Okay, one more grindcore record and I promise I’ll stop. There’s little to no information available on Texas’ Autoinducer, but the quality of the music speak volumes. ‘Germophobe‘ is an incredibly fun albeit short ride. It’s groovy, catchy and puts a smile on my face every time I fire it up. There’s something retro about this album. I can’t quite put my hand on it, but it may have something to do with its breeziness. It’s a good break from all the seriousness in metal.

As much as I enjoyed the critically acclaimed ‘Spectres from the Old World‘ by the German Dark Fortress last year, I think their Austrian neighbours Irdorath‘s ‘The Final Sin‘ is the superior record. Both are solid bands that boast a very similar epic, melodic black metal sound. Only I deem the latter a bit more original. I also find this to be an accessible record for people who don’t enjoy raw black metal or the trve kvlt nonsense in the genre, and who would rather listen to underground over mainstream releases.

UK’s groovy death/thrash ensemble Sylosis make their grand return with their fifth full-length record, ‘Cycle of Suffering‘. Well, I say “grand”, but I feel the album hasn’t gotten the attention it deserved. Guitarist/singer Josh Middleton proves his virtuoso genius once again through his usual intricate riffing and catchy, powerful singing. There’s always been a lot of gripping emotion in Sylosis‘ music and it shows on this new album too. I found myself humming the chorus to ‘I Sever‘, ‘Calcified‘ and ‘Invidia‘, to name a few, long after I was done listening to them.

Wow. Just wow. Disavowed‘s ‘Revocation of the Fallen‘ is my favourite thing to come out of the Netherlands after caramel-filled stroopwafels. It is one of the most intense records I’ve listened to last year. And you know the weight of these words if you’re paying any attention at all to my musical preferences. i don’t like to use the word ‘brutal’ too often, but there’s no other way to describe this record, other than perhaps ‘relentless’ and ‘breakneck’.

Azusa is an international prog metal supergroup with members of Extol, The Dillinger Escape Plan and John Frum. Funny enough, this record reminds me of anything Protest the Hero might put out (which, if you’ve seen my initial top 10 of 2020, they did), but leaning a bit more toward mathcore. The members’ influence from past bands is clearly noticeable. Singer Eleni Zafiriadou steals the show with her vocal performance that darts in all directions.

Why bonus? Well why not? Also, because I discovered this record much too late. Australia does it again. This is reeeeally good. I was skeptical when I heard the band’s name. “Werewolves“. At first it sounds a little simplistic and somewhat devoid of sense, but when you fire up the record you realize, like the folkloric lycanthrope, the band is all about ferocity. ‘The Dead Are Screaming‘ is a blackened death metal jewel brimming with interesting hooks and unexpected twists. It’s also more melodic than I anticipated, which elevates the record to epic heights. And look at that artwork! If that’s not an eye-catcher, I don’t know what is. As if this weren’t enough, Werewolves are set to release their sophomore record at the end of this month. I’m pumped!