Release date: May 18, 2018 Label: Relapse Records Montreal’s Mountain Dust recently released an opus entitled Seven Storms. The band  differentiates themselves from many in the herd with diverse instrumentation and songwriting prowess. Seven Storms is rooted in heavy rock from the late ’60s and early ’70s; however, their sound also references spaghetti Westerns –  […]

Release date: July 12, 2019 Label: Relapse Records I think for many people Torche is one of those bands they’re  aware of without knowing much of their material. Admission may be the album that changes that for a lot of people. The band has long been reluctant to call themselves metal but they certainly play enough slow and sludgy […]

Release date: June 28, 2019 Label: Spinefarm Records He is Legend is criminally underrated. Like a good bottle of whiskey, they get better with age. After nearly 15 years since their first record, the band has released White Bat. While He is Legend isn’t traditional heavy metal, they bring rock-n-roll swagger and their sound is best described as Hollywood […]

Release date: July 12, 2019 Label: Self-Released First off…great band name. Jimbo is a Canadian band that blends psychedelic rock with 90s grunge. Where the Vultures Gather has a radio-friendly sound but that doesn’t mean the band is pulling punches. Mama Wawa is a fuzzy stoner/psych track that will peel the paint off the walls. Pyretherin is less aggressive but moves […]

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 […]

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 […]

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 […]

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. […]

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 […]

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 […]

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 […]

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 […]

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 […]

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 […]

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’ […]

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 […]

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 […]

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 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 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 […]