| Wintersun Time I | 3.0 |
| Ne Obliviscaris Portal of I | 4.0 |
Portal of I is full of experimentation - the range of influences presented work more often than not. Xenoflux nails their sound superbly; if a song gives you chills upon first listen you're doing something right. There are a few other moments like that on the album - just about as many as there are wtf moments, though. A few times the clean vocals sound completely superfluous and are atmosphere killers, a couple leads come in abruptly, and one time there's a long drawn out low growl that sounds like the dude is taking an immense shit in the toilet.
Overall, Ne Obliviscaris is a great example of a band that is greater than the sum of its parts. All are skilled at what they do and they have created an album that was mostly worth the wait. There is a general flow to the album, however, it's a shame some songs are somewhat ruined by vocal or instrumental misplacement.
3.8/5 |
| 7 Horns 7 Eyes Throes Of Absolution | 4.0 |
| Jeff Loomis Plains of Oblivion | 3.5 |
| Veil of Maya Eclipse | 3.0 |
| Hour of Penance Sedition | 3.5 |
| Ovid's Withering The Cloud Gatherer | 3.5 |
| A lot of stuff going on in this album - Carach Angren overtones fuel this ep full of driving low string riffs (djent) and powerful death metal vocals. If you want a modern take on symphonic death metal check this out. |
| Gorod A Perfect Absolution | 3.5 |
| Beneath the Massacre Incongruous | 4.0 |
| Spawn of Possession Incurso | 4.0 |
| Incuroso continues Spawn of Possession's legacy of being the titans in the technical death metal realm, with riffs that leave you deprived of oxygen and solos that are seemingly inhuman. The closing track is The Apparition is a masterpiece, adding in symphonics to their already crushingly dense sound. Scrambled Defuncts - Souls Despising the God has a very similar feel, just without the big studio budget. |
| Ever Forthright Ever Forthright | 3.5 |
| It's easy to want to rate this album a 4-4.5 after listening to the first couple of tracks, they rule. However, once you get into the meat of this album, it becomes a bit stagnant/relies too much on experimentation. This band is really just a heavier Periphery with more going on (sax, leads, breakdowns, rapping, etc). The latter of the two being as wanted as aids on my mouth. Just like with countless albums in existence, this one starts off stellar, declines in the middle, and ends on a high note. |
| Fallujah The Harvest Wombs | 3.5 |
| Basically what Polarity by Decrepit Birth should've sounded like. Still would like a few more riffs. The Flames Surreal is a neat song. |
| Cloudkicker Let Yourself Be Huge | 3.0 |
| Kurt Rosenwinkel The Next Step | 4.0 |
| SEZAAM Myths of the East | 3.5 |
| Cynic Carbon-Based Anatomy | 3.0 |
| Upheaval (FRA) Incubate The Wasteland | 3.5 |
| Animals As Leaders Weightless | 3.0 |
| After first listen, completely underwhelming. The incredible build-ups found on the s/t are lacking here. As much as I think Bulb's music is boring and sterile (not unlike some of the material on Weightless) it seems more and more apparent that his production (but especially) his help with arrangements made Tosin Abasi's music what it was on the s/t. Take that away and you have you this - a very disorganized and underwhelming experience. |
| Blotted Science The Animation of Entomology | 4.0 |
| Compared to their LP, Blotted Science have (for better or worse) toned down the melody and upped the technicality level to more ridiculous levels. This is literally a barrage of notes following Jarzombek's 12 tone scale. The same problem remains, as the music itself builds and builds with little or no release. |
| Exist In Mirrors | 3.5 |
| Carbonized Gnawing Mandible Harvested and Disposed | 4.0 |
| How to get everyone to give your album a 1: Troll them hard for 3 and a 1/2 years |
| Turbid North Orogeny | 3.0 |
Imagine if Black Dahlia could flesh out their ideas into songs that didn't follow a strict commercialized song structure, add in some more decent technical melodic death flair and you have Turbid North. A little too much to digest here, but overall nothing that resonates after two listens. I'll stick to Ritual. 3.3/5
|
| Archspire All Shall Align | 4.0 |
| Vale of Pnath The Prodigal Empire | 3.0 |
| Gru Cosmogenesis | 4.5 |
| Fleshgod Apocalypse Agony | 3.0 |
| Within the Ruins Omen | 3.0 |
| Evan Brewer Alone | 3.5 |
| August Burns Red Leveler | 2.5 |
| The Black Dahlia Murder Ritual | 3.5 |
| Amogh Symphony The Quantum Hack Code | 3.0 |
| Putridity Degenerating Anthropophagical Euphoria | 4.0 |
| Makes you feel like your chest is being crushed by bricks. |
| Torchbearer Death Meditations | 3.0 |
| Cenotaph Putrescent Infectious Rabidity | 3.5 |
| Xerath II | 3.0 |
Have you ever thought - MAN, XERATH IS COOL, BUT YOU KNOW WHAT WOULD MAKE THEM EVEN COOLER?!?! HOW ABOUT WAKING THE FALLEN-ERA AVENGED SEVENFOLD GROWLS.
