CALLING IT A DAY/NIGHT/YEAR/LIFETIME

Well it’s been grand, and I was honored to take over the “Dirt Culture” moniker from its former print editor and turn it into this here wonderful blog back in 2008, but I’ve decided to move on to bigger and better things. No, I have not stopped writing, and I never, EVER will! I have joined forces with Forbidden Magazine (www.forbidden-magazine.com) an AWESOME print and webzine, and have never been happier. The other guys are all very dedicated, reputable, and know their stuff and we are also working on some releases, including the entire March Into The Sea discography on CD! I highly encourage all of you to check out Forbidden’s site at the URL above and also “Like” Forbidden Magazine on Facebook (oh come on, you’re on there 25 hours a day anyway!). So, in conclusion, I’m neither dead nor dying (yet), and if you want to add me on Facebook, it’s “Michael Mahyar Hojjatie” or my personal email is hailthehodge@gmail.com. Thanks, and have a great rest of 2010!

IMMORTAL RITES

IMMORTAL - ALL SHALL FALL
Well the eagle has landed. One of the most anticipated releases of the year is finally upon us. Whether their "break-up" stunt of several years ago was just that, a stunt, to generate further interest in the band is something I've always wondered. Then again, in the YouTube and MySpace and Guitar Hero age, nothing is left undiscovered for long as is. Continuing down their path of more traditional heavy metal with black metal vocals since "At the Heart of Winter" many moons ago, Immortal have yet to disappointed this bitter and jaded metal veteran, especially in the way many of their Norwegian countrymates (who shall remained unnamed simply because I'm downright tired of saying them) have in the name of SELLING OUT. Yes, I said that, because that's the straight reality of it. Anyway, sure, I worried when I heard Immortal was signing to Nuclear Blast with their previous "Sons of Northern Darkness", and with good reason. Thankfully, that turned out to be unfounded. That album did not lack in ANY way, shape, or form. Now flash-forward to seven years and an alleged "break-up" later, and we have more of the same. Cold, emotional, and dark black metal with plenty of older traditional metal use, for all the better. Semi-long songs that don't bore or drift off into oblivion. Expect nothing but absolute Immortal in their finest form. The wait was well worth it! (FA)
NUCLEAR BLAST
www.nuclearblastusa.com, www.immortalofficial.com, www.myspace.com/immortalofficial

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

RED LIGHT GREEN LIGHT

PAPSMEAR
MUSIC TO KILL BY
METAL WAR
Just by perusing the booklet defunct Las Vegas thrash band Papsmear accompanies their retrospective MUSIC TO KILL BY with, you can tell these guys were at the forefront of their scene, as homemade flyers touting shared bills with the likes of COC, Pestilence, and Hirax can attest to. Armed with a feral thrash metal attack that always appeared to be on the brink of falling apart, this band who really never made it out of Vegas combines blistering speed, sneering vocals, whammy bar antics, and lyrical discourse taken straight from the playbook to comprise their style. This multi-faceted collection boasts live recordings, demos, and a DVD of the good old days when beer was cheap, girls were easy, and posers were soundly disposed of or at the very least according to the live shows heard here, resoundly heckled and harassed from the lead singer's microphone. Diehard thrash maniacs will need this, but there's way better stuff, both reissued and current, out there to check out before you have to dig into this one. www.metalwarprod.com -Mike SOS

BECOMING THE ARCHETYPE
DICHOTOMY
SOLID STATE
Christian metal troupe Becoming the Archetype and producer Devin Townsend have made a monstrous modern metal album called DICHOTOMY. This 10-track affair packs gargantuan riffage, pummeling bass lines, grandiose keyboards, and gruff vocals into every track, but isn't afraid to wield an acoustic for some sweet classic metal interludes ("St. Anne's Lullaby", "How Great Thou Art") or go Pink Floyd with a female singer/piano combo ("Deep Heaven"). Teetering between the progressive and melodeath end of the spectrum, fans of In Flames and Strapping Young Lad will definitely want to get their hands on this one. www.solidstate.com -Mike SOS

IRONWEED
INDIAN LADDER
SMALL STONE
Albany, NY quintet Ironweed take matters into their own hands on debut disc INDIAN LADDER. Boasting ex-members of Greatdayforup, this band displays sludgy stoner metal chops on cuts like "Thorn" and "Rid The Earth" yet make a fair share of intriguing detours within the metal spectrum on tracks like "Lifeless Coil" and "Penny for Your Prayers" to keep your smoked skull active. Brimming over with dirty grooves, thick riffs, and a solid vocal performance that cohesively ties it all together, Ironweed nicely fills the gap left by Alabama Thunderpussy while throwing in choice chunks of metallic goodness a la Down for that kick in the ass listening experience you've been craving. www.smallstone.com -Mike SOS

SCALE THE SUMMIT
CARVING DESERT CANYONS
PROSTHETIC
Scale the Summit's captivating alliance of guitar wizardry with adventurous musical compositions sounds like a cross between the forward-thinking The Fucking Champs and the cathartic charge of Pelican on their second effort CARVING DESERT CANYONS. This invigorating unit's jostling eight-track excursion is an instrumental metal fan's dream come true, as this technically proficient quartet put on a veritable musician's clinic to disc ("Glacial Planet") while skillfully investing the listener emotionally without assistance from any vocals ("City in the Sky"). Rousing and rocking, Scale the Summit lack of stuffiness is what helps them excel so well in getting their point across, as this band doesn't just blow your face off with flurries of flawless runs and fills but writes heartfelt and hearty progressive rock jams bursting with the aforementioned for a multi-faceted assault not just restricted to the progressive sect. www.prostheticrecords.com -Mike SOS

NOISM
+-
CRUCIAL BLAST
Noism consists of guitar and drum machine unleashing sonic batterings of cybergrind at dangerous BPM's. Armed with a disturbingly cold and robotic rampage, this 12-track affair reaps 20+ minutes of aural menacing complete with electronically manipulated drum poundings incessantly jackhammering into your cerebrum while blistering guitars fade in and out of the barrage of percussive insanity. This album will drive you mad if you allow its chaotic cadence to envelope your ears long enough, as Noism's representation of mechanized madness is truly devoid of any sense of stability. www.crucialblast.com -Mike SOS

