disgustingly heavy and bleak as always but also weirdly atmospheric at the same time

"blackwater park" marks the beginning of opeth's most iconic decade. for some reason i didn't really like it on my first listen, but now it's grown on me a lot on my second. while i still don't personally think it's their strongest release, i can see why so many think of this album as the peak of their discography. that title track is one hell of a closer

pretty good album but nothing that i haven't already heard from this band before. it's just classic opeth, really

one of the dirtiest, heaviest and nastiest albums ever made. there's really nothing better to do in dorset than to rip a bong, crank the fuzz all the way up and shout about hunting witches and hating the world

not a bad deathgrind album, the drummer's clattering blast beats are unapologetically dominant and the production is crystal clear for a 1989 release. it loses a bit of momentum towards the end but overall it's a pretty nasty and rightfully pissed-off grind record

although they'd already been making music for years at this point, "chaosphere" definitely feels like the beginning of meshuggah's sound. while it's not my favourite album of theirs, it's definitely one that lives up to it's name. it's unfathomably technical but not too in-your-face about it, and it's also as groovy as it is face-rippingly heavy. i keep coming back to "neurotica" because that track in particular is so fun and bouncy

an insane debut that takes the listener on a chaotic journey of industrial-laden noise rock with uncomfortably bleak lyricism. if right-wingers can't even stomach bob vylan and kneecap, im sure a lebanese bloke yelling "im the motherfucker who took down the towers" would send them all into cardiac arrest. there are a lot of moments throughout this record that are reminiscent of bands like swans, chat pile and maruja but at the same time, they possess a really unique and distinct ... read more

cool jazz fusion record with an incredible first half, especially the opening track "peaches en regalia." it's one of those albums where i haven't got a clue what sounds im even hearing but it fucking slaps nonetheless

solid doom album, nice to hear a bit of groove in the genre for once. the riffs are hefty and the drumming is great too, especially on "eye to eye to eye" and "eternal silent legend." also love the random grindcore track lmao

the sound of this album is exactly what plays in my head when i think of grindcore. i didn't think they could top "inhale/exhale" but they did. the production on this record is much cleaner and, in typical nasum fashion, it's groovy as fuck. i keep going back to "scoop" because it's full of pure barbaric noise and then it hits you with a funky bass line and bouncing guitar stabs. sick album

converge are now in their fourth decade as a band and still, eleven albums later, they refuse to wither. i've seen newly formed metalcore bands fall off quicker than these guys. "love is not enough" offers 31 minutes of rampant, uncontrolled energy with some tracks that border on grindcore and others that tap into sludge and straight up hardcore punk. it's truly amazing that a band can be so stylistically chameleonic yet so consistent at the same time

an interesting move from converge as they branch out into the world of post-metal and doom. im conflicted because for a chelsea wolfe album, it's great, but for a converge album, it's rather underwhelming. it's far from a terrible album but it definitely sits on the weaker side of converge's discography

i enjoyed this more than i thought i would. much more groovy and progressive than i was expecting, and the bass is actually prominent too which is pretty rare in extreme metal. i did find this a bit tedious at times, mostly because im not a death metal fan whatsoever, but still a decent album nonetheless

one of the best and most unique voices in heavy music. julie christmas sounds absolutely manic, almost like a child that's been possessed by demons, on her first solo album since 2010. there are a few weak spots on here but overall, it's a very solid record. "supernatural," "the ash" and "thin skin" is an incredible three-track run

a surprisingly decent release from puscifer. i was expecting to be a bit disappointed but this ended up being quite a fun and interesting listen. it picks up right where existential reckoning left off but with a darker, more gothic twist. not a fan of maynard's old-man-yelling-at-cloud lyrics but the synth work throughout this album is brilliant and carina's vocals are great as always. i feel like it isn't really fair to dismiss the other two members' contributions just ... read more

i really wanted to like this album but i just don't think this band is for me. "ghost" and "animation" are ambitious tracks, and the bagpipes at the end of the record is an interesting touch, but the rest is tediously generic. it's like they can't decide if they wanna be prog metal or radio rock

not a bad debut, four tracks of murky post-metal with sludgy riffs and shattering screams. the first two tracks are strong but the second half of the album falls a bit flat

karnivool's sophomore album takes a more proggy approach than their debut, starting off promisingly strong with the tracks "simple boy" and "goliath" before taking a weak turn in the middle and picking it back up again towards the end. this is a very hit-or-miss band for me. when they're at their heaviest and most complex, it's some of the best music i've ever heard, but they also have a habit of being a bit generic at times and unfortunately, this album ... read more

the title track is one of my favourite songs of all time, but the rest of the album is lacking. it's more radio rock than i expected, almost nu metal at times. i don't hate it but it's just an alright album

pupil slicer follow up their staggering debut with a more electronic sound and much cleaner production. although it's not as raw and gritty, it's just as good. it's like if modern metalcore didn't fucking suck