| 4.0 excellent |
| Alice in Chains Alice in Chains |
| Alice in Chains Sap |
| Alice in Chains Facelift |
| Alice in Chains Black Gives Way to Blue |
| Alice in Chains The Devil Put Dinosaurs Here |
| Architects Nightmares |
| Architects Ruin |
| Astrohenge Astrohenge |
Astrohenge are an English, instrumental four piece comprising of two guitarists, drummer and a piano/organist and this is their 11 track debut album.
While it's hard to create an entirely new sound in the metal/rock world, these boys have certainly given it their best shot. Their influences do show, there's a little bit of Mastodon in the riffing of opener "Mickey Bubbles", while "Toil in Hell" kicks off with the kind of riff that early QOTSA would have killed for, but the overall sound is definitely something I've never heard before.
"Coracle" particularly impresses, building slowly for over two minutes before a sky-scraping riff pounds your ears. The guitarists spew memorable chunky riffage in all directions, while the schizoid piano covers pretty much the whole keyboard ("Piefight"; think Jools Holland pumped full of uppers), but it's the drummer who shines above all else. There are moments here when he is almost the lead instument, the focus of the track.
This formed a very impressive debut for the band that would not look out of place if ranked alongside Mastodon, Torche or Kylesa as it is that strong an entry. |
| Beecher Breaking the Fourth Wall |
| Botch American Nervoso |
| Cult of Luna The Beyond |
| Cult of Luna Salvation |
| Cult of Luna Vertikal |
| Deftones Around the Fur |
| Deftones Diamond Eyes |
| Deftones Koi No Yokan |
| Devil Sold His Soul Blessed & Cursed |
| earthtone9 Off Kilter Enhancement |
| earthtone9 Hi-Point |
| Far At Night We Live |
| Fear Factory Demanufacture |
| Fear Factory Obsolete |
| Filter Title Of Record |
| Filter The Sun Comes Out Tonight |
| Filter Crazy Eyes |
| Glassjaw Worship and Tribute |
| Glassjaw Our Color Green (The Singles) |
| ISIS Wavering Radiant |
| Johnny Truant In the Library of Horrific Events |
| Krysthla A War of Souls and Desires |
| Kyuss Blues for the Red Sun |
| Machine Head Through The Ashes Of Empires |
| Misery Signals Of Malice and the Magnum Heart |
| Misery Signals Mirrors |
| Orange 9mm Driver Not Included |
| Orange 9mm Ultraman vs Godzilla |
| Queens of the Stone Age Songs for the Deaf |
| Quicksand Manic Compression |
| Quicksand Interiors |
| Raging Speedhorn How The Great Have Fallen |
| Raging Speedhorn Lost Ritual |
| Rival Schools United By Fate |
| Snapcase End Transmission |
| Snapcase Designs for Automotion |
| Sons of Alpha Centauri Sons of Alpha Centauri |
| Spineshank The Height of Callousness |
| Vision of Disorder From Bliss To Devastation |
| Vision of Disorder For the Bleeders |
| Will Haven WHVN |
| Yawning Sons Ceremony To The Sunset |
| 3.5 great |
| Architects Hollow Crown |
| Botch Unifying Themes Redux |
| Converge When Forever Comes Crashing |
| Cult of Luna Cult of Luna |
| Cult of Luna Eternal Kingdom |
| Deftones Adrenaline |
| Devil Sold His Soul Empire of Light |
| earthtone9 Omega |
| earthtone9 For Cause & Consequence |
| earthtone9 IV |
| Far Tin Cans with Strings to You |
| Fear Factory Archetype |
| Fear Factory Genexus |
| Filter The Amalgamut |
| Filter Short Bus |
| Filter The Trouble With Angels |
| Glassjaw Material Control |
| Helmet Strap It On |
| ISIS Celestial |
| ISIS In the Absence of Truth |
| Johnny Truant The Repercussions of a Badly Planned Suicide |
| Johnny Truant No Tears for the Creatures |
| Machine Head The Burning Red |
| Machine Head Unto The Locust |
| One Minute Silence Fragmented Armageddon |
| Orange 9mm Tragic |
| Queens of the Stone Age Lullabies to Paralyze |
| Raging Speedhorn Raging Speedhorn |
| Raging Speedhorn Before The Sea Was Built |
| Snapcase Lookinglasself |
| The Bled Found in the Flood |
| The Bled Silent Treatment |
| War Wolf Year of the Wolf |
Encompassing the sole LP, plus EP and split EPs from the UK three-piece, this 25 track hour long album was limited to a run of just 200 copies and is one hell of a ride.
The mostly short tracks veer from speedy grindcore to bombed out doom, often in the space of one song (“Stench of Death”) while encompassing life-affirming riffery (“Cometh”), vehement anti-war/politician/religion/sexism/homophobia lyrics (pretty much every track) with a canny knack for some thought-provoking and downright spit-you-tea-across-the-room-hilarious samples (“Oxygen Thieves”).
Overall this is a grim, filth-stained romp that touches on just about every extreme metal genre going, yet manages to emerge unscathed, still booting you in the face at the end of the two minute wall of feedback wall that concludes album-closer “Obey”.
Highly enjoyable, virtually filler-free and packed full of ideas, it’s a shame War Wolf decided to call it a day when they did as their uncompromising sound was highly addictive. |
| Will Haven The Hierophant |
| Will Haven Voir Dire |
| Will Haven Will Haven |
| Will Haven Open The Mind To Discomfort |
Will Haven have been around for two decades, consistently delivering claustrophobic, raw, disquieting and supremely heavy metal. This EP comprises four short instrumentals titled “A” to “D” and five punishingly dense tracks that pound away, topped by frontman Grady Avenell’s tortured vocals.
Stylistically, OTMTD picks up where 2011’s predecessor “Voir Dire” left off “Soul Leach” and “Do You Have a Light” providing a pair of bleak soundscapes that simply thunder with low-end menace. The highlight is definitely “Hermit” a sludgy, punishing beast that is sandwiched by the eery “B” and “C”. The track that closes the EP, “Pop 14” condenses the whole EP into its five-and-a-half minute running time, equal parts ethereal and devastatingly crushing.
If there’s one minor complaint, it’s that the overall tone of the five full tracks is a little samey, but Will Haven have never been about variety, their aim being to bludgeon rather rely on unnecessary experimentation. This EP is a worthy addition to a high-calibre back catalogue. |