BIONIC
BLACK BLOOD
SIGNED BY FORCE
Canadian rock outfit Bionic deliver a galactic group of good times rock tonnage on their bombastic 10-track attack BLACK BLOOD. Bad to the bone rhythms ("Learn to Love the Government") and fuzzed-out jams ("Theme for a Young Lion") collide with a marching band ("Freedom Now, Baby") for the supercharged cruise through the desert in a muscle car vibe. Honkytonk piano, rowdy horns and badass guitar bends are tatooed all over this disc, subtlety exposing hard rock's gritty underbelly without a hint of restraint ("Econo Tusk", "Soft as Magarine"). Dripping with attitude reinforced with a smattering of soulful rock 'n roll, this disc melds the freewheeling natures of Queens of the Stone Age, Fu Manchu and Clutch together for a raucous ride rocks fans will clamor for. www.signedbyforce.com -Mike SOS

GOJIRA
THE WAY OF ALL FLESH
PROSTHETIC
The latest album from Gojira solidifies this French quartet's place amongst metal's elite, as this avant-garde unit's extraordinary juxtaposition of crushing and progressive elements is stretched past the point of reproach on the 12-track THE WAY OF ALL FLESH. Fueled by an ecological mindset which sets the lyrical tone of take care of Mother Earth or else, this squad doles out a harbinging mix of epic death metal complete with dizzying time signature switches and waves of doom metal monotony ("The Art of Dying") and industrial strength grooves that simply brutalize ("Toxic Garbage Island", "Yama's Messengers"), while challenging your ears with superlative blasts of sonic excess ("Vacuity"). Providing a bevy of dazzling dynamic shifts and a haunting black metal intensity throughout ("Wolf Down the Earth"), Gojira has created a unique strand of metal music that gets better after every listen. www.prostheticrecords.com -Mike SOS

BY ANY MEANS NECESSARY
BY ANY MEANS NECESSARY
SELF-RELEASED
Texas metal quartet By Any Means Necessary lay down a furious thrash meets modern metal clobbering on their three-track eponymous endeavor. Imagine Chimaira going toe to toe with Exodus ("Discord of War") for an idea of what kind of beatdown to be prepare for. Throw in some some tasty Pantera-esque guitar runs and a powerful rhythm section's exuding brute force and allow the headbanging to begin. This disc delivers sharpened blows of metallic might with flashes of Bay Area glory and a nasty attitude hammering it home. www.myspace.com/byanymeansnecessary -Mike SOS

GUILLOTINE
BLOOD MONEY
PULVERIZED
Sweden's Guillotine slay the world with their authentic brand of hostile thrash metal on the reunited unit's latest 12-track affair BLOOD MONEY. Melding blistering speed, groovy riffs, and disciplined rhythms, there's a whole lot of Kreator and Exodus in these guy's bag of tricks as tracks like "Insane Oppression" and "War" denote, yet there's also a Sacred Reich-esque vibe permeating from cuts like "Die/Live?" and some sweet apocalyptic lyrical content in "Our Darkest Day". And of course, being from Sweden, how can you play thrash and not borrow a bit from The Haunted ("Welcome to Dying")? A rousing slab of headbanging and tasty riffs abound, Guillotine bind a strong cross-section of elements that make great thrash metal together, developing a stirring offering for those who enjoy an insatiable need for speed wrought in wrath. www.pulverized.net -Mike SOS

PRO-PAIN
NO END IN SIGHT
REGAIN
16 years on the job and still going strong chugging out memorable heavy tuneage, Pro-Pain follows up their recent string of solid offerings with NO END IN SIGHT. This 11-track endeavor finds Gary Meskil and crew pumping the usual meat and potatoes hardcore metal might with the blue collar work ethic that warrants this band's hard nosed reputation ("Halo", "Let The Blood Run Through the Streets"), yet there's some discernible switches happening throughout NO END IN SIGHT that really stand out given their tried and true formula. The increased implementation of melody, especially vocally (and clean-sung at that), is a pretty stark diversion for this veteran act, as it gives off a modern hardcore approach to cuts like "All Rise" and "Hour of the Time" while allowing this troupe to include another choice layer to its already menacing arsenal. Add in a sterling guest guitar spot by Cannibal Corpse's Rob Barrett ("Pheonix Rising") and bagpipes for a stomping pub rock feel ("Go It Alone") to the band's stalwart hardcore metal delivery for more hints of deviation to the steamroller sound championed since Pro-Pain's inception and you can mark this disc as yet another durable release from an always reliable unit with some unexpected aural surprises making perfect fits into their punishing paradigm. www.ragainrecords.com -Mike SOS

TOTAL FUCKING DESTRUCTION
PEACE LOVE AND TOTAL FUCKING DESTRUCTION
ENUCLEATION
Total Fucking Destruction provide an unusual socio-apocalyptic musical experience meshing offbeat bursts of grindcore mired in jackhammered repetition with an unabashed thumb at the nose punk attitude kicking down the door on the irreverent 23-track assault titled PEACE LOVE AND TOTAL FUCKING DESTRUCTION. Menacing at times ("Anyone But Me") yet consistently maintaining an upbeat and bright feel not unlike SOD ("Grindcore Salesman", "Doublespeaker"), Brutal Truth grind guru Rich Hoak pulls double duty on drums and vocals here, conducting the ensuing madness while flailing away on the kit like an escaped convict on the lam. Hurling heaps of biting commentary about the state of the world into the mantra-like lyrics of this frenetic centrifuge only makes the room spin faster and the urge to hang on for dear life that much more tangible, as TFD have furnished a vociferous rollercoaster ride through society's gritty underbelly on this acerbically expedient expedition. www.enucleationrecords.com -Mike SOS

WETNURSE
INVISIBLE CITY
SEVENTH RULE
Malleable NYC metal unit Wetnurse whip up another furious flurry of forward thinking metal on the quintet's latest effort INVISIBLE CITY. This extreme eight-track excursion eagerly runs up and down the aisles in the heavy metal supermarket, grabbing everything in sight, chucking it into a brooding battleship-like shopping cart for their diabolical devourment. Channeling the vocal gymnastics of Candiria, the efficient instrumental elegance of Baroness, the dynamic dissonance of Dillinger Escape Plan, and the disenchanted discourse of Today is the Day, this squad squarely bridges the gap between modern metal waters on cuts like the mesmerizing "Conversations With the Moon" and the demonically-charged "Show Your Spell Miss Hell". Best absorbed via uninterrupted listen, Wetnurse's sweeping stylistic shifts seamlessly meld into each other to form an elaborate tapestry of crushing avant garde metal whose vivacious musicianship raises the bar on what the amalgamation of adventurous and battering should sound like. www.seventhrule.com -Mike SOS

