Author Archives: theradicalsloth
Lord Dying -Mysterium Tremendum
Release date: April 26, 2019 Label: Entertainment One Lord Dying is back! After four long years, the band is back to tell us more about death, mortality, and what awaits us on the other side. The guitars on this album are absolutely stunning and nail the balance between pummeling riffs proggy interludes that so many bands strive […]
Wykan – Brigid: Of The Night (EP)
Release date: June 7, 2019 Label: Self-Release Based out of Montreal, Wykan provides a heady brew of what could be described as blackened doom. As a story, this 3-song EP is about the Celtic Goddess known as Brigid. The three songs are a historical take on ceremonies and festivities based on her deity representation and relationship […]
Full of Hell – Weeping Choir
Release date: May 17, 2019 Label: Relapse Records Full of Hell brings us a new album combining grindcore with death metal riffing. Burning Myrrh was the first single released off the album and the band takes themes of religion and hatred and sets them ablaze. On Haunted Arches, Full of Hell unleashes an insane mix of crushing drums and organized chaos. Thundering […]
Helms Alee – Noctiluca
Release date: April 26, 2019 Label: Sargent House Shortly after the release of Stillicide, I got to see Helm’s Alee open for The Melvin’s. They stole the show. If this band isn’t on your radar, you’re making a big mistake. With Noctiluca, we see Helms Alee stretching their limbs and showing us new wrinkles to their sound that we’ve not heard before. […]
Starflyer 59 – Young in My Head
Release date: April 26, 2019 Label: Tooth & Nail Records In 1994 & 1995 Starflyer 59 released Silver and Gold, two of what I think were the best shoegaze albums ever made (if you’ve never listened to these albums, stop what you’re doing and listen to Duel Overhead Cam). Almost 25 years later the band has traded their heavy drone for […]
Puppy – The Goat
Release date: January 25, 2019 Label: Spinefarm Records Juxtapositions. A skull, serpentine candle holders, a bone, incense, and crystals juxtaposed on a bright pink background. Never judge a book by it’s cover. Going in, I expected doom and sludge; however, Puppy delivers something much more surprising. Make no mistake, The Goat is metal. Many of the riffs on The Goat sound […]
Dizzy Mystics -Wanderlost
Release date: May 3, 2019 Label: Self-Release Hailing from Winnipeg, Canada, Dizzy Mystics serves up, Wanderlost. This debut album is best described as psychedelic rock seasoned liberally with dashes of funk and metal. The musicianship on this album is indeed dizzying. Letter opens the album with intense groove. The Frequent See, Consistent Seas exemplifies the surprising catchyness and melody buried beneath […]
A Wake in Providence – The Blvck Sun/The Blood Moon
Release date: March 29, 2019 Label: Outerloop Records Following a brief acoustic intro, A Wake in Providence go right to work. This album is heavy. Like…really heavy. At times, The Blvck Sun/The Blood Moon pummels you like a ton of bricks with guttural growls and heavy break downs before shifting gears at break-neck speed to wraith-like shrieks and technical […]
Moon Tooth – Crux
Release date: March 29, 2019 Label: Static Records There’s been a lot of buzz surrounding Moon Tooth’s sophomore release over recent weeks. It’s rare to find a band that you can say has a truly original sound but Moon Tooth approaches that mark. Although, there are elements of sound that sound familiar, Moon Tooth’s particular combination of musical ingredients is truly […]
Sludgehammer – Antechamber
Release date: April 12, 2019 Label: Self-Release Heavy and groovy, Sludgehammer could be described as equal parts Soilwork/Sepultura/Pantera. A young band, Sludgehammer, plays brings a unique brand of death metal that’s heavy on the grooves. Antechamber is the band’s debut EP and opens with a killer single, No Control. The track is full of aggressive drumming and equally ferocious riffs […]
Black Mirrors -Look into the Black Mirror
Release date: August 31, 2018 Label: Napalm Records Black Mirrors plays that fuzzy rock that’s all the rage without bludgeoning the listener to death. Hailing from Belgium this band brings good old fashioned rock-n-roll on their debut full-length album. Shoes for Booze opens the album with killer guitar riffs and a boot to the face. Funky Queen was previously […]
Conan – Existential Void Guardian
Release date: September 14, 2018 Label: Napalm Records Conan has been blowing up recently. I don’t want to hype Existential Void Guardian too much but it snuck into my top metal albums of 2018. Existential Void Guardian is doom at it’s finest. The album starts with Prosper the Path and the pummeling never lets up. Eye to Eye to Eye threatens to crush […]