That's right, not a single god-damn person. Aside from an all-around obnoxious vocal performance, everything else is an upgrade from I. Unless an instrumental version of II is released (yeah, right), I have no reason to listen again. |
| Anomalous Ohmnivalent | 4.5 |
| After a handful of listens, Ohmnivalent sinks in and it's clear that this is one of those albums that is years ahead of its time. 5-10 years from now I can hope this gets the recognition it deserves. The amount of talent needed to create something like this is immense. While other 7/8 string bands do their generic djenting and lame clean sections with shit clean vocals, Anomalous says fuck you and creates a technical, progressive, melodic, and at times brutal sound that is suffocating and dense overall. The lead playing is extraordinary, easily some of the most chilling you will find in extreme metal. |
| Septicflesh The Great Mass | 2.5 |
| Disfiguring the Goddess Circle of Nine | 3.0 |
| Not a bad album from a guy who vlogs every single day of his life. There's absolutely better brutal death out there, but this is good for a quick listen if you're in the mood for: slams, polyrythms, and occasional synth. More consistent than previous work, but not much memorability and lacks riffs. Not really important, but the cover art is pretty damn boring. |
| Becoming The Archetype Celestial Completion | 2.0 |
I've been a fan of this band for years, they've released 3 albums which have all been solid with a slightly different but familiar sound.
This one has familiar elements, but also dabs into experimental territory. The finished product is a complete mess with an identity crisis. Yes, this band has always had one, but it's never been more apparent than now.
Celestial Completion wants to be progressive and experimental, but at the same time there's so many metalcore cliches (clean vocal choruses, breakdowns, half-assed riffs) within the songs that make them unlistenable at times. To repeat - this album is A MESS.
You know it's bad when the best riff is ripped off from Born of Osiris.
sidenote: this is BTA's third lead guitarist, and he is probably the most stereotypical metal guitarist I've ever heard. |
| Beyond Creation The Aura | 3.5 |
| Born of Osiris The Discovery | 3.0 |
| Painted in Exile Revitalized | 3.0 |
This must have slipped through the cracks for me - another band who throws a bunch of different genres into a mess of chugs, horrible clean vocals, jazz interludes, and overall btbam worship. Sound familar? Why yes, this is pretty much The Contortionist without the space theme.
I would say this band does has some awesome parts though - the driving riff and high screaming vocals passages are really damn great. The leads are blistering as well, but GODDAMN ALL THREE SONGS HAVE THE MOST SHITTY INTROS EVER. |
| Neuraxis Asylon | 3.5 |
| Despite (clearly) being a guitar driven band/album, they are a tad overproduced and the vocals (and couple leads) are too low in the mix. Aside from the overly-glossy production and a few awkward groans/yelps, this album is just what you'd expect from Riffaxis...doesn't seem to have the vocal hooks of TLB after first listen, however. The album suffers from being top-heavy. |
| Xenolith Obscure Reflections | 3.5 |
| Very surprising prog death metal, akin to a more experimental Ikuinen Kaamos. |
| Monumental Torment Element of Chaos | 3.5 |
Element of Chaos maintains momentum throughout (despite a monotone vocalist who sounds exactly like Soreption's) to create one of the better brutal/tech albums in recent memory. Every song is riffcity, too bad it has sweeps though - let's give it a low rating because of that hurr durr!!!
