Album Reviews

Amaranthe has released their sixth studio album on February 23, 2024. We already got 5 singles before the release date that gave us an idea of what this album would bring. Lets check those and the rest of the album out!
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Stockholm’s black/death metal outfit Necrophobic is in pursuit of its classic identity in the band’s newest album “In Twilight Grey” out via Century Media on March 15th, 2024. The overall direction of these Swedes is immediately apparent from the raw, frosty sound of Necrophobic’s 1997 sophomore “Darkside”. “On Twilight Grey” has a cold and dark epic quality, the twin guitars will leave you awe-struck with the ravenous tremolo-picked riffs that make this album sound evil.
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International blackened death metal five-piece Vltimas takes a giant leap with their sophomore “Epic” set for a release date on March 15th via Season of Mist. Fronted by bassist/vocalist David Vincent (ex-Morbid Angel), guitarist Rune "Blasphemer" Eriksen (ex-Mayhem, Aura Noir) and drummer Flo Mounier (Cryptopsy), bassist Ype Terwisscha van Scheltinga (ex-Dodecahedron) and guitarist João Duarte (Corpus Christii), embrace their collective talents to offer a defining moment in the band’s career. Vltimas proved in its 2019 debut “Something Wicked Marches In” that they are a force to be reckoned with, and the follow-up album is another step forward in the right direction.
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Defending the throne of heavy metal since the dawn of 1970, British juggernaut Judas Priest returns with a formidable record, “Invincible Shield”. Hitting in all directions with a massive iron ball, the consistent lineup consists of Rob Halford (vocals), Glenn Tipton (guitars), Richie Faulkner (guitars), Ian Hill (bass), and Scott Travis (drums), offering fans of heavy metal what they have been eagerly waiting for. The 19th studio album is a thunderously powerful record. Certainly, it alleviates these Brits to the hall of fame with eleven new songs bashing you with gritty metal songs rocking you to the core with twin guitars and showcasing the integrity of the band’s performance.
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Slimelord is a newly established death/doom band formed by members of Cryptic Shift, ex-Obliterator, ex-Horrified, and Abominable Filth. Following the strong EP releases “The Delta Death Sirens”, “Moss Contamination” and, “Insurmountable Peril”, the West Yorkshire quintet was signed by 20 Buck Spin and present their first full-length album “Chytridiomycosis Relinquished”. There is no debate regarding the monstrous sound of the latest material for Slimelord delivers a soundtrack of dread and a sound steeped in innovative death metal.
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It's been a while since Sonata Arctica released any new material, as the last two albums were acoustic versions of already existing songs. In addition, the last few Sonata Arctica albums have felt a little less inspired and more mainstream, so it's nice to see that with 'Clear Cold Beyond' they seem to go back to their faster and heavier roots. I think we haven't heard this Sonata since 'Winterheart’s Guild'.
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French black metal quintet Merrimack are back with their sixth album “Of Grace and Gravity” released on March 8th via Season of Mist Underground Activists. Considering how nihilistic the French black metal bands are, Merrimack takes the genre in a direction that fans of Antaeus, Watain, Valkyrja, Deathspell Omega, and Ofermod would approve of. While still sounding pure and evil we get treated with a hellfire of tremolo-picked riffs, slow catchy melodies, and above all the new material is arguably amongst the band’s best work.
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California-based death metal act Skeletal Remains ultimately brings forth their newest album “Fragments of the Ageless” scheduled for a release date on March 8th, 2024, via Century Media Records. Thirteen years in existence, the band has enormously grown into a top-tier band. Skeletal Remains' fifth record is abrasively harsh and brutal. Everything from the instrumentation to the monstrous growls and riffing of Chris Monroy to the cyborg-like drumming of Pierce Williams (Azath, Ænigmatum), the mastery of guitarist Mike De La O (Morfin) with rumbling bass and keyboards of Brian Rush (Ænigmatum) bring the quartet in a visceral cohesion.
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U.S. death metal band Dipygus’ third self-titled album was released via Memento Mori on January 22nd, 2024. One might wonder what the definition of Dipygus is. So, I looked it up on Google and found some disturbing images, and I dare you to look at these deformed pictures. It is a rare deformity due to genetic environmental or teratogen factors that are presumed to be implicated early in intrauterine life thereby affecting the embryonic cloaca and notochord derivatives and seems all too fitting for a band that plays some disgusting death metal...
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It took around six years for Portland, Oregon-based death metal squad Petrification to return with a new album. The band was formed in 2014 and launched its debut EP “Summon Horrendous Destruction” in 2017 which was followed by the first studio album “Hollow of the Void”. Falling under the category of old-school death metal Petrification is mostly inspired by bands like Autopsy and Bolt Thrower. Still, the composition and songwriting lie in the groovy aggressive mixture. Their songs don’t focus on fast-paced tempos and blast beats with the guitars stimulating galvanic riffs.
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