| 4.5 superb |
| As I Lay Dying An Ocean Between Us |
| August Burns Red Constellations |
| Blind Guardian The God Machine |
| Disciple (USA-TN) Skeleton Psalms |
| Heal The Hurt Heal The Hurt |
| Killswitch Engage As Daylight Dies |
| Norma Jean All Hail |
| Relient K Mmhmm |
| Reliqa I Don't Know What I Am |
| Skillet Comatose |
| Thrice To Be Everywhere Is to Be Nowhere |
| Trivium The Sin and the Sentence |
| Trivium In the Court of the Dragon |
| Unleash The Archers Apex |
| War of Ages Dominion |
| A solid offering of neo-classic metalcore songs (the final nu-metal-esque song aside), War of Ages has left behind the slight djent leanings of Alpha and Void to focus on their strengths. The mixing is the best I have heard from the band. The song structures are not all stock-standard (3 songs without singing, pretty much unheard of for a metalcore band not named August Burns Red). The convictions in the lyrics remain as strong as ever and rarely fall into cliche. The only minor quibble I have is there is a lack of breathing space; otherwise this is my favourite release of this year so far. |
| Wolves at the Gate Types & Shadows |
| Surprising that this album doesn't have a review, might expand this little segment later (and make it less personal).rTypes and Shadows was a large shift in sound for Wolves At The Gate, from the aggression and desperation of VxV to a more melodic and reflective experience, reflected lyrically as well. This album seems to be picking up the pieces left after some of the darker themes of VxV and pairing these with the hope found in the Gospel message. Musically there is a shift in focus toward soundscapes, which can be seen as a bit slow or boring, but can also allow for the aforementioned reflection. Obviously as an overtly Christian album this won't appeal to many who aren't Christian, but for me as a young man only starting my journey into metal and adjacent genres, it was helpful to have a message of hope in some of the music I enjoyed. Highlights include Hindsight, Chasing the Wind, Broken Bones, and Grave Digger. |
| Wolves at the Gate Reprise |
| Wolves at the Gate Wasteland |
