REVIEW-O-RAMA

MANTIC RITUAL
EXECUTIONER
NUCLEAR BLAST
If the story of Pittsburgh, PA thrash metal neophytes Mantic Ritual's heading out west, scoring a record deal and recording their debut in Germany (but not before touring the world with the likes of heroes Destruction and Exodus) sounds too good to be true, then you need to get a little less jaded, as this tale is completely accurate. EXECUTIONER is the end result of this quartet's ultimate sojourn into the realm where velocity reigns supreme, an 11-track ode to the heyday of the legendary Bay Area uprising that mightily summons the power of KILL 'EM ALL, BONDED BY BLOOD, and SO FAR, SO GOOD, SO WHAT with a lackluster sense of self seeping through. While this squad is undeniably tight and well-disciplined in the art of shred ("Black Tar Sin", "Panic", "Murdered By Death"), the prevalently placed ripping retro vibes on everything here from the early Hetfield growls to the Holt/Hunolt fancy fretwork leave little room for this unit to break from the 1987 mold, opting to worship at the altars of Kreator and Slayer exclusively. Almost at times portraying to be too vintage for their own good, within the recent resurgence of bullet belt wearing, gratuitous solo playing headbanging music, Mantic Ritual unquestionably stand a cut above the rest thanks to their jaw-dropping tightness, yet need to develop past the glory days of the genre if they want to go toe to toe and pump the kind of essential entities thrash metal music's top dogs continue to lay down. www.nuclearblastusa.com -Mike SOS

MAEGASHIRA
THE STARK ARCTIC
SPARE CHANGE
New Jersey doom merchants Maegashira clobber your cranium with a sludgy six-track sixty minute deluge into the depths of this quartet's off-centered musical soul, drudging up shards of boogie-laden stoner metal and heinous hardcore metal heft from their collective musical wreckage along the way to comprise THE STARK ARCTIC. Not afraid to allow their inner Eyehategod to usurp the moment nor dive headlong into an icicle-inducing crushing metal jam, this fearless foursome's boisterous proclamation of pure power renders an unorthodox yet punishing listening experience whose few and far between bellicose vocals keep the menacing tones creeping inside your head ("Back to Muro") long after the song is over. If you've got the patience to let the psychedelic elements soak through these diabolical jams layered in lava, Maegashira's new album projects a convincing slab of slow-churned vitriol embracing the darker side of the spectrum. www.sparechangerecords.com -Mike SOS

SSS
THE DIVIDING LINE
EARACHE
Liverpool, UK quartet SSS (Short Sharp Shock) provide an expedient excursion to relentlessly bang your head to in the form of the 20-track THE DIVIDING LINE. This crossover crew's dead-on thrash metal acumen and authentic skate punk methods would make both Suicidal Tendencies and Destruction proud ("Toxic Bee”,” Purple Reign"). Displaying a unit at the top of their game, SSS gleefully barrels through track after track of lean and mean take no prisoners brutality with a self-induced panic-stricken mania and seething anger leading the charge ("Invertbrate", "Sk8 + Destroy"). Fortifying the frontlines of the recent thrash resurgence with an endless barrage of infectious choruses played at breakneck speed, this brazen affair masterfully combines the devastating brevity of SOD, DRI, and Municipal Waste and is essential for those who love to live in the fast lane. www.earache.com -Mike SOS

IMPIETY
DOMINATOR
PULVERISED
Singapore black metal troupe Impiety maintain a dastardly level of speed throughout the course of their latest five-song, 15-minute endeavor DOMINATOR, as this black-death hybrid troupe bludgeon the ears with a speed-driven assault exploding with bad intent. Tracks like "At War with Temujin" demonstrate this veteran squad's penchant for whipping up a maelstrom of malevolent riffs, hyperspeed percussion, and diabolical vocal all in the name of evil while the title cut showcases a blackened outlook with a particularly menacing vocal performance full of grunts and laughs guiding the hellacious affair. Dripping with demonic overtones and wrought with a vicious display of velocity, Impiety's brief yet potent strike yields a listening experience tailor made for those unafraid of the darker side of the spectrum. www.pulverisedrecords.com -Mike SOS

