cjbizzlebizzle | Sputnikmusic

	Archspire Too Fast To Die It becomes easy to forget about this style of tech death metal in 2026 but thankfully Archspire are still around to remind us that you can indeed write tracks that are blisteringly fast, virtuosic instrumentally but still retain elements of catchiness and replayability. In the last decade many tech death metal bands have moved to dissonance, atmosphere and song structures that really don't follow any structure and maybe this is a reason why this album stands out so much in 2026. Either way, 'Too Fast To Die' balances riffing, insane guitar leads and their signature 300 world per minute vocals to near perfection with each track taking on its o	4.5 07.25.26
	Karnivool In Verses Not great, not bad. At times there are powerful riffs, good grooves and the production on the album is quite nice. At other times the lyrics are cheesy and predictable and it feels like Tool tropes repackaged for the radio so my mom can get more into it. Lastly, the real factor to go from 3 to 2.5 is that most of the songs follow a very similar formula and none of them individually have their own personality.	2.5 07.25.26
	Immolation Descent My experience with Immolation in recent times is that they have a knack for writing really great death metal tracks and their albums are produced in a manner where the vocals, guitars and drums all garner respect. On the other hand they definitely stick to their guns and while the songs don't reach formulaic levels they have a signature. In some respects it is reminiscent of Converge, if you love the general sound you are in heaven but if you are looking for a bit more variety this album might not last in your rotation for too long. One thing that stands out is their ability to lay down the base layer of a solid riff and add interesting harmo	3.5 07.25.26
	slayr Bloodluxe On one hand there are a lot of great beats, good melodies and energy here but on the other hand it just feels way too long and like every single idea of the artist was thrown onto the record. Love a lot of elements of the sound but after about 30 minutes of a nonstop barrage it gets tiring and it goes on for another 30 minutes after that. Feels like a lot of the tracks standout better individually rather than listening to this in album format.	3.5 07.25.26
	Snail Mail Ricochet A step up from 'Valentine' but doesn't quite reach the heights of 'Lush'. A lot of catchy hooks and solid songwriting but something about the production just doesn't sit quite right as it feels like the vocals and guitars are a bit timid and overall the record gives off too much of a mellow vibe. If anything 'Lush' just bled vocal personality and had this live, raw feeling in the guitars and instruments where 'Ricochet' takes on a more polished, fuzzier feeling that seems a bit more commonplace. 'Tractor Beam', 'Agony Freak' and 'Butterfly' are great tracks and bring the album to nearly 4 status but the production and the tail end of the albu	3.5 07.25.26
	Power Paladin Beyond the Reach of Enchantment Every year one must find a power metal album that delivers that medieval fantasy vibe and it seems that once again this year it comes down to Power Paladin. After an excellent debut album they are back with tighter songwriting and production on a record that finds a great groove in the consecutive tracks of 'The Royal Road', 'The Arcane Tower' and 'Aegis of Eternity'. Solid riffs, some great leads and excellent vocal harmonies and melodies from time to time.	3.5 07.07.26
	Surfbort Reality Star That awesome feeling when you seem to be the only one that truly loves a particular album. At the end of the day 'Reality Star' is an album that exemplifies an nearly perfect slacker rock sound mixed with punk and a dash of grunge. Every single excellent riff and drum beat just oozes with slacking and boy is that feeling wonderful. Another place that the record shines is the pacing and track order. There is a very nice back and forth between the lower tempo groovy tracks and more up-tempo, high energy punk songs. Inside the tracks the band shows off some nice songwriting chops with solid hooks and playful bridges to break up the verse-chorus-	4.0 07.07.26