BIBLE OF THE DEVIL
FREEDOM METAL
CRUZ DEL SUR
Hey man, is that FREEDOM METAL, man? Well, turn it up, man! Yeah, that's the vibe the latest eight-track affair which Chicago's defenders of the faith Bible of the Devil emits, right down to the gruff yet glittery Paul Stanley meets Paul D'ianno vocal caterwaul of Matt Hoffman . Tracks like "Womanize" maintain a classic metal feel by keeping the genre's traditional sounds and structures intact with unfettered authenticity while the terrifically-reworked twin guitar mayhem and galloping rhythms featured throughout reek with familiarity yet rock so hard you don't care that you've heard it all before from a Priest or Scorpions album from the mid '70s. Not shy in paying homage to their influences in the most respectful of ways, this album is a slamming affair that will have any classic metalhead and gray beard worth their salt scrambling through their closet for the old school denim jacket with the Maiden patch on the back. And so what if "Ol' Girl" apes Thin Lizzy down to the tee, the band does an admirable job of dramatizing what a modern-day Lynott may come up with, so relax a bit, chug a brew and sit tight and enjoy this time machine joyride Bible of the Devil have stepped up and supplied. www.cruzdelsurmusic.com -Mike SOS

DIMENSION ZERO
HE WHO SHALL NOT BLEED
CANDLELIGHT
Boasting an impressive pedigree (featuring members of Soilwork and In Flames) and a penchant for punishment, Swedish melodic death metal troupe Dimension Zero return with its fourth installment of brutality with HE WHO SHALL NOT BLEED. This 11-track effort merges blistering thrash with diabolical death 'n roll, relying heavily on a ferocious flurry of relentless riffs, pummeling rhythms, and vicious vocals on tracks like "Going Deep" and the furious title track while tracks like "Red Dead Heat" and the slightly more melodic "Hell Is Within" hammer the group's metallic points into your skull with boisterous blunt force. Despite its noticeable lack of tempo variation, the continuously frantic pace set here plays up Dimension Zero's strengths, allowing the listener to throw caution to the wind and headbang to heart's content with reckless abandon. www.candlelightrecordsusa.com -Mike SOS

SUGAR RED DRIVE
SUGAR RED DRIVE
SELF-RELEASED
Poughkeepsie, NY modern rock mavens Sugar Red Drive have fused a wealth of familiar sounds together assuring a readiness for rock radio dominance on the quartet's eponymous 11-track debut. Huge hooks, driving guitars, and a solid vocal performance bolster hard rockers like "Comin' Down" and tender moments like "Millers Child", instantly cramming these guys in between Three Days Grace, Theory of a Deadman, and Hinder in the battle to knock Nickelback off the top of the mountain. Providing a durable batch of tunes that are easy to hum along to ("Grace") or rock out to ("One More Time"), Sugar Red Drive display an uncanny acumen for making rock music aimed for hockey arenas and sports highlight reels. www.myspace.com/sugrareddrive -Mike SOS

LECHEROUS NOCTURNE
THE AGE OF MIRACLES HAS PASSED
UNIQUE LEADER
South Carolina quintet Lecherous Nocturne bust out from the gates of the netherworld with a devastating eight-track excursion in tow titled THE AGE OF MIRACLES HAS PASSED. This blistering and brutal unit (featuring members of Nile and Monstrosity) rip and tear with a dastardly death meet black metal amalgamation on cuts like the pulverizing "We Are As Dust" and the exasperating slow crawl of the title track. Providing a compact (this disc only runs 28 minutes long) yet complete aural bludgeoning, this release brims over with an uncompromising array of surprisingly memorable moments bordering on catchy ("Requiem for the Insects") in between its chaotic abrasiveness, swiftly catapulting this act to the top of the extreme metal fold. www.uniqueleader.com -Mike SOS

XYSTUS
EQUILIBRIO
SENSORY
Dutch metal project Xystus surpasses typical rock opera expectations on the troupe's latest grandiose expose entitled EQUILIBRIO. This brazen theatrical affair boasts a cast and crew over 130 members strong, including a massive choir reserved for religious celebrations and a show-stealing full scale orchestra to properly carry mainman's Bas Dolmans' epic vision to life. Highlighted by the immense vocal talents of Simone Simons (Epica) and George Oosthock (Orphan) as major characters, this sweepingly majestic presentation's ace in the hole can be found via the symphonic might and bold pomp the orchestra doles out, cutting through the competent power metal backdrop at just the right times to stir up drama, create tension, and enrich the entire production with its captivating sparkle and shine. This is one not to miss if you enjoy progressive metal at its most bombastic as well as a piece of work which screams to be experienced with all accoutrements intact. www.lasersedgegroup.com -Mike SOS

CAPRICORNS
RIVER, BEAR YOUR BONES
RISE ABOVE
UK instrumental metal menaces Capricorns inject an undercurrent of visceral volatility into their latest sludgy sojourn RIVER, BEAR YOUR BONES. Setting off a dastardly stoner rock feel that trades genre-typical flashes of excess for barrages of skull pounding passages that could easily be mistaken for pit stomping hardcore if not for the spacy interludes in between , this eight-track affair contorts without compromise, showcasing its metallic malleability with every doom-laden riff ("5") and dramatic shapeshifted rhythm hammered out ("1", "3"). Boasting former members of Iron Monkey and Orange Goblin in its ranks explains and bolsters the sheer heaviness this squad exudes while intertwining the wares of usual suspects such as Pelican, Isis, Neurosis, Baroness, and Mastodon, an arduous task that Capricorns takes on with a triumphant arsenal of prolific yet pounding avant-garde atmospheric metal chops. www.riseaboverecords.com -Mike SOS

WE INSIST!
OH! THINGS ARE SO CORRUPTIBLE
EXILE ON MAINSTREAM
Freewheeling French troupe We Insist! throw convention to the wind on their latest release OH! THINGS ARE SO CORRUPTIBLE, weaving a durable alternative metal safety net channeling Faith No More, Primus, Clutch and System of A Down while embedded impressions of quirky rock and a predominant level of jazz (propelled by a call and response between the patented twin saxophone presence) assert importance. This 12-track offering sweeps through speakers with determined density, at times displaying the frantic power of a renegade juggernaut on the lam ("Time is Lazy", "The Sailor") while demonstrating a love for the dark and cinematic ("Early Recollections", "Half Awake") . Capturing an unorthodox amalgamation of rhythmic swerves, psychedelic grooves and whiskey-soaked jangle , this oddball sextet's bottomless bag of intriguing musical textures amped with an intoxicating intensity bestow tracks like "Imperial Catechism" a hearty stomp and "The Great Disorder" an icy chill. This disc's herky-jerky nature and off the grid train of thought is not for everyone, but for those who crave more creativity in their rock music, this one delivers. www.southern.com -Mike SOS