ORDER OF ENNDEAD
ORDER OF ENNDEAD
EARACHE
Order of Ennead is a bold blackened death metal troupe whose latest eponymous offering showcases a band with a serious multifaceted extreme metal strike. Featuring Deicide skin basher Steve Asheim, this quartet's scope explores the vastness of both the forests in the Netherlands and the catacombs in Stockholm with a diabolical rasp and an adventurous sense of composition leading the caravan ("The Culling"). Tracks like "Conferring With Demons" tackles glacial Nordic nuances with honor and finesse while "As Long As I Have Myself I Am Not Alone" demonstrates the squad's crushing technical prowess and ability to balance out a lengthier track with intriguing twists. Add in an excellent usage of piano throughout the disc, most notably on the closer "Dismantling an Empire" and this colossal concoction of forward-thinking metal combines a solid amalgamation of styles and an unquestionable vitriolic virtue to create an enjoyable listening experience for those who dwell in the dark. www.earache.com -Mike SOS

GHOULS
GHOULS
DESPISE THE SUN
After putting out numerous demos, Italian gore metal troupe Ghouls have finally released a full-length record, an eight-track self-titled affair that champions a hearty old school death metal appeal with a barrage of depraved lyrical content that borders the redundancy line. Radiating the retro brutality of Obituary and Cannibal Corpse on "The Messiah of Torture and Perversion" while harkening back to the heyday of shock with song titles like "Menstrual Vaginal Cry", Ghouls may be a bit too late to the party, but they do manage to find a niche by scraping through the entrails and keeping the aura bloodsoaked on tracks like appropriately slice and dice sachet of "Snuff Movie". www.myspace.com/despisethesunrecords -Mike SOS

BANG CAMARO
BANG CAMARO II
BLACK SWORD
Metal's favorite glee club return with II, Bang Camaro's sophomore effort chock full of tongue in cheek stadium anthems for the modern age. This act's unique choral lead singer situation and shredding pop metal riffs clear the path for a raucous 10-track joyride through the heavy metal parking lot. Tracks like "Miss Illusion" and "Night Lies" blast you back to the era of excess, using virtually every groan-inducing metal cliché from country fried ("Life is Hard on the Road") to campfire balladry ("The Hit") to its advantage with an unwaveringly tasteful yet bombastic sense of grace. Sounding gargantuan yet retaining a feel as if they were unearthed from the recesses of the Sunset Strip, this infectious spectacle's latest offering displays Bang Camaro's transcending from novelty act to full-fledged arena metal masters, able to set fists in the air and Bics overhead with their contagious and crisp delivery. www.bangcamaro.com -Mike SOS

AVANTASIA
LOST IN SPACE PART 1 & 2
NUCLEAR BLAST
Edguy frontman Tobias Sammet's side project Avantasia has garnished massive success, so much so that his earlier records LOST IN SPACE PART 1 &2 can get a deluxe consolidated reintroduction to the masses. This collection combines the two previously released entities with a slew of operatically-tinged guest appearance metal bonus goodness for an essential purchase for the definitive fan of Sammet and his powerful and melodic metal musings. www.nuclearblastusa.com -Mike SOS

BLACKOUT SHOPPERS
PASS OUT
SELF-RELEASED
Long overdue, prolific NYC punk troupe Blackout Shoppers have unleashed a proper album in the form of PASS OUT. Overflowing with the sprit of the NYC underground prior to the gentrification of the LES, this tenacious 20 track assault embraces hardcore punk's roots and NYHC mayhem to kick up a sterling showcase of sneering anarchic anthems ("One Way System", "Used Cars") and breakneck blasts of volatility ("Gashuffer", "Double Breakdown") guaranteed to get the party spinning completely out of control. If you miss the good old days when punk was a battle cry and not a fashion statement, you will love Blackout Shoppers. www.blackoutshoppers.com -Mike SOS

