and more melodic riffs. It’s a bit sleeker, but maybe a bit more plain too? Still good shit obv. — dedex
It’s hard to put my finger on what exactly draws me to this band with every new album. I like the melancholic feel of the music. I like the guitar tones, and the fact that you can actually hear the bass guitar. The drum patterns, too, are creative and keep the music moving forward. Celeste are really in a category all their own, and Assassine(s) is just the latest in the line of great albums from this band. — Trey
Genre: Modern Thrash/Progressive Metal // Review
Recommended Track: The Radical
** Wow, I wasn’t expecting this to be so good. Even against their other two outstanding classic records this holds up. I know Breaking Class may have left a bad taste in your mouth, but I assure you these guys got their shit together and delivered us a smorgasbord of unorthodox thrash goodness. — Mitch
** this is going to rule — Koris
** this is going to suck — Elmo
Having never liked their ‘classic’ releases, I went into this with low expectations (kind of like Elmo up there) and came away pretty damn surprised. Dis Morta brings the intensity and riffs of classic Nevermore, the high pitched ‘heavy metal’ vocals of Painkiller-era Judas Priest, and the off-the-wall progressive quirkiness of Mekong Delta. Some might find the production a little strange, but with music this good and intense, it should be easy to get used to. — Trey
Genre: Melodic Death Metal // Review
Recommended Track: Knell
No review, no sound-offs, and barely twenty ratings. Was there something wrong with Wolfheart’s latest release? If you ask me, there really wasn’t. It’s actually one of the top melodic death metal albums of the year, but it seems to have been lost in the shuffle. You’d think a band that can bring the emotive melodies of classic Insomnium, the ferocity of At The Gates, and the accessibility of Soilwork would have received a little more attention. They also bring some decent clean singing to augment the death growls, keyboards to provide a melodic undercurrent, and plenty of dynamics to keep the songs moving along. I don’t know what to say besides it’s never too late to check out those albums you missed. — Trey
Genre: Electro-Industrial Metal // Review
Recommended Track: Love is Hell
** Listened to it couple more times. It took me a bit but then I realized that they remind me pretty much of Encephalon (vocals). And then we have songs that sound like Future Pop like Live is Hell. All in all a good album, but I hope they don´t become too tame. — XyphDryne
** The notion that this is made for dance floors makes so much sense. I didn’t think of it that way until now, but it explains why there aren’t the pummeling rhythms of albums like ReFrame or even the EPs. I much prefer that style, but I have a much better understanding of the ladt three albums now. It’s just trying to do a completely different thing with different utility — kalkwiese
I could gush about how much of an improvement Apocalypse for Beginners is over anything that came before it, but you should really hear it for yourself. This is an album where strong hooks and layers of melodic synth share time with aggressive riffs, throbbing percussion, and an abundance of electronics – and it’s pretty damn flawless. It’s such an improvement over past offerings that it almost feels like a new era for the band. Apocalypse for Beginners is arguably Rabbit Junk’s most complete and compelling album. — Trey
Genre: Melodic Death Metal // Review
Recommended Track: Last of Our Kind
** One of the most well rounded albums for a while, no song really stands out as a “Only for the weak” or “Monochromatic stains” but each song holds its own weight. Shadowminds, Days Of The Lost, Conditional , A Truth Worth Lying For, Feel What I Belive and Last of Our Kind could all have been singles. “Standout” track / my favorite: Gateways. Sometimes simplicity makes everything stick. That Gateways and those listed above are not all singles is a statement to the strength of the album. Pure gem of a Album. — Zarticc
Like many others, when “Shadowminds” was released, I thought it sounded like a decent Dark Tranquillity song, but nothing more. The significant Dark Tranquillity influence was also a surprise because The Halo Effect is almost entirely comprised of ex-In Flames members. Fortunately, though, Days of the Lost isn’t just a guitar-driven Dark Tranquillity clone. While there are songs that would fit comfortably in that band’s discography, there’s also a welcome throwback to Colony-era In Flames as well as a handful of songs that blend all the influences together. At the end of the day, The Halo Effect’s Days of the Lost is an excellent combination of modern-day Dark Tranquillity and Colony-era In Flames blended to varying degrees to deliver an album that should be a welcome addition to any fan of either band. — Trey
Genre: Progressive Metal/Atmospheric Rock/Doom // Review
Recommended Track: Hearts of Stone
** I love this – Northern Europe has had a monopoly on gothic, soaring, female-fronted metal acts for too long. It’s high time the Southern US sends their best to this undeserved niche, and this album delivers. Thematically similar to Zeal & Ardor using elements of black American music and the lens of US history to enrich the soundscape of black metal, Oceans of Slumber expands progressive metal through subtle southern rock motifs. It’s not perfect! But it’s refreshing. Great songwriting, tight drum work – are you kidding me with the back half of The Waters Rising! – and suburb vocals. Check this out. — Malcontent
Each album has been better than the last, but they’ve always left so much on the table by steadfastly sticking to their prog/doom roots. On Starlight and Ash, they’ve finally kind of found their unique niche. I wish it was a little more catchy overall (and House of the Rising Sun is kind of pointless), but they’re finally fulfilling a lot of their potential. They’ve done this by throwing in a little bit of that southern sound that reminds me of what Thice did on “The Earth Will Shake”, as well as taking a lot of influence from the dark atmospheric rock of Antimatter. — Trey
Genre: Electro-Pop/Metalcore // Review
Recommended Track: We Got the Moves