THYRFING
HELS VITE
REGAIN
Swedish Viking metal veterans Thyrfing have undergone some lineup changes (most notably vocally) since their last offering in 2005, yet this quintet seems to have gained strength from the shakeup and have decisively become darker in the process. HELS VITE is the troupe's icy seven-track statement, a releases which comes complete with a proper balance of menacing guitars, gargantuan drums, tortured growls, and keyboard flourishes driving cuts like "Griftefrid" straight down into the depths of Hell, while "Isolation" works under a deliberate pace while emitting dramatic blackened vibes accentuated with acoustic guitar interludes and battleground horns that you'd expect from any corpsepainted crew a cut above the median. If you're a fan of bombastic black metal with an evil streak a mile wide, HELS VITE provides all the nuances necessary to get your demonic kicks. www.regainrecords.com -Mike SOS

NASHVILLE PUSSY
FROM HELL TO TEXAS
SPV
Sticking to the cowpunk attitude meets raw rock 'n roll formula they've been championing for over a decade, Nashville Pussy returns with another batch of road ready boogie friendly whiskey-soaked hellbound tunes on the 12-track FROM HELL TO TEXAS. Never ones to shy from subtleties, songs like the fiery "I'm So High" and "Drunk Driving Man" are self-explanatory accounts direct from the hard living rock lifestyle, while tracks like "Pray for the Devil" showcase Ruyter Suys' formidable Gibbons meets Perry guitar chops and "Why Why Why" and "Late Great USA" display this tandem's ability to pump out contagious hand-clapped and cowbell friendly hooks that get the whole crowd moving. Bursting at the seams with songs about drugs, drinking, drinking, and drugs, Nashville Pussy continues its chug on its raucous rock route, huffed up on whatever they can get their paws on, not afraid to share a taste of its non-stop country-fried rock attack. www.spvusa.com -Mike SOS

OMNIUM GATHERUM
THE REDSHIFT
CANDLELIGHT
Finnish sextet Omnium Gatherum, fresh off their last release STUCK HERE ON SNAKE'S WAY, return with another 11-track endeavor entitled THE REDSHIFT. This melodic death metal unit's latest batch of tunes demonstrates this act's versatile composition skills, as this album branches out from the usual melodeath malaise long enough to dabble in Goth metal, progressive, and doom for a more revealing glimpse at a band who,despite making headway, still seem to be searching for their niche. While tracks like "Shadowkey" sound a bit rote and par for the In Flames meets Dark Tranquility course, tracks like the mid-tempo mauling brought on by "Shapes and Shades" give off Machine Head-esque power, instrumental "Song for December" provides a welcomes somber break in the action and "No Breaking Point" and "Greeneyes" cleverly intertwine the wares of Moonspell and Katatonia for an intriguing dip into the gloom and doom realm. Ominum Gatherum's well-versed metal approach keeps listeners engrossed throughout yet a bit more fine-tuning may sharpen this squad's output for the next time around. www.candlelightrecordsusa.com -Mike SOS

RABID RABBIT
RABID RABBIT
INTERLOPER
Two bassists, minimal vocals, and swirls of dense psychedelic avant garde metal arrive via Chicago's Rabid Rabbit on the crew's latest jaunt, an elitist-friendly vinyl-only eponymous seven-track affair. Sounding like a cross between Sonic Youth, Melvins, and Giant Squid, this foursome fearlessly hammers out a cavalcade of over your head noise rock mired in sludge metal low-end rhythms ("First Blood") and free-form jazz structure while the atmospheric fretwork allows aerial acrobatics in tracks like "Ephederine" to shine. Thirsty ears looking for a challenge will warm up to the earthy tones and unorthodox style, but for those not seeking adventure, this may render a bit too sharp of a turn to get into. www.interloperrecords.net -Mike SOS

RE-TO-THE-VIEWS!

JOHN WILKES BOOTH

SIC SEMPER TYRANNIS

BUKKAKE ORANGE

Long Island unit John Wilkes Booth create a mountainous yet delectable wall of sonic overload on their latest 15-track affair, the viscous SIC SEMPER TYRANNIS. Heavy and crushing yet never remiss to keep their excessive slabs of doom-laden boogie rock memorable ("The Inner Workings"), tracks like "Eye Rack" and "Hey Girl" simultaneously stomp you in the gut and stick in your head for days thanks to the infectious guitar hooks and unique vocal delivery over the dastardly rhythm section's voluminous exhibitions. This is an album chock full of desert rock dynamic shifts, stoner rock subtleties, and hard rock harangue with an attention to detail and a keen sense of musicianship steering the ship, as these titans of tinnitis take their self-professed style known as dirt rock for an unbridled journey through the timelines of underground metal's elite noise mongering squads. If you dig the likes of bands that still set the benchmark for left of center metal excellence such as Clutch, Kyuss, and Jesus Lizard, John Wilkes Booth will be your new favorite band. www.jwbooth.net -Mike SOS

THIS OR THE APOCALYPSE

MONUMENTS

LIFEFORCE

Pennsylvania metalcore troupe This or The Apocalypse transcend the genre's mundane monotonies with an abundance of nimble guitarwork and clever juxtapositions of brutality and melody on their 10-track debut MONUMENTS. This unit's lineage is easily traced to bands such as Misery Signals and fellow statesmen This Day Forward thanks to a common bond forged from similar composition devices and non-linear structural nuances, yet This or the Apocalypse manage to bring fresh perspectives to otherwise burly breakdowns ("Elegiac", "This is Debt"), slam with sinewy riffs and tech-like rhythmic patterns ("Two Wars") and even go so far as to include a calm and atmospheric feedback-laden jam in for added texture ("Memento Mori"). Some may complain that this squad follow the blueprint of August Burns Red a bit too closely, but if it's a kick in the ass from a stale style that you're looking for that takes enough chances and left turns without falling too far off the path, then this quintet is worth a spin. www.lifeforcerecords.com -Mike SOS