LETHARGY
PURIFICATION
CANDLELIGHT
Welsh troupe Lethargy bundle hard rock heft of the 90'swith progressive rock compositions and classic rock durability into their 11-track sophomore sojourn PURIFICATION. Sounding at times like a cross between Porcupine Tree, Staind, Alice in Chains and Warrior Soul, tracks like "Bleechin' Bones" and "14:9" pack a wallop with its mid-tempo mix of melodic metal while the title cut could have come from the latest Alter Bridge disc by way of Fates Warning and "I See Man's End in His Construction" find the unit channeling both an inner Zeppelin and Dream Theater. Ambitious enough to go the extra mile with a tasty solo or a left of center interlude yet not too far removed to slip back into familiar hard rock paradigms, this group's ability to concoct solid slabs of rock laden with a sly in-between sound bursts with a broad appeal that fans of all things rock can easily sink their teeth into. www.candlelightrecordsusa.com -Mike SOS

DARKESTRAH
THE GREAT SILK ROAD
PARAGON
Exploring the epic evilness of the black and pagan metal scenes, German by way of Central Asian (Kyrgyzstan to be exact) unit Darkestah have plotted out a dastardly five-track, 54-minute excursion laden with a folksy degree of traditional instrumentation and a general sense of damnation seeping through this squad's infernal pores ("Inner Voice"). Fortified by an incessant stomp that moves with a menacing yet cinematic-like grace ("Cult of aTengri") all tied together with a fittingly demonic female lead vocal rasp providing the netherworldly narrative, THE GREAT SILK ROAD deserves to be exalted as a sweepingly exotic affair that followers of atmospheric dark metal will find no problem gravitating towards. www.paragonrecords.net -Mike SOS

FLU.ID
IOTS
EXILE ON MAINSTREAM
German experimental hardcore troupe flu.ID have made an album proper by repackaging two previous 10-inch releases with a few bonus tracks and a strange assortment of electronic interludes to create a 15-track collection of schizophrenic heaviness and offbeat weirdness titled IOTS. Imagine Refused jamming out with Dillinger Escape Plan while a techno party looms in the background for an idea of what this eclectic trio brings to the table. Channeling hardcore's dissonant aggression while releasing an unsettling helping of tech metal warfare and savage noise rock on unprepared ears ("Estonia Flutet Die Titanic", this unit isn't content until you've been disturbed ("New Imperial Sadism"), destroyed ("Ordinary Different") and devastated ("b"). Wryly unorthodox yet totally crushing, this offering yields an ominous listening experience and requires a slew more comprehension than most, but is well worth the brain contortions if you enjoy music laced with chaos ("Strategy First"). www.southern.com -Mike SOS

THOSE WHO BRING THE TORTURE
TANK GASMASK AMMO
PULVERISED
Swedish death metal merchants Those Who Bring the Torture reinforce their band's moniker by carrying out a sublime shot of what their name suggests on TANK GASMASK AMMO. While this quartet won't be scoring any awards for most unique metal crew, their '90s death metal meets groovy grindcore redux ("All Hail The Goat") fits snugly between your Entombed and Dismember albums as songs like the blunt "You Should Be Brutally Slaughtered" and the D-beat madness of "Expecting a Search- Visibly Hiding the Flesh" lead this unit's riff-heavy low-growled bludgeoning. And hey, what metalhead worth their salt can resist thrashing about to a song entitled "Mutant Slut"? Providing a dash of old school good friendly violent fun, Those Who Bring the Torture have developed an admirable yet familiar blend of extreme metal goodness deserving of a few spins. www.pulverisedrecords.com -Mike SOS

