Reviews
7.0
MOTORPSYCHOThe Gaia II Space Corps
Motorpsycho compress their progressive instincts into a focused, mobile record where arrangement serves momentum rather than excess.
8.0
CHILDREN OF BODOMHatebreeder
Children of Bodom turn neoclassical flash, blackened aggression and irresistible hooks into a fast, reckless and enduring melodic metal record.
6.0
BLACKWATER HOLYLIGHTNot Here Not Gone
Blackwater Holylight drift through doom, psychedelia and dreamlike rock with patience, though the album sometimes dissolves into mist.
4.0
IN FLAMESClayman
A transitional record with undeniable hooks, but one whose streamlined attack often trades depth for repetition and blunt impact.
7.0
EDGE OF SANITYCrimson
An ambitious single-piece death metal work whose melodic continuity impresses even when its long-form pacing occasionally loosens.
4.0
SYLOSISThe New Flesh
Sylosis deliver precision and muscle, but too many songs mistake heaviness for drama and technical control for momentum.
5.0
RONKERRespect The Hustle, I Won't Be Your Dog Forever
Ronker bring noise, pressure and attitude, but the record’s blunt-force momentum rarely develops into a lasting identity.
7.0
ABORTEDThe Archaic Abattoir
A lean, aggressive death-metal record whose sharp pacing and riff-first writing still land with force.
8.0
REVOCATIONNew Gods, New Masters
Revocation turn technical death metal into focused violence, combining rhythmic intelligence, memorable riffs and well-placed stylistic disruptions.
7.0
ALESTORMThe Thunderfist Chronicles
Alestorm balance blunt-force pirate-metal hooks with darker detours and an enormous closing epic on their most ambitious recent album.
9.0
HATEBellum Regiis
Hate shape blackened death metal into a severe, immersive campaign of layered guitars, controlled pacing and unusually strong melodic architecture.
7.0
ELUVEITIEÀnv
Ànv balances folk-metal colour with sharp melodic hooks, though its smoother middle stretch lowers the impact of an otherwise focused record.
4.0
BEHEMOTHThe Shit Ov God
A polished but strangely inert record whose imposing production cannot disguise weak rhythmic ideas and inflated presentation.
5.0
INTERCEPTORMetal Death
A serviceable thrash record with flashes of melody, but repetition and an overextended runtime blunt its sharper ideas.
4.0
ALLEGAEONThe Ossuary Lens
Allegaeon’s fluency remains obvious, but too much of The Ossuary Lens passes as polished motion without a lasting emotional or rhythmic center.
8.0
ARCH ENEMYBlood Dynasty
Arch Enemy keep the familiar machinery of melodic death metal, then sharpen it until Blood Dynasty feels less like a victory lap than a weapon being brought back to the light.
5.0
THE BUTCHER SISTERSDas Weiße Album
A noisy collision of rap metal, party-core hooks and deliberate stupidity that lands about half its punches.
8.0
THE HALO EFFECTMarch Of The Unheard
A disciplined, sharply arranged melodic death metal record that balances immediate hooks with structural control and sustained tension.
6.0
IN FLAMESColony
Colony is rich in melody and guitar detail, but its expanded runtime exposes repetition that the strongest songs easily conceal.
7.0
IMPELLITTERIWar Machine
A tightly played heavy-metal record with serious riffing power, sharp drumming and just enough excess to slow its momentum.