THE HEADIE BERRIE

MORNING TOAST

SELF-RELEASED

Taking rock 'n roll back to its blues-based smoky backroom roots, the Long Island quintet The Headie Berrie unfurl their colorful guitar rock flag on the quintet's four-song EP MORNING TOAST. This act's no-frills approach to the basics comes complete with a hard rock yowl yielding to tasty bits of harmonica strewn in for good measure and trippy bell-bottom musical jams infused with a bevy of wah-wah guitar bravado ("Blank Tablature"), melding the attitudes of arena rock heroes from the '70s through the grunge era "(Musician"). Capable of making their large than life retro rock sound convincing thanks to their monster chops and durable riffs ("Mushroom T"), this throwback troupe turns the burners up for a raucous ride bursting with badass boogie that folks who like to kick out the freedom rock will totally latch onto. www.myspace.com/theheadieberrie -Mike SOS

DEADLOCK

MANIFESTO

LIFEFORCE

Deadlock return with another dose of bludgeoning metalcore with dual male/ female vocal on MANIFESTO, this German outfit's latest offering. The 11-track affair maintains the crush employed by many of the new wave of European metal acts, yet this sextet continuously throws musical curveballs which definitely makes their music stand out, but not always for the right reasons. The thumping techno opener "The Moribund Choir vs. The Trumpets of Armageddon" and the over the top street hip-hop performance that winds down "Deathrace" are prime examples of some creative moments that most metal fans will write off as miscues, despite their dead-on accuracy and attention to detail. However, if you can deal with this eclectic band's unorthodox leanings, jittery creative flashes, and solid yet tired beauty and the beast call and response vocals, the sonic battering applied to cuts like the Children of Bodom-esque "Fire At Will" and "Seal Slayer" stand up alongside any of the current crop's most notable, making MANIFESTO an album that dares to take chances yet holds its ground to keep it heavy. www.lifeforcerecords.com -Mike SOS

THE MELVINS

NUDE WITH BOOTS

IPECAC

The Melvins are an iconic underground band by all accounts, constantly evolving despite chronic cases of band member fallout. Combining their wares once again with the duo Big Business (which gives the band 2 drummers in addition to a new bassist), The Melvins can now add swagger to their long list of attributes according to their latest 11-track disc NUDE WITH BOOTS. Melding a savage blend of Led Zeppelin and Nirvana into shards of ZZ Top-like boogie for a good portion of this veteran unit's most accessible work, this disc reveals yet another facet of this Bay Area band's vast musical repertoire. Longtime fans will be taken aback from the arena rock shake and the unusual strips of brightness permeating through the camaro-rock of the title cut, as well as the big rock sound employed on "The Kicking Machine" and "Suicide in Progress", but can rest easy knowing that there are trademark moments of menace and malice lurking through tracks like the spiraling "It Tastes Better Than The Truth", the drone interpretation of "Dies Iraea" and the wickedly sludgy kick of "The Smiling Cobra" to round out the overall experience. The Melvins never fail to push past the point of no return while teetering between the experimental and the brink of the mainstream, and NUDE WITH BOOTS displays this band acting as a fully intact entity while fully enjoying their well-earned right to perpetually bend the rules, even within their own context.

www.ipecac.com -Mike SOS

THE PSYKE PROJECT

APNEA

LIFEFORCE

Menacing Danish quintet The Psyke Project deconstruct the notions of modern hardcore into shards of blissful post-metal meltdown on APNEA, this unit's latest 10-track affair. With influences spanning Converge to Neurosis to Gojira to Refused all rearing their heads at some point across this disc, all bases are covered as this group throws down the debilitating sonic crush audible on the panoramic "Jugganata" or the viscous yet melodically pummeling "I Get Paralyzed". Chock full of challenging musical movements and complex switches keeping ears on constant alert , this group's hardcore depth is wrought with an abjectly off-kilter fervor, allowing their out of the box tendencies showcased on the multi-layered hypnotic vibe of "Creating Landscapes" to truly shine. Rest assured, this band stands out amongst the crowded pack thanks to the chilling and hardhearted batterings APNEA doles out. www.lifeforcerecords.com -Mike SOS

COPREMESIS

MUAY THAI LADYBOYS

PARAGON

NY goregrind collective Copremesis are an acquired taste for certain judging on their latest affair, MUAY THAI LADYBOYS. Employing vocals of the most guttural nature that come out sounding akin to the cacophony caused by a barnyard of sick animals while featuring, you guessed it, Muay Thai Ladyboys, to adorn their artwork in full transsexual splendor, this disc renders an unsettling feeling right from the onset. But that's where the shock wears off and the reality settles in of what this band is all about. Musically-speaking, you get what you'd expect from a band of this ilk: blast beats a plenty, signifying harmonic squeals, and sudden bursts of insanity all take turns on a demented tilt-a-ride through depravity, as songs like "Mustache", "Tetsuo", and "Zombie" take this unit's durable slabs of pornogrind through the meat grinder and beyond, complete with torturous explosiveness and at some points, a surprising sense of groove. If you can stomach the imagery and get past the vacuous and unintelligible vocals scraped from the pits of despair, then this troupe's brand of sick humor and technical prowess should suit you well. Word to the wise, though, keep this one away from the easily offended. www.paragonrecords.net -Mike SOS

SYNASTRY

BLIND EYES BLEED

YEAR OF THE SUN

Montreal-based metal maulers Synastry play a brutal yet groovy style of death metal with fringes of industrial that recall bands such as Fear Factory and Killing Joke with the savagery of acts like Kataklysm. While this quartet's sturdy formula of adding futuristic studio elements to accentuate their streamlined death metal chug has been done already, this band seems to have a firm handle on presenting the best parts of the movement without sounding overtly similar to any other particular group. Instead, songs like "As The Dust Settles" clings tight to the growling death metal barks as bleak electronic blips dispersed between the mid-tempo rhythmic crush add a well-roundedness to the entire affair. Imagine Static X colliding with Cannibal Corpse ("Precious Time Bomb") for an idea of mechanical malevolence this unit unveils on BLIND EYES BLEED. www.synastry.com -Mike SOS