SAXON
INTO THE LABYRINTH
SPV
Veritable New Wave of British Heavy Metal veterans Saxon continue to slug it out in the metal scene with their latest release INTO THE LABYRINTH. This 13-track disc is carried by bombast and bravado with Biff Byford guiding through both familiar and treacherous waters with a slew of convincing lead singer clichés at hand. Even though controversial career decisions this squad chose through the years put them in precarious positions both musically and with the audience, songs like "Live to Rock" and "Hellcat" exude the come-uppance spirit of their early years and show that there's still some gas left in the tank. Striking a balance between their biker rock days and a slick metallic gloss aimed for a mass appeal, the latest Saxon disc does an adequate job of highlighting many different sides of a group still fighting for respect after all these years. www.spv.de -Mike SOS

RAGING IN THE DARK
THE PASSION + THE TREACHERY
SELF-RELEASED
Raging in the Dark is a Queens, NY female duo whose six-track offering showcases a shadowy mix of dark-edged alternative rock. From grunge-laden dynamics found on "Window" to forlorn vocals heard on "Ophelia" to eerie atmospherics of "Human Now", this tandem sets an ominous mood with a Hole meets Nirvana by way of Sonic Youth influence creating their haunting yet inviting aura. Bolstered by a boisterous percussive clamor and a slew of sinewy riffs, THE PASSSION + THE TREACHERY have carefully constructed a living monument to a time gone by with reverence and fury intact. www.myspace.com/nepenthenyc -Mike SOS

SHIROCK
EVERYTHING BURNS
SELF-RELEASED
Nashville, TN outfit Shirock comprise their 12-track offering EVERYTHING BURNS with a plethora of stadium-filling choruses and big rock mystique, developing a huge sound likening the band to U2 or Oasis ("Drag You Down"). Slick production screaming for adult alternative airplay, flawless male-female vocal tradeoffs, and the familiarity tracks like grandiose "Time Goes By" radiates assist in this quintet's quest to not only rock the world but spread their message to help the planet via their non-profit organization (named EVERYTHING BURNS). Brimming over with soaring melodies and just the right touch of emotion, Shirock's album has the right elements to pull those enamored by Coldplay or Muse along for an uplifting journey. www.shirock.net -Mike SOS

VOETSEK
INFERNAL COMMAND
SELFMADEGOD
Blistering speed and sheer volatility fused together best describes the aural assault San Francisco quintet Voetsek are responsible for on their 17-track, 21-minute punk meets power violence excursion. Fronted by a female vocalist who sounds like she's undergoing an exorcism, this squad's blend of throttling thrash metal guitars ("Frozen Heart", "Bully With a Badge") and on the edge of falling off the road grindcore tendencies ("Screwdriver Smile") enable INFERNAL COMMAND to bridge a gap between scenes so old schoolers and neophytes alike can appreciate this barrage of charming speedcore maulings dripping with attitude and unpredictability. www.selfmadegod.com -Mike SOS

HARPOON
DOUBLE GNARLY/TRIPLE SUICIDE
INTERLOPER
Harpoon is a Chicago-based duo (now beefed up to a trio) whose grindcore meets metal batterings are backed by programmed drums, an element that sets a definitive tone for DOUBLE GNARLY/TRIPLE SUICIDE. Coming off as sterile and clinical when artificial beats become inhumanly overbearing ("Throngs") despite maintaining a crushing concoction of blasting guitars and glass-gargled vocals throughout ("The Cacographer", "Lefty", "Frogs, Boils, Locusts..."). Even though shards of Slayer, Napalm Death, and Pig Destroyer rear their heads in sporadic spurts on this 12-track affair, overall these morsels of metallic goodness are detracted by synthetically sounding skin bashing that plagues the entire production. Re-record drums with a powerhouse behind the kit (Dave Witte? Danny Herrera?) and the results would be radically different, but for now this disc is a few steps away from being something to marvel. www.interloperrecords.net -Mike SOS

