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“Feels like an uneven album on first listen… it's definitely missing the peak quality of albums like The Black, and there's not really one track that hooks you. I need to give this one another listen.”

“Typical no-frills Amon Amarth. Definitely a better listen than The Great Heathen Army, but I feel like Amon Amarth has reached the point where they know what they are good at and, in turn, produce the album you expect.”

“Definitely one of their heavier albums. The riffs are still chuggy, the album is still full of groove, and the thrash breakdowns are catchy. Solid album for a veteran band.”

“Brutal. Raw. Fast. Aggressive.”

“There’s something oddly hypnotic about this album. Chat Pile blend the earthy, raw heaviness of sludge metal with the cacophony of noise rock, yet somehow emerge with some of their catchiest material to date. “Same Rules” captures that contrast perfectly, its restrained melody providing a strange sense of equanimity before unfurling into a visceral outburst of emotion. On the other end of the spectrum, tracks like “Family Funeral” lean into the band’s noise-rock tendencies, building from uneasy restraint into something abrasive, chaotic, and unapologetically heavy. Who Loves the Sun showcases a multitude of styles, but instead of pulling the album apart, it makes for a surprisingly cohesive journey through Chat Pile’s increasingly expansive sound. It’s unsettling and abrasive, yet melodic and strangely infectious. This album is a strong effort from a band that keeps maturing without sanding down the unabated chaos that made them compelling in the first place.”

“Solid album, need to give it another spin.”

“A culmination of Sigh’s intrinsic need to push the boundaries of music and venture ever deeper into the avant-garde realm of auditory alchemy. There’s almost no better way to describe Goh-ka than as a delectable fusion of psychedelic and progressive rock, traditional Japanese folk, and extreme metal, with unmistakable nods to influences like Black Sabbath and Slayer. Yet beneath the controlled chaos is a constant contrast between beauty and brutality. Traditional instrumentation, swirling psychedelia, and melodic passages collide with bursts of black metal and thrash, giving an album centered around mortality and decay a surprising sense of vibrancy. More than 35 years into their career, Goh-ka is both a welcome continuation of Sigh’s wonderfully unorthodox style and a remarkably fresh listen. Few bands this deep into their catalogue still sound this restless, adventurous, or genuinely interested in discovering where else heavy music can go.”

“Decent album, but Matt Pike's presence is missed, and this falls short of the band's previous efforts. Very little stands out other than the title track.”

“Crossover thrash album. All heavy thrash and no frills. No real standout tracks.”

“A strong, cohesive effort that blends psychedelic and shoegaze textures with REZN’s crushing stoner-doom foundation. Rob McWilliams’ powerful and soulful vocals sit at the heart of the album, giving even its heaviest moments an emotional, almost uplifting quality. The band’s ability to move from the saxophone-laced psychedelia of “Transient” and the massive, chugging riffs of “Cloudfall” to the dreamier “Primal Thread” and cathartic album closer “Terra Preta” shows REZN’s range at full blast. Heavy, hypnotic, and surprisingly melodic, Cycles in the Infinite Dream finds a compelling space somewhere between crushing doom and cosmic psychedelia.”

“Feels like straight-up old-school death metal. An entertaining listen.”

“Solid doom metal, but feels like it stays within its own comfort zone throughout.”

“I found this one both hypnotic and surprisingly catchy. From the opening title track, Sanguis blends doom, gothic rock, and prog into something distinctly its own while still carrying that familiar Green Carnation sound. There’s a great contrast between its crushing, darker moments and its more melodic and atmospheric passages, all wrapped in an underlying sense of melancholy. It feels like an epic journey into the unknown: bleak and deeply emotional, yet strangely inviting at the same time.”

“Solid album. Need to give this one another spin.”

“The first Mastodon album without Brent Hinds finds the band rediscovering themselves, leaning further into their prog-rock tendencies without sacrificing the crushing riffs and heaviness fans have come to know and love. From the unrelenting opener “Barbarians Blood” to the melancholic, psychedelic sprawl of “The Vanishing,” Marrow Deep pulls from every era of Mastodon while still feeling like the beginning of something new.”

“Brooding, evocative, and probably Chelsea Wolfe’s most accessible album to date. While it lacks some of the heaviness of her past work, flashes of the haunting, atmospheric sound fans have come to expect still run throughout. The production is sharp, the vocals feel surprisingly uplifting at times, and the whole album comes together as a cohesive, confident effort.”

“Pretty good. Has a blen of post rock and atmospheric black metal.”

“Solid black metal album. Hints of late stage Bathory.”

“Solid death metal album.”

“Haunting cover is a preview of what's to come on this unrelenting, frenzied 10-track album. This debut from Goetia fuses the raw aggression of black metal with the thunderous assault of death metal to produce one of the more entertaining listens of the year.”

“Avant-garde style meets Japanese-influenced horror black metal.”

“Doomy death metal. The brutal and unrelenting assault of death metal mixed with a tinge of ambient, atmospheric doom makes this a compelling listen.”

“Pretty solid album throughout.”

“Unrelenting album from start to finish. Feels like if The Mars Volta did Metalcore.”

“Old school death metal, baby! Feels like Death reincarnated, which kind of makes sense when looking at the lineup. Schuldiner would be proud!”

“Very good album. Definitely a grower, but you can feel the raw emotion seeping through the haunting yet powerful music throughout.”

“There's a massive emotional weight to this album that strikes a careful balance between melancholy and rage. This six-track epic clocks in at 49 minutes, and not once did I feel myself waiting for any song to end. In fact, I felt myself entranced by the hypnotic yet equally crushing music from Fires in the Distance's new effort.”

“Khemmis at their finest”

“Solid album. Nothing eye opening. Carries a doom flavor but never reaches a peak”

“This is definitely an intriguing album...there's a blend of spoken word frantic vocals mixed with atmospheric tendencies. The spoken vocals are supported by an increasingly frenetic bakground and thunderous beats. You can hear the pain in the vocals as their hit their crescendo.”

“Unrelenting. Ferocious assault. Melodic tales of war, dragons, and battles. First three songs hook you in. Blend of Dragonforce meets Blind Guardian”