Edit: Not as good after repeated listens, check out the latter half for riffage
|
| Keith Merrow The Arrival | 3.0 |
| First Fragment The Afterthought Ecstasy | 4.0 |
| See: A Loathing Requiem - Psalms of Misanthropy (but with neo-classical and clean guitar elements). |
| Thy Art Is Murder The Adversary | 3.0 |
| Element The Energy | 2.5 |
| Burning The Masses Offspring of Time | 3.0 |
| Wormed Quasineutrality | 4.0 |
| After the Burial In Dreams | 2.0 |
| Anyone who thinks this is better than Rareform has got be to kidding themselves, this is a great example of a band regressing. Maybe if this was released in 2004 it would sound pretty fresh. You know, the days of Unearth, As I Lay Dying, It Dies Today, shit like that. The only difference with this album is the occasional djenting. In other words, In Dreams mixes old trends with new. Gone are the majestic leads, for godsake, the first track has a non-sped up Dragonforce solo in it. But hey! Who needs awesome melodies when there's clean vocal choruses!! This album is generic garbage, potential wasted. |
| Assimilated Mind Phase Omega | 3.5 |
| Doesn't seem to have the same atmosphere as Involuntary Deconstruction. The tone remains great, Ron Jarzombek/Blotted Science listeners will be right at home. However, on initial listen it was underwhelming. It's free and more space-themed progressive metal, so I can't really complain. |
| Ichor (DE) Benthic Horizon | 3.5 |
| If you enjoyed Hour of Penance - Paradogma, and to a lesser extent Lost Soul - Immerse in Infinity you should like this. A mix of chunky riffs, melodic mid-tempo groove (with obvious harmonic minor usage), and overall badassery. The vocals are just not as punishing, however. Think somewhere in-between Hour of Penance and Lost Soul's vocalists. A nice surprise of an album. In before Anthracks says this sounds nothing alike even though the influences are clear as the badly tuned snares in the brutal death he salivates over. |
| Blasphemer On the Inexistence of God | 4.0 |
| UUIUIUIUIUIUIUIUIUIUIUIUIUIUIU EEEEEEREEEEEEEEEEEEEE |
| Beneath the Massacre Marée Noire | 4.0 |
| Abigail Williams In the Absence of Light | 2.5 |
| We Are The Illusion The Podium of Lies | 3.0 |
| Circle of Contempt with more melody and a touch of prog |
| Embryonic Depravity Constrained by the Miscarriage of Conquest | 3.5 |
| Human Mincer Degradation Paradox | 4.0 |
| Cloudkicker Beacons | 3.5 |
| Assimilated Mind Phase Involuntary Deconstruction | 4.0 |
| Aside from an unneeded final track of ambiance, this is some of the best music I've ever heard in 2010. Tight rhythmic playing layered with relentlessly jaw-dropping lead guitar work. Progressive instrumental music for fans of Special Defects, Blotted Science, and Chimp Spanner. Available as a free download: http://ampmetal.bandcamp.com/album/involuntary-deconstruction |
| Winterhorde Underwatermoon | 3.0 |
| Within the Ruins Invade | 3.5 |
| Thrill-Seeker era August Burns Red mixed with After the Burial and Veil of Maya. |
| Scrambled Defuncts Hackled In Gore | 3.0 |
| Decimation Anthems of an Empyreal Dominion | 3.5 |
| Knights Of The Abyss The Culling of Wolves | 2.5 |
| Wretched (USA-NC) Beyond the Gate | 4.0 |
| Fleshwrought Dementia/Dyslexia | 4.0 |
| Some of most unique and memorable soloing in awhile |
| Vomit the Soul Apostles of Inexpression | 3.5 |
| The Last Felony Too Many Humans | 3.5 |
| Sounds like a mix of Beneath the Massacre's last two albums |
| Inherit Disease Visceral Transcendence | 4.0 |
| Astel Oscora Eridan | 3.5 |
| Spawn of Possession Cabinet | 3.5 |
| Allegaeon Fragments of Form and Function | 3.0 |
| After a surprisingly great self-titled ep (get it instead of this), Allegaeon's first full length starts off just as strong before shortcomings become apparent. This is one of those cases where it sounds like a label seems in control of a band's overall sound. Accessibility is the key word here, the album has its share of standard melo-death fare, a litany of mid-tempo riffs, arpeggiated solos, and monotone growls. All-in-all it sounds like if Arsis wrote their newest album about mechanization of humans instead of thrashinzation of rocking out |
| Decrepit Birth Polarity | 2.5 |
| Sophicide The Art of Atrocity | 4.0 |
| While not exactly breaking any boundaries in the technical death metal genre, this one man project created by 20 year old Adam Laszlo still conjures up similarities between fellow German Muhammed Suicmez, because of his ability to create music with amazing flair (just don't expect the same level of soloing). The comparison between the two may be hasty and unwarranted, as this is only a 4 song ep with about 15 minutes of music, The Art of Atrocity nevertheless should be an addition for anyone who has been developing white hairs and wrinkles awaiting the new Necrophagist album. Especially since it's available as free legal download. |
| A Loathing Requiem Psalms of Misanthropy | 4.0 |
| By-the-books technical death metal, as a stand-alone solo project there is nothing out of the ordinary here. Fast riffing, standard death growls, and over-the-top soloing. After more listens, this rules. So much depth, it's intially overwhelming to take in. But when you do, you'll find there's riffs everywhere, as well as soloing that remains melodic and an overall flow to the songwriting. |
