BAD TASTE! LOUD RIFFS! TOO MUCH CUM!
Majestica
Rise from Ruin is a frustrating listen; moments of genuine brilliance are suffocated by an overblown, predictable structure.
Gladenfold
Gladenfold's 'Soulbound' offers a glacial, technically proficient journey, but struggles to ignite beyond its impressive foundations.
Avatar
Avatar’s latest offering isn’t a forest; it's a swamp of repetitive riffs and tired tropes, drowning any spark of originality.
Arion
Arion's latest offering is a relentlessly bland exercise in melodic metal, devoid of spark or originality.
Edenbridge
Edenbridge's latest offering feels less like a blazing inferno and more like a damp squib lost in the vastness of space.
STARSET
SILOS isn't a chaotic explosion; it’s the slow, methodical crumbling of a meticulously constructed world.
Blackbriar
Blackbriar's latest feels like a beautifully orchestrated collapse; moments of genuine brilliance buried under frustrating repetition.
Beyond The Black
'Break The Silence' flirts with genuine grandeur but ultimately buckles under the weight of its own ambition; a frustratingly uneven listen.
Cyan Kicks
Cyan Kicks' debut is a frustrating exercise in overblown ideas and sloppy execution; it drowns rather than delivers.
Ambush
'Evil In All Dimensions' delivers a solid dose of modern metal, but ultimately lacks the spark to truly transcend its influences.
Epica
*Aspiral* finds Epica wrestling with weighty themes and expansive soundscapes, delivering a mostly compelling journey despite moments of self-indulgence.
Sellsword
A towering hour of battle-ready power metal, packed with huge melodies, muscular riffs and enough character to justify every minute of its runtime.