DYNAMITE CLUB

FUSION ERA

CAMINANTE

Japan and New York team up for a noise rock jamboree courtesy of Dynamite Club and their latest 12-track sojourn FUSION ERA. Channeling a slew of System of a Down, Frank Zappa and Mike Patton's finest moments while blessed with the capacity to turn delightful pop melodies into near death metal experiences at the drop of a dime without sounding forced , FUSION ERA embraces the chaotic spirit of hardcore punk while remaining heavily steeped in the freewheeling nature of the theatre of the absurd. Lyrics such as the ones found on "Eye Like to Look" and "Besame My Love" are borderline disturbing when read, but add the calculated cacophony and disjointed delivery audible from such gems as "12 Questions for the Psychedelically Impaired" to the equation and the ridiculousness not only matches beautifully but actually begins to make sense. Those not inclined to take a trip to the more adventurous side will loathe this disc's entire 19:33 runtime, but for those in need for a quick fix of crazy, you can't go wrong with the madness associated with FUSION ERA. www.dynamiteclub.com -Mike SOS

SINALOA

OCEANS OF ISLANDS

LEVEL PLANE

DIY ethics and a true passion for the music that continues to be important to them drives the Massachusetts trio known as Sinaloa, gracefully shown on the unit's latest 10-track offering OCEANS OF ISLANDS. Post-hardcore and indie rock do battle within the confines of this act's rehearsal space often according to these songs, as this band is well-versed at whipping up noisy jolts of dissonance such as "Name Names". Sincere in their approach and refined in their delivery, tracks like "What We Could Not Move" exhibits the band's rousing output, boasting an unexpectedly intrusive shot of melody (complete with trumpet no less) while tasteful percussion propels "Ashes of Giants" and "No Bearing" captures this squad in full-on moody math rock mode, sounding like a cross between Snapcase and Rites of Spring. Everyone sings, everyone writes, and everyone pours their heart out here, making this band of buddies a bunch to behold as remainders of the early days when emo wasn't a maligned moniker but in fact still a groundbreaking form of music on the cusp on bigger things. www.level-plane.com -Mike SOS

DAWN OF DEMISE

HATE TAKES ITS FORM

DEEPSEND

Danish death metal mavens Dawn of Demise unleash a sinister assault on your senses with the release of the 10-track affair titled HATE TAKES IT S FORM. Spawned from a template of acts ranging from Suffocation to Cannibal Corpse, this quintet pounds you into submission with a bevy of tortured growls, thunderous drums, and machine gun turret guitarwork on cuts like "...And Blood Will Flow" and the blistering "Impurity". Injecting a modern edge to their sturdy old school foundation only adds to this squad's general sense of malice, as cuts like "Beyond Murder" and the undeniable death groove on "Intent to Kill" display studio enhancements which assist this troupe's malevolent mid-paced chunk to really pack a punch. Sporting death metal that respectfully demonstrates the genre's core values with a decisive modern slant, Dawn of Demise will appeal to all death metal mongers looking for another carcass to feast on. www.deepsend.com -Mike SOS

METAL CHURCH

THIS PRESENT WASTELAND

SPV

The latest installment from Metal Church is the 10-track THIS PRESENT WASTELAND. Retaining the group's traditional metal sounds, don't expect anything new or different from these scene vets, but do expect some powerful and killer vocals courtesy of latest throat Ronny Munroe ("Deeds of a Dead Soul") in addition to a smattering of mid-paced metal assaults such as "Breathe Again" and "A War Never Won". If you dig the band's early days and also like the works of Savatage and Iced Earth, there's enough classic metal goodness and solid straight-ahead metal available from the latest incarnation of this metal giant's affair to spark the senses. www.spvusa.com -Mike SOS

MOUTH OF THE ARCHITECT

QUIETLY

TRANSLATION LOSS

The latest endeavor by Ohio's Mouth of the Architect marks a continuation of this unit's post-hardcore sludgy sojourn, as QUIETLY runs just shy of an hour within an eight-track span. Dense rhythms and suffocating guitars immerse your eardrums in a tantalizing go-round of sound on the oppressive menace "A Beautiful Corpse" and the undulating "Rocking Chairs and Shotguns" while "Guilt and the Like" and "Hate and Heartache" surpass typecast loud-soft dynamic shifts with bursts of bombastic guitars and distressed vocal roars while constructing an impenetrable wall of sound courtesy of a cavernous bottom end heard across the duration of the disc. Emitting a creepy tension throughout not unlike Isis or Neurosis, this beautiful yet discordant affair contains a barrage of burly buildups and constantly changing rhythmic patterns which do the service of paying homage to genre leaders while carving out MOTA's very own spot on the avant garde metal totem pole. www.translationlossrecords.com -Mike SOS

36 CRAZYFISTS

THE TIDE AND ITS TAKERS

FERRET

36 Crazyfists has been a mainstay in the metalcore genre for over a decade with good reason, as this Alaskan outfit manages to perpetually release quality music that illuminates both their heavy and harmonic side . The latest 11-track endeavor THE TIDE AND ITS TAKERS is no exception, continuing this venerable squad's soaring melodic metal style with solid results. Armed with a versatile vocalist in Brock Lindow who can go from clean singing to jugular-grabbing screaming at the drop of a dime and led by the grossly underrated guitar assault of Steve Holt, songs like the ferocious opener "The All Night Lights" and the jagged "Clear The Coast" (with guest vocals by Twelve Tribes' Adam Jackson) set moshpits ablaze with bludgeoning force while the airtight low end bassline locking in with the flurry of fearless drums and perfectly aligned guitar fills and rhythms on "Northern November" display the group's superb chops and the haunting "The Back Harlow Road" and "When Distance is the Closest Reminder" render the wicked infectious hooks and crushing groove melding this unit specializes in. Transcending metalcore limitations with clever compositions and expert musicianship (especially guitar-wise), 36 Crazyfists come through yet again with a powerful combination of grace and savagery fully intact and polished to a shine. www.ferretstyle.com -Mike SOS

CANVAS SOLARIS

THE ATOMIZED DREAM

SENSORY

Georgia-based Canvas Solaris ditch one member, pick up 3(!) more and take their instrumental interludes to another level in the process according to the findings audible on THE ATOMIZED DREAM. This eight-track offering still remains steeped with progressive metal grandeur, yet thanks to a larger quantity of quieter moments such as "Photovoltaic", this disc just as well relishes in its grace. While it takes more than a few listens to truly wrap your head around the arduously audacious affair, fans from the far-reaching metal sect will surely embrace the new sounds of the group's multi-layered musicianship thanks to the new blood injected into complex soundscapes such as "Solar Droid". www.lasersedgegroup.com -Mike SOS