| Chimp Spanner Imperium Vorago | 3.5 |
| Fleshgod Apocalypse Mafia | 3.5 |
| Cynic Re-Traced | 4.0 |
| Wretched (USA-NC) The Exodus of Autonomy | 3.5 |
| Levi/Werstler Avalanche of Worms | 3.5 |
| Order of Ennead An Examination of Being | 3.0 |
| Disfiguring the Goddess Disfiguring the Goddess (Bootleg) | 3.0 |
| Defeated Sanity Chapters of Repugnance | 3.0 |
| Defeated Sanity may very well make some of the most BRUTAL music on the planet, but for those who actually like music with a point, this is nothing more than a mindless listen, in one ear out the other. Frivolous intro? Check. Awful mix (drums too loud, guitars too quiet)? Check. Lame torture/screaming samples? Check. SICK SLAMS? Check. Chapters is basically a finely tuned brutal death metal album with a niche audience, most will love it or hate it. |
| Fallen Figure Devival | 3.5 |
| Fallen Figure is more or less what As Blood Runs Black would sound like with much more talented guitarists. It is no coincidence this band is managed by ABRB's drummer and headed by a former merch guy. ANYWAYS, this is some solid melodic death metal with...breakdowns. Nothing original at all... but a fun listen, Devival keeps momentum throughout with surprisingly good energy and soloing. |
| Chimp Spanner At the Dream's Edge | 4.0 |
| Lost Dreams End Of Time | 3.5 |
| Definitely a guilty-pleasure of mine for awhile, Lost Dreams is straight forward melo-death with absolutely nothing going for it aside from being incredibly catchy. Almost every song title is involved in the lyrics. THE END OF TIIIIIIIME, THE END OF TIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIME |
| Animals As Leaders Animals as Leaders | 5.0 |
| The benchmark for modern progressive metal which will probably never be beaten. Music that is as emotionally and melodically dense as anything I've ever discovered in realms of both metal and jazz. |
| Periphery Periphery | 3.0 |
Looks like Spuntik has found a new band to worship. In between moments of memorability and groove, Periphery shows how to baffle the listener with un-originality, both in the vocal and guitar department. The juxtaposition of clean (sometimes annoyingly over-poppy) vocals and crunching 8-string guitars mesh well at times while others it feels like a chore to listen to. Boring, standard, and generic growling doesn't help matters either.
Inspired and un-inspired moments litter the album, sometimes from song-to-song, sometimes within a song. If you can't tell by now I'm saying this album is inconsistent. Bottom line: Cut out the fluff and the album would be much better at 45-50 minutes instead of an overbearing 73 minutes. Periphery has been overrated on this site into the next hemisphere by fanboys. |
| Wintersun Wintersun | 4.5 |
| Ikuinen Kaamos The Forlorn | 3.5 |
| Son of Aurelius The Farthest Reaches | 3.5 |
| Malak Malak | 3.0 |
| Woe Of Tyrants Threnody | 3.0 |
| This is not an improvement at all, the tone is flat, and overall it sounds like Kingdom of Might B-sides |
| Amogh Symphony Abolishing the Obsolete System | 3.5 |
| Soreption Illuminate the Excessive | 3.0 |
| Soreption Deterioration of Minds | 2.5 |
| Veil of Maya [id] | 3.5 |
| Lost Soul Immerse in Infinity | 3.5 |
| Step 1: Listen to '216' Step 2: Shit pants |
| Hour of Penance Paradogma | 3.5 |
| Jeff Loomis Zero Order Phase | 4.0 |
| Wrath and Rapture Wrath and Rapture | 3.0 |
| Alarum Eventuality | 3.5 |
| Neuraxis The Thin Line Between | 3.5 |
| The Breathing Process Odyssey: (Un)dead | 4.0 |
| TBP delivers on their potential and offers up a solid effort full of driving guitar and synth riffs, fitting and at-times epic vocals, and more importantly, they seem to have gotten rid of the majority of their -core sound. The title track definitely has an identity crisis, however, fluctuating between generic riffs you've heard a thousand times before, keys, and clean vocals. Skip that track (it breaks up the momentum) and focus on other songs like Leveler and Hordes. This album's first half is particularly strong, give it a listen if you're into bands like Abigail Williams or Aurora Black. |
| Miseration The Mirroring Shadow | 3.0 |
| The Black Dahlia Murder Deflorate | 4.0 |
| Ikuinen Kaamos Fall of Icons | 4.0 |
| Fall of Icons is pretty much a sequel to the EP "Closure", it fleshes out ideas and is longer obviously, but at the same time lacks some of the catchiness and freshness. The guitar tone remains the best aspect of this band. Melodic riffs sound as if they are being wept from the instrument, and the music overall is full of bleak atmospheres and emotion. Ikuinen Kaamos do an excellent job of conveying these moods without boring the listener into submission as most music in this genre tends to do, especially the band they are accused of worshiping (Opeth). The leads, acoustic passages, and vocal variety keep the listener interested to which direction the music will be taken next. |
| Martriden Encounter The Monolith | 3.5 |
| Carach Angren Death Came Through a Phantom Ship | 3.5 |
| Deivos Gospel of Maggots | 3.5 |
Album in a nutshell:
Brutal/technical death metal with modern production, wanky solos, and.... cowbell.