SUIDAKRA
CROGACHT
WACKEN
German Pagan metal veterans Suidakra are back with a rousing nine-track presentation titled CROGACHT. Authentic Celtic instrumentation (bagpipes and tin whistles) and epic death metal collide to bring the revered Irish myth of Cuchulainn to life with a flurry of orchestral metal providing the dramatic soundtrack. Fortified via a well-balanced mix of crushing Viking metal ("Baile's Strand") and intense traditional compositions ("Feats of War"), Suidakra finds themselves at full-strength during the glorious fury of "Scathach", a piece where both of the band's unique styles juxtapose to create a colossal listening experience. CROGACHT is an album laden with sweeping melodies and displays a captivating vigor that whisks you away into Suidakra's epic brand of metallic folklore. www.wackenrecords.com -Mike SOS

ENSLAVED
VERTEBRAE
NUCLEAR BLAST
Norwegian metal merchants Enslaved have put out their most progressive album to date with their latest (and tenth!) offering, the eight-track VERTEBRAE. Far removed from their primitive origins, this squad's psychedelic rock meets black metal approach takes Pink Floyd into the catacombs for a swirling sojourn into lands discovered by the likes of Opeth ("Ground"). Using a mesmerizing black metal foundation ("New Dawn") to launch haunting riffs and atmospheric sections, Enslaved have realized the unimaginable possibility of making a black metal album boundless. Lurking with rich subtleties and a devastating sonic crush, VERTEBRAE showcases a stunning collection of music that requires multiple listens to fully appreciate the grandiose vision and creative splendor of Enslaved, yet stands strong as another top-notch release in the band's impressive catalog. www.nuclearblastusa.com -Mike SOS

FUELBLOODED
OFF THE FACE OF THE EARTH
SELF-RELEASED
Hailing from the Netherlands, hybrid metal quintet Fuelblooded showcase a bevy of styles on their latest nine-track endeavor OFF THE FACE OF THE EARTH. Drawing initially from a prime selection of melodic Euro metal, this unit places an amalgamation of influences into its framework, whipping up its own hard hitting sonic brew along the way. Technically proficient ("The Cult of Ego") and harmonic fretwork ("The Wrath of A'ath") help Fuelblooded get their inner In Flames on while the title cut brings a deliberately darker tone and "The End Starts Here" takes a turn into progressive territories reserved for the likes of Nevermore or Scar Symmetry. Depositing a solid array of metal Fuelblooded fits somewhere between Trivium, Megadeth, and Darkane when it comes down to doling out a multifaceted metal attack. www.fuelblooded.com -Mike SOS

HELLVETO
NEOHERESY
PULVERISED
Featuring six tracks connecting a pulled-back brand of black metal with massive pagan and symphonic overtones, Polish one-man band Hellveto lays down a multi-layered metallic strike with NEOHERESY. Able to switch from tremolo-picked rage to serenity-laden subdued with relative ease (and more importantly with the audience following along), this disc possesses both a savage grace and a warmongering spirit, showcasing an orchestral belligerence somewhere between Emperor and Faith No More on "Milczace Sumienie" while "Taran" slithers with a sense of foreboding atmospherics. Strengthened by an omnipresent use of keyboards setting mood swings and overall aura, Hellveto has crafted a bellicose affair whose broad scope and non-traditional leanings will keep you guessing. www.pulverised.net -Mike SOS

BENEATH THE MASSACRE
DYSTOPIA
PROSTHETIC
Crippling Canadian quartet Beneath the Massacre is a dizzying deathcore troupe whose latest 10-track enterprise DYSTOPIA jackhammers sweeping guitar runs, feral blast beat drums, and vicious vocals into your cranium for over 30 minutes. And when it's over, what does the listener retain besides one hell of a headache? Not a whole lot, actually, although this band's jaw-dropping velocity and unbridled brutality found on cuts such as the relentless "Bitter" and "Procreating the Infection" is something to marvel at while the surprisingly slow and more painful delivery audible on the properly named "Lithium Overdose" salvages this squad from being caught in the middle between being totally breakdown-reliant and spastic riff friendly into a somewhat more palatable direction. Otherwise, this blistering offering does its damndest, sacrificing musicality for sheer sonic bludgeoning for fans of dastardly technicality to get wrapped inside of. www.prostheticrecords.com -Mike SOS

