Release date: February 2, 2020 Label: Self-Released Maudiir is a one-man black/thrash metal project that has emerged from the underbelly of Montreal. The opening track, Product, is intense and dark. From the album emerge influences drawn from 80s thrash, black metal, and punk. Abuse the Used is hauntingly dark, corrosive, and galloping. It seems that Maudiir is an outlet for […]

Release date: March 13, 2020 Label: Self-Released Toronto’s ITUS is the latest in Canadian doom featuring heavy, brooding and psychedelic tones meshed with horror-inspired sounds. Primordial paints the mood like a classic horror creature reveal. It’s reminiscent of Celtic Frost. Abrasive and plodding, Primordial accentuates the brutality of man with dark riffage. Atmospheric and energetic, Cloud Reader contains clean vocals […]

Release date: January 24, 2020 Label: Entertainment One Crowbar vocalist and guitarist, Kirk Windstein has released a solo record. In fact, Dream in Motion sounds a lot like Crowbar but slower and darker. Windstein’s voice reminds me of the deep south, whiskey, and cigarettes. The title track is easily the best on the album, channeling darkness and and infectious hooks […]

Release date: January 17, 2020 Label: Triple Crown Records Clocking in at a svelte and efficient three songs, The Black Moon is a ferocious and ethereal EP interspersed with guitar crunch. It’s full of the atmospheric shoegaze touches and dreamy interludes that balance Holy Fawns’ harsher side. They punctuate the melodic moments with throat-shredding screams, […]

Release date: October 31, 2019 Label: Self-Released Sun Below is a heavy stoner/doom power trio from Toronto. Playing a signature brand of self-described “Sativa rock”, a combination of fuzz, volume, and heavy grooves, Sun Below seeks to spread their loud, heavy, and smoky sound to the masses. Green Visions chugs and churns with massive grooves at […]

Release date: March 22, 2019 Label: PRC Music The Flaying is a death metal band hailing from Quebec City. They unleashed Angry, Undead in 2019 and the album has been generating some buzz. The album churns out death metal jams with blood-spraying savagery. Place Du Parvis is a ripper that knocks the wind out of you […]

Release date: November 29, 2019 Label: Steamhammer Heavy metal legends, Prong, have released a new EP titled Age of Defiance. This EP is likely a teaser to tide fans over until they release their next full-length. The record includes two new tracks and three live tracks. The title track is pulsing stomp that is met with […]

Release date: March 29, 2019 Label: Self-Released The Spiral Electric describe themselves as ” a new psychedelic rock band from San Francisco, bringing a mixture of roaring guitars and orbiting synthesizer not heard this side of the galaxy since HAL 9000 dropped acid with Brian Jones in the windmills of your mind.” Equal parts heavy and dreamy, […]

Release date: October 4, 2019 Label: Self-Released Messora has released a solid chunk of metalcore that grooves. Although the Montreal-based band is described as a trio, The Door is central member and founder Zach Dean’s album. Dean performs guitar and vocals, and does so with intensity. Although the metalcore genre is often not particularly unique or interesting, […]

Release date: November 8, 2019 Label: Nuclear Blast Get Loud! is the twelfth release from hardcore legends, Agnostic Front. Even after all this time, I still think vocalist, Roger Miret, has one of the most unique deliveries in the genre. At this point, you kind of know what you’re getting…energetic and in-your-face hardcore. Spray Painted Walls stomps into the […]

Release date: October 4, 2019 Label: Century Media Records Heart Like a Grave is full of “Finnish melancholy, drawing inspiration from some of the bleakest tales, lyrics, and poems of the north.” For the most part, the quintet effectively balances between memorably light and dark moments. Insomnium delivers some truly gorgeous and devastating passages, alternating between symphonic fragility and […]

Release date: November 22, 2019 Label: Self-Released Third Chamber makes death a primary ingredient in their melting pot of metal. Hints of grindcore and hardcore also stand out among politically charged lyrics. Harvesting Our Decay is not music for the soft. The title track stirs together hammering riffs with a heavy dose of blast beats. For a self-released debut, the production […]

Release date: September 27, 2019 Label: Entertainment One U.S. If you’ve been living under a rock, Creeping Death have been carrying the mantle of old-school death metal since 2015. Consider Wretched Illusions a war cry. The band emerges from their underground cave to murder ear drums on Ripping Through Flesh. Bloodlust Contamination crashes through your speakers with in your face […]

Release date: November 1, 2019 Label: Pure Noise Records In a genre full of narcissistic machismo and chest-pounding, Counterparts sets themselves apart from the pack with introspective looks at human faults and truth. That’s not to say that the sound is soft. The eagerly anticipated Nothing Left to Love  is full of innovative plays on hardcore and […]

Release date: October 25, 2019 Label: Exmortus Music/M-Theory Audio Oh, the horror! Exmortus is celebrating the coming of Halloween with a horror-themed EP titled Legions of the Undead. The thrashers include two new tracks – Legions of the Undead & the Evil Dead- inspired Swallow Your Soul. In addition, you get covers of Danny Elfman’s Beetlejuice theme, Bernard Hermann’s iconic Psycho Theme, and the 19th Century Russian composer Modest Mussorgsky’s haunting Night […]

Release date: April 5, 2019 Label: Ikaros Records The Athens 4 piece band, Breath After Coma carry influences, which vary from the garage revival of the 00’s to modern rock and roll, with characteristic riffs and mind boggling energy.  Woke up in Babel is engraved musically and lyrically with their own distinctive sound and character. Opening track […]

Release date: October 4, 2019 Label: Relapse Records Gatecreeper’s new album Deserted is a furious mix of snarling guitars and driving, rhythmic pummeling. The band takes death metal from its 80’s Floridian roots and 90’s Swedish expansion straight into the here and now. Deserted comes out swinging with with super gross death metal that’s best played with the volume turned […]

Release date: September 20, 2019 Label: Overlord Records The fact that I listened to this band when they were in their prime dates me. It’s been a decade since we’ve heard new music from mathcore legends The Number Twelve Looks Like You, but Jesse Korman and company are back to melt faces. Last Laugher is prog-rock for […]

Release date: September 20, 2019 Label: Relapse Records Hailing from Gothenburg, Sweden, Monolord is the band I’ve listened to the most in the last year…by a long shot. Playing a fuzzy brand of doom that channels Black Sabbath, the band releases their Relapse Records debut this week. It’s fun to see a band you love progress from album […]

Release date: August 15, 2019 Label: Sludgelord Records Waingro combines the heaviness of hardcore, the groove from stoner rock and adds desert rock highlights reminiscent of Truckfighters on their recently released III. The band brings a ton of energy, while still remaining super tight. The opener New Colony tells you everything you need to know about the album. Rumbling rhythm guitar, […]

Release date: August 9, 2019 Label: Entertainment One U.S.  The Contortionist have cultivated a style rooted in the dark, intimidating world of progressive tech-death. Despite their propensity for all things heavy and fast, I think the band is it’s best when they slow things down (think Chill-tortionist). Follow is classic Contortionist…pretty catchy, pretty aggressive-yet-jazzy music. Early Grave tackles […]