For fans of Hour of Penance and Reciprocal |
| Aurora Black And The Skies Dream Infinite Sorrow | 4.0 |
| A (for the most part) quality album that definitely draws similarities to old and new Abigail Williams. It contains 17 songs, over 75 minutes of faux-symphonic "epic" black metal. The first few songs utilize a mediocre growl as the main vocal style, but after that they give way to crisp and coherent black metal shrieks which are, in a word, amazing. There are an abundant amount of vocal hooks and an added echo-effect works to their favor. Disc 2 is where this album shines, showing the band at their best in every category. Aurora Black masks at times standard instrumentation with great atmospheres and soaring melodies. |
| Aeternam Disciples of the Unseen | 3.0 |
| Gory Blister Graveyard of Angels | 3.0 |
| In Vain (NO) Mantra | 2.5 |
| Arsis Starve for the Devil | 3.0 |
| Arsis gets more accessable, Arsis becomes thrashier, Arsis likes to shred, Arsis uses old song titles in their lyrics. I'd say Arsis is a pretty cool guy but We Are the Nightmare this is not. Malone remains awesome, but without Cesca and Knight, this album falls short of being memorable and will probably get lost in the sea of future 2010 metal albums sure to rule. |
| Scrambled Defuncts Souls Despising The God | 4.0 |
| Hidden In The Fog Damokles | 3.5 |
| Illogicist Subjected | 3.5 |
| Cynic Focus | 4.0 |
| The Black Dahlia Murder Nocturnal | 3.5 |
| Spawn of Possession Noctambulant | 5.0 |
| Augury Concealed | 3.5 |
| Reciprocal Reciprocal | 3.0 |
| After the Burial Rareform (Re-release) | 3.0 |
| The band has still not had a competent vocalist, the guy on this one is completely flat and just doesn't have any redeemable qualities to his voice, he does not fit this band's sound at all either. On the instrumental side, it's definitely a more natural sounding album. The hooks in Berserker and Cursing Akhenaten remain highlights, also the lead in Aspiration rules. |
| Circle of Contempt Artifacts in Motion | 3.0 |
| Born of Osiris A Higher Place | 3.0 |
| It's like a game of find the melodic lead in the polyrhythm chugs and monotonous vocals. The groovy harmonic and melodic minor leads are the only reason this isn't 2.5 or lower. Everything else is standard. |
| Viatrophy Viatrophy | 2.5 |
| Man Must Die No Tolerance For Imperfection | 3.0 |
| Guthrie Govan Erotic Cakes | 4.0 |
| Xerath I | 3.5 |
| Definitely can be described as Symphonic Meshuggah. The band tends to play it safe in general with the orchestral arrangements and pretty much every other department. Vocals are just there (like Meshuggah) but with a little more variety (some shrieking and/or singing on a couple songs). All in all, nothing amazing, but executed well. |
| Unholy Matrimony Croire, Decroitre | 4.0 |
| August Burns Red Constellations | 2.5 |
| Darkest Hour The Eternal Return | 2.5 |
| Ignominious Incarceration Of Winter Born | 3.0 |
| Augury Fragmentary Evidence | 4.5 |
| Hiroshima Will Burn To The Weight Of All Things | 1.5 |
| Attack Attack! Someday Came Suddenly | 1.0 |
| Eternal Tears of Sorrow Children of the Dark Waters | 3.0 |
| Gwynbleidd Nostalgia | 2.5 |
| Exivious Exivious | 4.0 |
| Ryashon The Stone of Triumph | 3.5 |
| Panzerballett Starke Stücke | 3.5 |
| Centaurus-A Side Effects Expected | 3.5 |
| Sure to be one of the most over-looked death metal albums of 2009, the unfortunately named "Centaurus-A" have created a solid technical album with occasional melodic and groove elements. Great production, too. Everything sounds like it should. |