NAER MATARON
PRAETORIANS
SEASON OF MIST
Sticking to their roots, Greek black metal troupe Naer Mataron unfurl an expected mix of blast beat mayhem, evil vocal croaks and shrieks, and wrath-inducing tremolo-picked guitars on their most recent album PRAETORIANS. This 11-track release maintains the authentic black metal template to a fault, retaining the genre's trademark rawness sans any progressive tendencies. Making up for the album's lack of surprises by stirring a hearty cauldron brimming over with pure demonic fury ("Incarcerating Gallantes"), despite the incessant drum blastings and primitive compositions detrimental to some, those hankering for a shot of troo black metal will have nary a problem championing this resilient troupe's latest endeavor. www.season-of-mist.com -Mike SOS

DEAD BY WEDNESDAY
PAWNS
ECLIPSE
Connecticut crushers Dead By Wednesday unleash an explosive onslaught of politically charged rap metal on their 13-track venture PAWNS. Armed with a bevy of brawny hardcore riffs ("Pawns", "Break the Walls", "Restitution") and a solid twin vocal attack that works against one another nicely while running metal's stylistic gauntlet from guttural death ("Araroba") to frenzied punk ("Violent Tradition"), this disc offers a durable yet retread sound marred at points by sticking too close to the formula, rendering tracks like "Chosen" and the Hatebreed-esque "Society's Blood" a bit past shelf life. But if you can get past the Suicidal Tendencies and Downset worship, tracks like the So Cal punk meets Hed PE-infused "Liberty" and the Sworn Enemy by way of E-Town Concrete vibe on "Fractured" contain the surefire elements that keeps a steady stream of flailing limbs moving on the dancefloor. www.eclipserecords.com -Mike SOS

KHORS
MYSTICISM
PARAGON
Ukrainian septet Khors rely way too much on keyboards to be considered a full-on black metal troupe, as their gloomy metal inclinations and moody morosity indicates on their latest eight-track endeavor MYSTICISM. The intro on "Red Mirrors" sounds so 1987 it hurts while "In The Cold Embrace of Mist" boasts a key solo that sounds more in step with Deep Purple than anything in corpsepaint. Yet this unit's somber vibe remains strong between the flowery tinklings, pouring on the pity like a hybrid of Moonsorrow and Katatonia during the disc's darkest hours of need ("Winterfall"). www.paragonrecords.net -Mike SOS

ARKAN
HILAL
SEASON OF MIST
Intertwining a hearty helping of genuine Moroccan and Algerian music into a mixture of mediocre melodeath, Arkan's sophomore effort HILAL offers a perplexing listening experience. Teeming with a glossy production (thanks Fredrik Nortstrom) that produces an enormous sound ("Chaos Cypher") which can't obscure the awkwardness of obligatory ethnic music breaks clashing with a Gojira meets Daath style of metal, this disc is tough to endure when a plethora of different acts in Arkan's general direction do a more exciting job at what this squad intends to achieve. www.season-of-mist.com -Mike SOS

TRIBULATION
THE HORROR
PULVERISED
Retro Swedish death metal clan Tribulation pound out a loving tribute to the genre's salad days on their righteous nine-track affair THE HORROR. Killer guitar riffs and brazen solos lead this savagely savvy quartet's descent into the abyss ("Curse of Resurrection", "Beyond the Horror"), backed with just the right touch of slow-churned doom ("Seduced by the Smell of Rotten Flesh") before raring back with a resoundingly crust-infused blackened battering ("Crypt of Thanathophilia"). This quartet nails the spirit of the good old days with a speed-laden, Stockholm-influenced downtuned assault armed with its fair share of death 'n roll nuances for a groove-loaded crushing good time that will take fans of Dismember, Dissection, and Entombed back. www.pulverised.net -Mike SOS