RAUNCHY

WASTELAND DISCOTHEQUE

LIFEFORCE

Raunchy stretch the modern sounds of Euro-metal to their limits on the 12-track WASTELAND DISCOTHEQUE. Spitting out nuances from In Flames and Soilwork to Scar Symmetry in succession with traces of Rammstein weaving in and out of the upbeat tempos, there's a sufficient amount of poppy death metal present to keep the head bobbing for a while, but don't count on this disc for staying power, as the entire entity blurs into one giant metallic gallop with predictably placed Mr. Potatohead musical parts to stifle the masses. www.lifeforce-america.com -Mike SOS

SCAR SYMMETRY

HOLOGRAPHIC UNIVERSE

NUCLEAR BLAST

Following in the fine tradition of the multitude of Swedish metal bands that came before them, Scar Symmetry's third release HOLOGRAPHIC UNIVERSE pays homage to the heroes of the Gothenburg sound yet at the same time helps this quintet establish its own identity. While it's easy pickings to point out the In Flames chorus or the Dark Tranquility breakdown, the arrangements are what keep this band high amongst the new crop of emerging metal artists, not to mention the twin guitar tandem whose crushing riff into sweet solo formula lifts tracks like "Artificial Sun Projection" and the coarse "The Three-Dimensional Shadow" to the next level. While the pristinely polished production job may render a sterile listen to some, those who love all things Swedish metal will have no qualms with the latest from this expansive metal squad. www.nuclearblastusa.com -Mike SOS

THE UNSTOPPABLE DEATH MACHINES

THE UNSTOPPABLE DEATH MACHINES

SELF-RELEASED

NYC hipster noise rockers The Unstoppable Death Machines take the listener on a robotic rock 'n roll joyride on their eponymous four-track affair. Distorted guitars meet dance rock rhythms with a slew of industrial overtones with a strangely constructed pop sense is the style this trio employs on cuts like "Body Bop" and the body-moving "Not So Ninja", opting many times throughout the duration of this EP to replace traditional sounds with electronic blips and bleeps with walls of feedback to give off the vibe of being locked inside the dark realm of a video game as a pervasive post-grunge rock point of view propels their version of the Williamsburg world tour. www.myspace.com/theunstoppabledeathmachines -Mike SOS

TAUK

TAUK

POPCORE

Long Island rock troupe Tauk take their advanced college rock sensibilities and dress them up with a mature platter of jazz and funk on their five-track self-titled offering. Referencing everything from Steely Dan to Phish on cuts like "Roll With the Punches", this band's assassin-like solid chops, expert musical interplay between instruments and wonderfully composed songs such as the rousing "All Ears" evoke a deeper shade of soul than the usual tie-dyed contingent can muster. Tauk produces timeless music that truly containing something that virtually everyone who can call themselves a fan of rock music can dig into and groove with. www.taukrocks.com -Mike SOS

OUTLAW ORDER

DRAGGING DOWN THE ENFORCER

SEASON OF MIST

Made up entirely from past members of underground metal stalwarts Eyehategod and formed while all were on probation for various crimes, expect a sinewy and sinister sludgefest courtesy of the NOLA quintet Outlaw Order and their 13-track full-length debut DRAGGING DOWN THE ENFORCER. Pummeling your speakers with a sometimes lethargic but always lethal low end crunch, cuts like the blunt "Double Barrel Solves Everything" and the bluesy "Alcohol Tobacco Firearms" truly encompass the uniqueness when quicksand grooves meet snarling anarchistic rants while molten rhythms chug in odd times ("Siege Mentality", "Walking Papers"). Make no mistake, this is New Orleans metal at its most volatile, sounding like a culmination of the city's fury that still struggles with post-Katrina wreckage long after impact was initiated. www.season-of-mist.com -Mike SOS

THE ACACIA STRAIN

CONTINENT

PROSTHETIC

Perennially pissed off Massachusetts quartet The Acacia Strain returns with a crippling shot to the throat on the devastating CONTINENT. This 11-track collection is punishingly heavy from end to end, and is relentless in the pursuit to level anything standing in this unmistakably vitriolic outfit's way. Brazen with hate-filled heft, despite the barrage of cliche tough guy posturings and profane revenge lyrical topics dumbing down the entire affair, everything else heard from the left of center breakdowns to the brutal vocals on this jaded juggernaut oozes angst in ways that make songs such as "Baby Buster" and "Dr. Doom" perfect aggressive anthems for disenchanted youth to go insane to. And stick around for the album's closer, the atmospheric instrumental "The Behemoth" for a different side to this frothing beast's dastardly delivery . www.prostheticrecords.com -Mike SOS

DEICIDE

TILL DEATH DO US PART

EARACHE

Glen Benton and company return with another brutal blast of blasphemy on TILL DEATH DO US PART, the Florida squad's latest installment of malicious metal. This 10-track offering picks up where THE STENCH OF REDEMPTION left off, with the guitar tandem of Ralph Santolla and Jack Owens returning to shred their way to Satan and back with unforeseen imminence. "Horror in the Halls of Stone" takes the non-linear Nile-esque approach to death metal while "Not As Long As We Both Shall Live" contains some of the most hate-filled and personal lyrics Benton has ever spat out. The road taken by this controversial band has always been intriguing, and this album yields no exception, showcasing the group's returning to old school form with blistering drumbeats, gruesome growls, and fearsome fretwork all in tow. www.earache.com -Mike SOS

INHALE/EXHALE

I SWEAR...

SOLID STATE

Ohio Christian metalcore troupe Inhale/Exhale exhibit an admirable strain of Underoath meets tough guy hardcore on their latest 11-track disc I SWEAR.... Tracks like "The Impatient Will Suffer" benefits from a smorgasbord of strong guitar parts even though the hook is blatant and generic, "I Live the Bad Life" keeps a menacing pace that wouldn't sound out of place on a Terror album before throwing in melodic singing and an Unearth-like gallop while"The Words We Have Chosen" comes across as Thrice when heavy before token angsty metalcore choruses overcome. While this unit has undergone a flurry of lineup changes, they've managed to step up their musical prowess and still can wield the explosiveness necessary for songs like "I Needed A Spaceship" to make knees buckle, yet ultimately fall prey to relying on the genre's basics too much, hampering Inhale/Exhale in their quest to resonate (sans a few great moments) with anything that you haven't heard before. www.solidstaterecords.com -Mike SOS