| Panzerballett Panzerballett | 4.0 |
| Trepalium Alchemik Clockwork of Disorder | 3.5 |
| Fleshgod Apocalypse Oracles | 4.0 |
| Giant Squid The Ichthyologist | 2.5 |
| Chaos Divine Avalon | 3.5 |
| Obscura Cosmogenesis | 4.0 |
| Suspyre When Time Fades | 3.5 |
| ABACABB Survivalist | 2.0 |
| Martriden Martriden EP | 3.5 |
| Woe Of Tyrants Kingdom of Might | 4.0 |
| Out of left field comes a relentless melodic death/thrash album, Kingdom of Might becomes the first great album of 2009 with incessant riffs and soloing accompanied by a solid growl. Only cons are the band seems to run out of ideas by just spamming arpeggios at times, and it confusingly comes to an end with a brootal-ish breakdown (the only one on the album) which leaves a bad taste after a big meal. For fans of Exmortus and Brother Von Doom, if you like shred, you'll enjoy this. |
| Ron Jarzombek Solitarily Speaking of Theoretical Confinement | 4.0 |
| Anyone who enjoys Blotted Science or Watchtower and has not heard this needs to asap. You will not be disappointed. |
| Pandemonium Whispers | 3.5 |
| Direwolf Beyond the Lands of Human Existence | 4.0 |
| Persefone Core | 3.5 |
| Ikuinen Kaamos Closure | 4.5 |
| Protest the Hero Fortress (Instrumental) | 3.5 |
| Spastic Ink Ink Complete | 4.0 |
| Order of Ennead Order of Ennead | 3.5 |
| Hour of Penance The Vile Conception | 4.5 |
| One of, if not the best modern death metal album in existence. The epitome of unrelenting, The Vile Conception delivers a punishing album in every facet. |
| Archons The Consequences of Silence | 3.0 |
| Zonaria The Cancer Empire | 3.0 |
| Becoming The Archetype Dichotomy | 3.5 |
| Mirror of Dead Faces Lamentation | 2.5 |
| Fredrik Thordendal's Special Defects Sol Niger Within V3.33 | 5.0 |
| Terminal Function Measuring the Abstract | 4.0 |
If you can get past the vocals, which upon intial listen, will probably make you cringe, you're in for a gem of an album. Fans of any of Fredrick Thordendal's work will be right at home here. The rhythmic riffing and drumming fused with incredible jazz leads
definitely draw Meshuggah and Special Defects similarities. Unlike those bands, however, Terminal Function incorporates well executed singing choruses and occasional synth to break up the pace. |
| The Red Shore Unconsecrated | 3.0 |
| The Faceless Planetary Duality | 4.5 |
| Element Aeons Past | 3.0 |
| Deeds of Flesh Of What's to Come | 4.5 |
| Severed Savior Servile Insurrection | 3.5 |
| Quo Vadis Defiant Imagination | 3.5 |
| All Shall Perish Awaken the Dreamers | 3.0 |
| All Shall Perish The Price of Existence | 3.5 |
| Between the Buried and Me Alaska (Instrumental) | 3.5 |
| Exmortus In Hatred's Flame | 3.0 |
| Beneath the Massacre Dystopia | 3.0 |
| Burning The Masses Mind Control | 3.5 |
| Illogicist The Insight Eye | 4.0 |
| Non-wanky tech death. Filled to the brim with groove. Audible bass, vocals that aren't generic lows, impeccable drumming by Minnemann. |
| Transcending Bizarre? The Serpent's Manifolds | 3.5 |
| Allegaeon Allegaeon | 4.0 |
| Grave Declaration The Nightshift Worshiper | 3.5 |
| Weeping Birth Anosognosic Industry of the I | 4.0 |
| Deny the Urge Blackbox Of Human Sorrow | 3.5 |
| Humanoid Remembering Universe | 4.0 |
