Starting this week off with some straight forward heaviness. Their second album of their second reunion sees the band with Pat O’Brien (ex-Cannibal Corpse guitarist) joining the band. The thrashy moments are swift, the grooves are hefty, and it’s a pretty good time.
Gost – Prophecy
Genre: Synthwave/industrial Origin: “Hell, Michigan”/Texas Label: Metal Blade
Time to dance like that scene from the second Matrix movie. Maybe it’s all the fire and the devil on the cover, or maybe it’s signing to Metal Blade, but this feels like a bit of a darker affair than usual. When you’re not getting some goth club jams this sounds like a frantic and apocalyptic soundtrack. So that’s a fun juxtaposition.
Judas Priest – Invincible Shield
Genre: Heavy metal Origin: Birmingham, England Label: Epic
One of metal’s best to ever do it is back after six years and doing it well once more. This feels like a continuation of Firepower in that it’s a heavy metal forward record. No prog, no concept album, just OG heavy metal. Jeff has a full review right here.
Midnight – Hellish Expectations
Genre: Heavy metal/blackened hard rock Origin: Cleveland, Ohio Label: Metal Blade
Pairing weirdly well with Invincible Shield is the latest from Midnight. This is a catchy heavy metal record with some angry punk attitude and black metal darkness. Another win in the one-man-band catalog of Jamie “Athenar” Walters.
Skeletal Remains – Fragments Of The Ageless
Genre: Death metal Origin: Whittier, California Label: Century Media
As with all Skeletal Remains record Fragments of the Ageless is a relentless death metal pummeling of a record. This is one of those times when I struggle to find even brief ways to describe a record. The songs are efficient, no nonsense death metal. It would be weird if you like death metal and dislike this record.
Sonata Arctica – Clear Cold Beyond
Genre: Power/progressive metal Origin: Kemi, Finland Label: Atomic Fire
It’s been half a decade since a properSonata Arctica record of epic heaviness. The Acoustic Adventure records served a purpose during lockdown’s bummer times, so I mean no disrespect to them. However, this record sees the band soaring with energy and bombast again and it’s so much fun.
Also dropping this week…
4BanneD – Sanatorium (Wormholedeath) – Death metal/thrash
Agonista – Grey And Dry (Armageddon) – Hardcore
Alterium – Of War And Flames (AFM) – Power metal
Apogean – Cyberstrictive (The Artisan Era) – Progressive/technical death metal
Arthouse Fatso – Sycophantic Seizures: A Double Feature (Horror Pain Gore Death Productions) – Grindcore
Before The Dawn – Archaic Flame (Napalm) – Melodic death metal