** Abandoning their seriousness has worked out great for them. rIf you can’t do the same, you will probably strongly dislike this. However if you can just enjoy the album for what it is, lighthearted fun, it is a great time — Confused Cat
** Chugga Chugga Chugga Chugga CHOO CHOOOOO!!! ALL ABOARD THE TEKKNO TRAIN!!! –– Vinnymcscoop
TEKKNO couldn’t have come out a better time. There is, of course, the state of the world and the escapism TEKKNO provides, but there’s also the significance it holds to the band itself. Each album since Crystals had been increasingly bland and uninspired, while at the same time neutering the heavier elements of their past; TEKKNO fixes all of that. If you’ve heard even a few of the singles, you know exactly what to expect – huge breakdowns, brilliant pop choruses, modern and old-school electro, metalcore riffs, and a large dose of escapist fun. I don’t know if you could consider TEKKNO a comeback release, but with as low of an opinion as I had about their last few albums, I would consider it one – a successful one if their streaming numbers and concert attendance is any indication. — Trey
Genre: Grind/Death Metal/Black Metal // Review
Recommended Track: Swallow the Light
** Now that’s modern metal: fusing different genres to offer a unique proposition. Thought Form Descent is a progressive blackened death metal record that offers as many povnding moments as melodic passages. The formula worked much better in the record’s early stages, as the last couple of tracks didn’t stray too far from what the first few tracks perfected. — dedex
** Yeah this slaps, Swallowing the Light is fucking amazing. Might be bumped with repeat listens, I am a sucker for this kinda atmospheric blackened death. — KrillBoi
This is progressive blackened death metal done right. It has plenty of aggressive passages, ferocious death and black vocals, breakneck tempos, and dynamic shifts. What sets it above a hundred other bands that do a similar sound is the conviction in which the songs are played, and the memorable riffs and melodies that make Thought Form Descent more than just a forgettable wall of sound. — Trey
Genre: Progressive Death Metal // Review
Recommended Track: Cellar of Ghosts
** Who in their right mind would allow a band to create such an irreconcilably emotional banger of an album? I’m crying over my breakfast. — BlackTemplarofAutism
** Feels like the best parts of an old Insomnium record filtered through deathcore: emotive, destructive melodies carried by both effective cleans and really effective growls and shrieks. Soaring and depressing, fiery and cold. The closing track is also special, plummeting spectacularly into an overwhelming dissonance that could come right out of a Full of Hell album. Truly surprised by this album; this one is going to stick around for awhile. — Malcontent
Mixing progressive death metal, black metal, and atmospheric rock with a huge helping of emotion and atmosphere, Liminal Rite, is one of the most compelling (and unique) progressive death metal albums of the year. Over the course of the album’s runtime, Kardashev capably mix melody and aggression with bouts of ambience, growls and clean singing in order to create a compelling story that feels full of genuine emotion… and definitely stick around for the second half of the album, because that’s when things really start to feel epic. — Trey
Genre: Hip-Hop // Review
Recommended Track: The Earth Was Empty
** Sadistik matches Kno’s dreamy, wistful production by continuing further down the rabbithole of perfecting the most detached, drugfucked flow he can, bringing hip-hop closer to ambient music than ever before. The soundtrack to a post-breakup oxycodone bliss-out. — Butkuiss
** as a longtime fan of Sadistik, i feel pretty comfortable saying this is one of his best, or at the very least one of his most consistent projects yet. it’s just shy of an hour yet never feels like a slog thanks to a well paced tracklist. Kno gives Cody some of his best production yet, with some stellar sample work, providing wonderfully moody and atmospheric beats for my man to spit to. this is an expertly well performed and produced project from two masters of their craft, with just enough surprises (27 Club knocked me on my ass, and that transition into Mulholland Drive, good lord) to keep even longtime fans on their toes. excellent project. — JakeStallion
I’m not really a fan of Rap or Hip-Hop. It takes a certain combination of elements (that I have yet to actually identify) for me to enjoy a hip-hop release. My tastes run from Public Enemy to Tech N9ne to the more experimental styles of Dalek and Sadistik. On a favorites list, Sadistik and his various side-projects would definitely be near the top. On this collaboration with Kno, the chill ambience is blended perfectly with hip hop beats, electro synths and sounds, and the rhythmic flow of Sadistik himself. The lyrics are what you’d expect from Sadistik; emotive. introspective, morose, and just a little bit hopeless. — Trey
Genre: Blackened Deathcore // Review
Recommended Track: The Pain Remains I
** This album is excellent with Will’s fantastic growls and screams. Austin is off the charts with the drumming I don’t how he does it. Adam is a beast at the guitar his solos are so emotional and shook me to the core. My only problem is how similar each song is. Even though each song has its quirks and some are more melodic than others it’s still samsey at moments but other than that this is a fantastic album. Listen to this if you haven’t. — LoganTheGinger
** Lorna Shore is deathcore — Panzerchrist
Listening to Pain Remains is like watching a top-tier action blockbuster. Whether or not that appeals to you will depend on your opinion of bombast, excess, and chaos because everything has been dialed up to eleven. The symphonic elements have gone from an interesting augmentation to an enormous and fully realized facet of Lorna Shore’s sound. The guitar melodies are much more prominent and memorable, the solos are classy and impassioned, and the drums dominate with fills, blast beats, and a near unrelenting wall of double bass. The breakdowns, too, are enormous and crushing providing momentary respites from the deathcore chugs, melodic black metal riffs, and brief technical flourishes. There are also the huge dynamic shifts that can transition from the most delicate of keyboard melodies all the way to huge crushing riffs, which help to deliver a stunning array of varied emotions. Of course, there’s also the vocals of Will Ramos, and they’ve absolutely been dialed to eleven. From soft whispers to creepy spoken word to guttural death growls and high-pitched black metal screeches, Will Ramos is all over the vocal spectrum. With the release of Pain Remains, Lorna Shore have proven the hype they’ve received over the last few years is entirely justified, and that is why this is easily my favorite album of the year. — Trey
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