| Soothing, relaxing, ambient, and progressive are all adjectives that come to mind when describing Remembering Universe. Humanoid is an instrumental band with an acoustic focus, blending in beautiful bass playing with light electric guitar and percussion elements, featuring members of Montreal metal bands Augury, Unexpect, and Neuraxis. One of the most overlooked albums of 2008. For fans of spacey progressive/ambient. |
| Martriden The Unsettling Dark | 3.5 |
| Cynic Traced in Air | 4.5 |
| Artefact Ruins | 3.5 |
| Abigail Williams In the Shadow of a Thousand Suns | 4.0 |
| Bloodbath The Fathomless Mastery | 3.5 |
| This or the Apocalypse Monuments | 3.5 |
| See You Next Tuesday Intervals | 2.5 |
| Fall Out Boy Infinity on High | 1.0 |
| Dred A Path to Extinction | 3.5 |
| Our Last Night The Ghosts Among Us | 1.0 |
| Omnium Gatherum The Redshift | 3.0 |
| Whitechapel This Is Exile | 2.0 |
| DragonForce Ultra Beatdown | 1.5 |
| Sylosis The Supreme Oppressor | 3.0 |
| Revocation Empire of the Obscene | 3.0 |
| Carach Angren Lammendam | 4.0 |
| In Lingua Mortua Bellowing Sea - Racked by Tempest | 4.0 |
| Aurora Black Burial in the Sea | 2.5 |
| Sea of Treachery At Dagger's Dawn | 2.5 |
| Vesania Distractive Killusions | 3.0 |
| Every Bridge Burned Aun Aprendo | 2.5 |
| Unexpect _We, Invaders | 3.5 |
| Unexpect In a Flesh Aquarium | 4.0 |
| Austrian Death Machine Total Brutal | 2.0 |
| Sky Eats Airplane Sky Eats Airplane | 1.5 |
| Sigh Hangman's Hymn | 3.5 |
| In Vain (NO) The Latter Rain | 3.5 |
| Apotheosis Farthest from the Sun | 3.5 |
| Norma Jean The Anti Mother | 2.0 |
| The Analyst Summoning the Wretched | 3.0 |
| Septicflesh Sumerian Daemons | 2.5 |
| Torchbearer Warnaments | 3.5 |
| A Breath Before Surfacing Death Is Swallowed In Victory | 3.0 |
| Essence Of Existence Terra Mentis | 3.5 |
| After the Burial Rareform | 3.5 |
| Knights Of The Abyss Shades | 3.0 |
| Vesania God the Lux | 3.0 |
| From A Second Story Window Conversations | 2.5 |
| Carnifex The Diseased and Poisoned | 2.5 |
| Spastic Ink Ink Compatible | 3.5 |
| Protest the Hero Fortress | 3.0 |
| Hollenthon With Vilest of Worms to Dwell | 3.5 |
| Hollenthon Opus Magnum | 3.0 |
| The Breathing Process In Waking: Divinity | 3.0 |
| Shade Empire Intoxicate O.S. | 3.0 |
| Eternal Lord Blessed Be This Nightmare | 3.0 |
| Arcturus The Sham Mirrors | 4.0 |
| Prostitute Disfigurement Descendants of Depravity | 3.0 |
| Anthelion Bloodshed Rebefallen | 3.5 |
| Antestor The Forsaken | 3.5 |
| Beloved Failure On | 3.0 |
| Tvangeste FireStorm | 3.5 |
| Ne Obliviscaris The Aurora Veil | 3.5 |
| Viatrophy Chronicles | 3.5 |
| Arsis A Celebration of Guilt | 4.0 |
| Hanson Middle of Nowhere | 1.0 |
| Eternal Tears of Sorrow Before the Bleeding Sun | 3.0 |
| Eternal Tears of Sorrow A Virgin and a Whore | 3.0 |
| Burning The Masses Volatile Existence | 3.5 |
| War of Ages Pride of the Wicked | 2.5 |
| Shade Empire Sinthetic | 3.5 |
| Shade Empire Zero Nexus | 3.5 |
| Origin Antithesis | 4.0 |
| Mors Principium Est Liberation = Termination | 3.5 |
| Deadborn Stigma Eternal | 3.5 |
| Imperanon Stained | 3.5 |
| Necrophagist Epitaph | 4.5 |
| Blotted Science The Machinations of Dementia | 4.5 |
| Mirrorthrone Gangrene | 4.0 |
| Adagio Dominate | 3.0 |
| Mors Principium Est The Unborn | 3.0 |
| Illnath Cast Into Fields of Evil Pleasure | 3.0 |
| Septicflesh Communion | 3.5 |
| Kalmah For the Revolution | 3.5 |
| Miseration Your Demons ~ Their Angels | 3.5 |
| Gorod Leading Vision | 4.0 |
| Gorod Neurotripsicks | 3.5 |
| Vale of Pnath Vale of Pnath | 4.0 |
