BAD TASTE! LOUD RIFFS! TOO MUCH CUM!
Hate
Hate shape blackened death metal into a severe, immersive campaign of layered guitars, controlled pacing and unusually strong melodic architecture.
Eluveitie
Ànv balances folk-metal colour with sharp melodic hooks, though its smoother middle stretch lowers the impact of an otherwise focused record.
Behemoth
A polished but strangely inert record whose imposing production cannot disguise weak rhythmic ideas and inflated presentation.
Interceptor
A serviceable thrash record with flashes of melody, but repetition and an overextended runtime blunt its sharper ideas.
Allegaeon
Allegaeon’s fluency remains obvious, but too much of The Ossuary Lens passes as polished motion without a lasting emotional or rhythmic center.
Arch Enemy
Arch Enemy keep the familiar machinery of melodic death metal, then sharpen it until Blood Dynasty feels less like a victory lap than a weapon being brought back to the light.
The Butcher Sisters
A noisy collision of rap metal, party-core hooks and deliberate stupidity that lands about half its punches.
The Halo Effect
A disciplined, sharply arranged melodic death metal record that balances immediate hooks with structural control and sustained tension.
In Flames
Colony is rich in melody and guitar detail, but its expanded runtime exposes repetition that the strongest songs easily conceal.
Impellitteri
A tightly played heavy-metal record with serious riffing power, sharp drumming and just enough excess to slow its momentum.
Delain
A spectral waltz through gothic grandeur, 'Dance with the Devil' finds Delain both embracing their legacy and forging a thrilling new path.
Brothers of Metal
A vivid, emotionally committed power-metal journey that turns Norse mythology into something warmer than simple battle-pageantry.