Sodom – Partisan (EP)
Release date: November 23, 2018 Label: Steamhammer Sodom, the kings of thrash metal have released a four song EP between full-length albums. The Partisan EP is made up of two new tracks and two live tracks. Partisan is a no frills thrash track that provides a pretty bleak picture of where strict partisanship can lead. Conflagration falls within a similar vein stylistically […]
Skyharbor – Sunshine Dust
Release date: September 7, 2018 Label: Entertainment One U.S. Skyharbor blends progressive metal with emo and hardcore. Essentially the finished product sounds like Circa Survive and The Contortionist got together to record an album. If you’re into soaring vocals paired with the heavy riffs, you’ll dig this album. Dim kicks off the album and is my favorite track. The instrumentation is interesting […]
Uncle Acid & The Deadbeats – Wasteland
Evil. There’s no other way to describe the sound on Uncle Acid & The Deadbeat’s new release, Wasteland. It’s like The Beatles, Black Sabbath, and Electric Wizard formed a super-group and spent a summer hanging out with Alex and the gang from A Clockwork Orange. I See Through You is a fuzzy and fitting start to an album chock-full of retro rock n’ […]
Coheed and Cambria – The Unheavenly Creatures
I spent large chunks of my high school career listening to Coheed and Cambria so I was excited to hear that my generation’s Rush has released a new album accompanied by an 80-page graphic novel. This 79-minute epic is full of progressive ballad-y tracks that are vintage Coheed and Cambria. Each song is catchy and will have you singing along […]
Windhand – Eternal Return
On previous efforts, Windhand let loose glorious moments of crushing gloom and fuzz that made it clear that the band had all of the pieces necessary to make a Sleep-esque record…they just couldn’t quite keep your attention. It’s hard to explain. You know that moment, when you’re ALL IN for the first three tracks of an […]
Clutch – Book of Bad Decisions
The world needs more bands like Clutch. In a genre that consistently takes itself too seriously, Clutch is a band you can’t count on for a good time. They also happen to write some catchy songs. Book of Bad Decisions immediately shifts into gear with Gimme the Keys. The title track, Book of Bad Decisions, shows a new, funkier side of […]
Pig Destroyer – Head Cage
Pig Destroyer has been releasing quality grindcore for over 20 years. I remember listening to Phantom Limb in 2007 and thinking that they were loud and fast but walked away from the album generally underwhelmed. Pig Destroyer still plays loud and fast and even warns on the opening track that they won’t be held responsible for any […]
Deafheaven – Ordinary Corrupt Human Love
Deafheaven are often categorized as black metal and vocalist George Clarke’s vocals would fit with any band in the genre. But to shoehorn Deafheaven into such a confining label is a disservice. On Ordinary Corrupt Human Love, Deafheaven dabbles in shoegaze, post-rock, and even balladry. The album opens with You Without End. Spoken word and piano give way […]
Black Fast – Spectre of Ruin
Black Fast– Spectre of Ruin Release date: 2018Jul13 Label: Entertainment One Black Fast’s mission is simple: play fast, destructive, and heavy metal. Spectre of Ruin is a sneaky pick for best heavy metal album of 2018. Black Fast can best be described as thrash metal and the album art provides a pretty accurate description of what […]
Impending Doom – The Sin and Doom Vol. II
Impending Doom– The Sin and Doom Vol. II Release date: 2018Jun22 Label: Entertainment One Rating: 4/5 Impending Doom is a Christian deathcore band from Riverside, California. Despite the baggage and preconceptions that come with such a description, Impending Doom’s sound places them among some of the best in their genre. The Sin and Doom Vol. II […]
YOB – Our Raw Heart
YOB– Our Raw Heart Release date: 2018Jun8 Label: Relapse Records Rating: 4/5 I’m admittedly late to the game with YOB. The Eugene, Oregon doom band released their first full-length album in 2001 but all I knew of them was the Red Fang cover of Dawn Rising featuring vocalist/guitarist Mike Scheidt. YOB recently released Our Raw Heart […]
Orange Goblin – The Wolf Bites Back
Orange Goblin– The Wolf Bites Back Release date: 2018Jun15 Label: Universal Music Operations Limited Rating: 4/5 Although Orange Goblin doesn’t do much that hasn’t already been done by other artists in the doom genre, they have a formula that works. The Wolf Bites Back would be an excellent soundtrack for you and your friends if you happen to be […]