| Arsis We Are the Nightmare | 4.5 |
| Powerglove Metal Kombat for the Mortal Man | 3.0 |
| Veil of Maya The Common Man's Collapse | 4.0 |
| The Monolith Deathcult Trivmvirate | 3.5 |
| Edge of Sanity Crimson II | 4.0 |
| Dan Swano Moontower | 4.0 |
| Neuraxis Trilateral Progression | 3.5 |
| The Elysian Fields Suffering G.O.D. Almighty | 3.5 |
| Belphegor Pestapokalypse VI | 3.0 |
| Arsis A Diamond for Disease | 4.0 |
| Misericordiam Unanimity and the Cessation of Hostility | 3.5 |
| Eternal Tears of Sorrow Chaotic Beauty | 3.0 |
| Theory In Practice Colonizing The Sun | 3.0 |
| Weeping Birth A Painting of Raven and Rape | 3.0 |
| Theory In Practice The Armageddon Theories | 4.0 |
| Kalmah They Will Return | 3.5 |
| Kalmah The Black Waltz | 3.5 |
| Kalmah Swampsong | 3.5 |
| Fairytale Abuse The Spirit Tower | 3.0 |
| Bloodbath Unblessing the Purity | 3.5 |
| As I Lay Dying Shadows Are Security | 3.0 |
| As I Lay Dying Frail Words Collapse | 3.0 |
| Thrice The Artist in the Ambulance | 2.5 |
| Thrice Identity Crisis | 2.0 |
| Thrice The Illusion of Safety | 3.0 |
| Trivium Ascendancy | 3.0 |
| Trivium The Crusade | 1.5 |
| Job For A Cowboy Genesis | 2.5 |
| The Elysian Fields We...The Enlightened | 3.5 |
| Old Man's Child Vermin | 3.0 |
| The Elysian Fields 12 Ablaze | 3.5 |
| Avenged Sevenfold Waking the Fallen | 3.0 |
| Avenged Sevenfold City of Evil | 1.0 |
| Avenged Sevenfold Avenged Sevenfold | 1.0 |
| Old Man's Child In Defiance of Existence | 3.5 |
| Dry Cell Dry Cell | 2.0 |
| Lyfthrasyr The Recent Foresight | 3.0 |
| From A Second Story Window Delenda | 3.0 |
| Destroy the Runner Saints | 2.5 |
| Becoming The Archetype Terminate Damnation | 4.0 |
| Norma Jean Redeemer | 2.0 |
| Norma Jean O' God, the Aftermath | 2.5 |
| Linkin Park Minutes to Midnight | 1.0 |
| Immortal Souls Wintereich | 3.0 |
| Unholy Matrimony Love and Death | 3.5 |
| Mirrorthrone Carriers of Dust | 4.5 |
| Abigail Williams Legend | 3.5 |
| Necrophagist Onset of Putrefaction | 4.5 |
| See You Next Tuesday Parasite | 2.5 |
| Knights Of The Abyss Juggernaut | 2.0 |
| Still Remains Of Love and Lunacy | 3.5 |
| Parkway Drive Horizons | 2.0 |
| Darkest Hour Deliver Us | 3.0 |
| Demon Hunter Storm the Gates of Hell | 1.5 |
| Be'lakor The Frail Tide | 3.5 |
| Decrepit Birth Diminishing Between Worlds | 4.0 |
| Winds of Plague Decimate the Weak | 3.0 |
| Sky Eats Airplane Everything Perfect on the Wrong Day | 3.0 |
| Beneath The Sky What Demons Do To Saints | 3.0 |
| Odious Mortem Cryptic Implosion | 4.0 |
| If the middle of this album was as good as the first and last two songs, it would be a masterpiece of brutal/technical death metal. As it stands, this is still a highly recommend album for fans of the genre. The soloing in particular is blistering, a guest appearance by Ron Jarzombek seals an easy 4/5 rating. |
| Parkway Drive Killing with a Smile | 4.0 |
| Beneath the Massacre Mechanics of Dysfunction | 3.5 |
| Belay My Last The Downfall | 2.5 |
| Still Remains The Serpent | 3.0 |
| Becoming The Archetype The Physics of Fire | 3.5 |
| As Blood Runs Black Allegiance | 3.5 |
| Carnifex Dead in My Arms | 3.0 |
| At The Throne of Judgment The Arcanum Order | 4.0 |
| Impending Doom Nailed. Dead. Risen. | 2.5 |
| As I Lay Dying An Ocean Between Us | 3.0 |
| Born of Osiris The New Reign | 3.0 |
| Suicide Silence The Cleansing | 3.0 |
| August Burns Red Thrill Seeker | 4.0 |
| August Burns Red Messengers | 2.5 |
| The Faceless Akeldama | 4.5 |