EVERGREY

TORN

SPV

Swedish melodic metal machine Evergrey re-emerge with TORN, a solid 11-track affair that finds the group rediscovering their progressive roots while keeping subtle hints from the mainstream metal style found on their last few offerings intact. Tracks like "When Kingdoms Fall" and the In Flames-esque "Nothing is Erased" showcases this squad's prowess to nimbly straddle the line between genres without irking the diehards, while "Numb" and "Fail" showcase this unit's ability to create tracks that are perfectly balanced between brooding and heavy . While the amount of truly memorable songs found here is a bit low, the superior quality of the songwriting, the sterling musicianship displayed across the board, and the rekindling of their early sound makes TORN a surefooted step in the right direction for Evergrey. www.spv.de -Mike SOS

CYNIC

TRACED IN AIR

SEASON OF MIST

After a 15-year layover, the seminal Florida metal troupe Cynic have triumphantly returned with TRACED IN AIR. This stunning eight-track endeavor picks up where the cult outfit's 1993 release FOCUS left off, as this disc reassures that Cynic's mindblowingly technical assault is not only firmly intact but sounding fresher than ever ("The Space For This", "Integral Birth"). Remaining at the forefront of the progressive end of the metal spectrum, whirlwind time signature switches, jazzy fretwork, complex percussion, and bevy of vocoder-laden vocals (with a good portion of death metal growls strewn in) are conscientiously woven together to create a rich musical tapestry which truly embodies fusion metal at its finest, rendering a welcomed comeback for Cynic. www.season-of-mist.com -Mike SOS

THE CLASSIC STRUGGLE

BRING BACK THE GLORY

IRONCLAD

South Carolina metalcore crew The Classic Struggle merge Euro thrash, hardcore, and metal for a blistering 10-track offering in the form of BRING BACK THE GLORY. While this unit's infernal heft is sure to leave quite the impression, tactics like implementing the sludgy breakdown before the beatdown on "Beyond the Walls" and the dramatic tempo drop-off from "Wish Me Hell" keep this band in the thick of things, even though tracks such as "You've Got to Die of Something" redundantly tread traditional metalcore waters. Solid yet unspectacular, The Classic Struggle provides the skull-bashing good time which stays the course with a sledgehammered delivery that is bound to appease throngs of shirtless pit-goers everywhere. www.ironcladrecordings.com -Mike SOS

RUDIMENTARY PENI

NO MORE PAIN

SOUTHERN

Enigmatic UK anarcho punk rock veterans Rudimetary Peni have made a lasting mark on the punk rock genre with their no holds barred and intense music and their latest release NO MORE PAIN furthers the unit's underground legacy. Buzzing guitars, sneering vocals, punchy basslines and bashing drums all collide with the fervor of a '77 punk rock riot on cuts like "Eyes of the Dead" and "Sublime Fantasy No. 1", while this trio's steadfast musical style gives off realistic vibes of discord without sounding rehashed for a second. Crusty and raw throughout its entire 20-minute span, this short and sharp offering proudly exudes the true spirit of punk rock . www.southern.net -Mike SOS

THE HUMAN ABSTRACT

MIDHEAVEN

HOPELESS

The Human Abstract return with their sophomore effort, the conceptual 10-track release titled MIDHEAVEN. Chock full of prog-rock excess, poppy hooks, and flashy instrumental flourishes, this California outfit, now a quintet thanks to the addition of an omnipresent keyboardist, merge screamy Warped Tour punk rock pretense with odd-metered time signatures and spots of metallic musical chaos filtered in for a scattershot listening experience. Tracks like "Calm in the Chaos" could have come from old school Dream Theater archives, while cuts like the schizophrenic "Breathing Life Into Devices" and "Metanoia" showcases glimpses of this group's past direction rounded out with a mainstream sound that could have come from bands such as Avenged Sevenfold or Between the Buried and Me. Despite parts of this disc shining (especially guitar-wise), the overall vibe radiated by this slipshod affair seems a bit too self-absorbed and muddled to make a lasting impression, as the band's lineup changes and stylistic shiftings seemingly still need some time to sink in. www.hopelessrecords.com -Mike SOS

A KISS FOR JERSEY

VICTIMS

TRAGIC HERO

Christian rock troupe A Kiss for Jersey hail from North Carolina, not the Garden State as you'd assume by their moniker. On this quintet's latest 11-track excursion, a familiar strain of screamo, post-hardcore, and tech metal is served, kind of like an amalgamation of Saosin, Chiodos, Coheed and Cambria, and Protest the Hero. Progressive to a degree but never enough to allow a chance for the strong display of vocal histrionics to pass by ("Believe", "The Evidence"), this unit succeeds at exuding passion through their songs, yet much of their sound runs a bit too close to their influences in order for this group to make a dent in the oversaturated genre they are associated with. Nonetheless, VICTIMS is a cut above the rest when it comes to delivering a solid slab of emotionally-charged guitar driven music such as "Devices" and "Parallels". www.tragicherorecords.com -Mike SOS

EMBRYONIC DEVOURMENT

FEAR OF REALITY EXCEEDS FANTASY

DEEP SEND

Overpowering and blisteringly brutal yet masterfully musical, California death metal squad Embryonic Devourment release a ferocious blend of technical prowess and unadulterated goregrind goodness on their 10-track debut FEAR OF REALITY EXCEEDS FANTASY. Fortified with massive rounds of explosive percussion yielding incessant double bass and dizzying tempos, relentless guitar assaults ranging from dastardly death metal runs to eerie interludes ,and grotesque lyrical content that keeps them amongst the most vile in the realm ("Self-Inflicted Cesarean"), this explorative unit pushes the envelope to the max on this endeavor with a strong sense of purpose and volatility leading the charge. If you dig Morbid Angel and Hate Eternal, this will be an album you need to acquire, as Embryonic Devourment really do a fine job of exhibiting crippling extreme metal at its finest. www.deepsend.com -Mike SOS

DAGOBA

FACE THE COLOSSUS

SEASON OF MIST

French modern metal outfit Dagoba incorporate a smorgasbord of sounds into their brand of metal ranging from In Flames-esque riffs to industrial-tinged keyboards to a wealth of melodic death metal nuances on their latest release, the 11-track FACE THE COLOSSUS. Despite everything but the kitchen sink being thrown at you courtesy of this overzealous act, the overall aura given off by this a bit too slick for its own good affair is exhaustive and radiates a heard it all before feel that is devoid of any real sense of cohesion, almost as if haphazardly slapping numerous influences together for the sake of being different. If you've heard any European metal in the last five years, there's no need to check out Dagoba, as they basically combine all of the elements together to develop their bland blend of metal. www.season-of-mist.com -Mike SOS