CRYPTOPSY – As Gomorrah Burns

RELEASE YEAR: 2023 BAND URL: https://cryptopsyofficial.bandcamp.com/ While I admit that the Canadian brutal technical death metal purveyors Cryptopsy have one of the best names and (legible!) logos in metal, I don’t quite hold them in such high regard as others. True, Whisper Supremacy¹⁹⁹⁸ was once in heavy rotation in both my CD player and my…

SYLOSIS – A Sign of the Things to Come

RELEASE YEAR: 2023 BAND URL: https://www.sylosis-band.com/ Sylosis is a British metalcore act with some thrash and groove metal influences of which you could not tell that they were British just by listening to their vocalist who sounds so like the New American Heavy Metal screamer I was actually shocked to learn he was not an…

BRUJERIA – Esto Es Brujeria

RELEASE YEAR: 2023 BAND URL: https://www.brujeria.com/ The Californian grindcore death metal groove act Brujeria (Spanish: witchcraft), which performs their vocals exclusively in Spanish, was formed by John David “Juan Brujo” Lepe, Patrick “Adam Bomb” “Fantasma” Hoed, William David Gould “Güero Sin Fe” Junior (Faith No More) Eric Reed “Jello Biafra” “Hozicón Jr.” Boucher and (until…

GO AHEAD AND DIE – Unhealthy Mechanisms

RELEASE YEAR: 2023 BAND URL: https://facebook.com/GoAheadAndDieBand It seems ages since the legendary Massimiliano Antonio “Max” Cavalera, the (in)famous ex-Sepultura and current Soulfly frontman, aided by his younger son, Igor Amadeus Cavalera (vocals, guitar, bass) as well as Khemmis’ drummer Zach Coleman, released the explosive bombshell of Go Ahead And Die’s eponymous²⁰²¹ probably because so much…

ENSLAVED – Heimdal

RELEASE YEAR: 2023 BAND URL: http://enslaved.no/ Whereas E²⁰¹⁷ was a sore disappointment after the phenomenal In Times²⁰¹⁵, the former seemingly ending the string of top shelf material from Axioma Ethica Odini²⁰¹⁰ and Riitiir²⁰¹², Utgard²⁰²⁰ was a notable, if a partial return to form. I remarked similarly in my review of the album (5/6) where I…

OVERKILL – Scorched

RELEASE YEAR: 2023 BAND URL: http://wreckingcrew.com/ Overkill or Over Kill? Looking at the covers of the 30 (!) full lengths by the New York and New Jersey thrash and groove metal legends it seems more the former but the name is actually one word: Overkill, just like Motörhead’s second album it was named after in…

ENFORCER – Nostalgia

RELEASE YEAR: 2023 BAND URL: https://www.enforcerofficial.com/ There’s a mildly funny personal story connected to this 6th album by the Swedish speed and traditional heavy rock and metal quartet Enforcer. I had heard of them before with the Death By Fire²⁰¹³ album review by a former ET reviewer Matt Coe but had never actually took the…

IN FLAMES – Foregone

RELEASE YEAR: 2023 BAND URL: https://www.inflames.com/ As one of the 3 forefathers of the Gothenburg-based melodic death metal (aka melodeath), next to At The Gates and Dark Tranquillity, In Flames need no introduction. Every melodeath fan, which I count myself as one of, is intimitely familiar with “The Jester Race”¹⁹⁹⁶, “Whoracle”¹⁹⁹⁷, “Colony”¹⁹⁹⁹ or “Clayman”²⁰⁰⁰, while…

LAMB OF GOD – Omens

RELEASE YEAR: 2022 BAND URL: https://www.lamb-of-god.com/ “You see all these things, don’t you? Truly I say to you, there will absolutely not be one stone on top of another left here that will not be thrown down…And you will hear wars nearby and reports of wars far away…For group will rise against group, and kingdom…