North Carolina quartet Irata owes as much to the classic era of grunge as it does to cannabis-infused sounds of contemporary stoner rock. Tower never offers up a dull moment.
Masters of drone Earth return with their more minimal record to date, Full of Hell continue their rampage through power electronics and No Negative carry on bouncing around garage, punk and post-punk. Newer acts Vale, Suspiral, Onkos, and Verwoed take the next step and sound like veterans of the scene.
Your reaction to Sunn O)))'s Life Metal will depend on whether you prefer a reminder of what Greg Anderson and Stephen O'Malley do so well, or wish that they were still unlocking new potential within what the band can be.
Sunn O)) return with a magnificent beast, Vaura fully embrace their experimental new wave tendencies, and Dead to a Dying World solidify their position in the extreme metal pantheon, among more exciting new works. And a few announcements regarding the column.
From Sulphur English's all-encompassing reverie to the LP's themes of the arcane, Inter Arma are most certainly in their wheelhouse, continuing to redefine what it means to be a modern-day metal band.
Sabbath Assembly's "A Welcome Below" is a gorgeous and cathartic exploration into the journey of self-discovery and leaving behind that which oppresses us.
Periphery IV: Hail Stan doesn't quite reach the heights of its two immediate predecessors, but it upholds enough of what made them great to satisfy while adding enough new characteristics to possess its own identity and merit.
Have you lost control? Are you nearly drowning? Or are you able to survive? Thunderclap asks these questions and more with heavy hooks and DNA-altering riffs on their new album Inebriocean.
Seattle progressive metal legends Queensrÿche return with their 15th album and major tour. According to guitarist and co-founder, Michael Wilton, it's all just one more stop on a path the seems to go on forever.
From Drastus' monumental second LP to Mystifier's righteous comeback, to Venom Prison's evolution towards death metal infamy, and enthralling debut full-lengths from Devil Master, VLTIMAS, Heaume Mortal, and more, March's MetalMatters highlights a bounty of subversive brilliance.