PISTOLA
THE BLEEDER
DESEO
Pistola's latest 12-track venture THE BLEEDER maintains this NYC unit's pensive post-hardcore attack revealed on previous offering HOLD FOR BLISS. This band's biggest strength remains the delicate balance of brooding power and somber restraint they exert throughout the course of their 12-track offering, as "Tragedy is a Beauty Queen" walks a tightrope with mesmerizing percussion and Patricia Gradin's fearlessly cascading vocals complementing deftly jagged fretwork while staccato rhythms meld with soaring vocal performances on the engaging "Be Patient" and the biting "Music Snobs". Glistening with melody (the Sabbath-esque swing of "Out and About with Danny Rowe" stands out here) while attentively displaying the gritty underbelly of the Big Apple thanks to a cavalcade of raw Unsane meets Quicksand guitars and PJ Harvey meets Robert Plant vocal histrionics ("We're Alright Pt. 2", "The Battle of 4 Vs. 5"), Pistola entrances, engulfs, and intrigues listeners with their brand of potent post hardcore. www.pistola.us -Mike SOS

DANCE CLUB MASSACRE
CIRCLE OF DEATH
BLACK MARKET ACTIVITIES
Symphonic black metal plus deathcore equals Chicago's Dance Club Massacre's latest 10-track excursion CIRCLE OF DEATH. If you could imagine what a cross between Dimmu Borgir and Horse the Band would sound like, songs like "Hoosh Hoosh" and the WWE-inspired "Have You Ever Chopped a Wolf?" will give you an indication of what the amalgamation of these clashing styles sounds like. Disjointed, misguided, and overwrought with cliché, this disc's lighthearted lyrical stance and pseudo-ominous feel (thanks to an annoying presence of keyboards as well as a redundancy of deathcore themes) renders this presentation as something you can skip over and not feel too badly about. www.blackmarketactivities.com -Mike SOS

PULLING TEETH
PARANOID DELUSIONS/ PARADISE ILLUSIONS
DEATHWISH
Baltimore, MD's Pulling Teeth's bastardized combination of adept songwriting and vitriolic velocity retains a hardcore heft while firing a multi-dimensional assault chock full of intrigue and aggression. Sludgier and darker than your garden variety hardcore unit, tinkering with atmospheres and dynamics yields the monstrous results heard PARANOID DELUSIONS/ PARADISE ILLUSIONS, this quintet's latest five-track, 24-minute sojourn. Still displaying a set of chops that shred like Slayer and the ferocity to clobber like Converge, by adding in foreboding ambience via Moog and keyboards ("Bloodwolves") and a boldness that permits spacey rock jams a la Cave In to morph from the mayhem ("Ritual"), this quartet takes their assault past hardcore's normal limits.vwww.deathwishinc.com -Mike SOS

GEISHA
DIE VERBRECHEN DER LIEBE
CRUCIAL BLAST
Britol, UK troupe Geisha champion a smorgasbord of sound on their six-track sophomore affair DIE VERBRECHEN DER LIEBE. From jumpy noise rock riffs to sludge rock rhythmic slanderings to thunderous stoner rock percussion to trip-laden extended psychedelic space rock jams, this exploratory troupe provides a dissonant post hardcore offering boldly veering into parts unknown with a dizzying swagger and hyperkinetic sense of danger in tow. Equally at home in the spaceship or the swamp, this swirling excursion ends off on a high note with "Theme From Diana", a colossal 30-minute plus endeavor that intertwines shards of random dialogues with a shape-shifting yet raw drone metal feel and scrawls of white noise feedback to close out this intense and boundless squad's sojourn. www.crucialblast.net -Mike SOS