Pycroptic – (Ob)Servant
Nuclear Blast Records

(4/5)

With their extreme mix of Death metal, Extreme metal, and Black metal, Tasmanian Technical Death metal band Psycroptic has released one of the elite Metal records of 2008 entitled Ob(Servant). This album has an incredible overall sound that presents utter brutality mixed with groove and pure intensity. Before listening to this album, I had never heard the term Technical Death metal used, but it certainly has its advantages to anyone who likes the Metal styles listed above. One thing I love is the insane speed of the double bass by Dave Haley throughout the album. I though I had heard fast double bass with Black metal bands like Dimmu Borgir, but I believe that Dave Haley has truly raised the bar for double bass speed in my book. Another great aspect of this band/album is Jason Peppiatt’s vocals. He mixes things up a lot by switching between growls, screams, and yells. Overall, I can say he got a great sound for the album. As far as everyone else goes, Joe Haley really holds up his end even though he is the only guitarist as Cameron Grant successfully fills in the rest of the sound. As an overall unit, this bands sound is extremely tight on this album. As an overall album, I was a bit sketchy with the sound at first, but after giving it a good listen, I can hardly stop listening to it! I really have no favorite tracks, but I do like the ones like “Initiate” (Track 9), “A Calculated Effort” (Track 2), and “Removing the Common Bond” (Track 5) that each measure 6:00 or longer. “Initiate” is the longest at 8:01 and it seems to go through the most musical “movements”. All in all, I suggest Ob(Servant) to fans of Extreme metal and Death metal as well as anyone looking for great brutality in a Metal album!

Amon Amarth – Twilight of the Thunder God
Metal Blade Records

(5/5)

The kings of Viking metal are back and better than ever! Amon Amarth’s newest Metal Blade Records release, Twilight of the Thunder God, is amazing! I didn’t think it could happen, but Amon Amarth has proved, once again, that they can take themselves to a whole new level of awesomeness. The first thing I have to point out in this newest album is the use of guitar solos. I can honestly say that this is the first time I’ve ever heard distinct guitar solos as well as the beautifully written rhythmic patterns. This new addition really adds a whole new dimension to the material and helps separate this album from all the rest of Amon Amarth’s material. Another good point for this album is Johan Hegg’s vocals. Absolute brutality. That’s all there is to it. As far as overall tracks go, I have to say my two favorites are “Twilight of the Thunder God (feat. Roope Latvala of Children of Bodom and Sinergy)” (Title track/Track 1) and “Guardians of Asgaard(feat. Lars Göran Petrov of Entombed)” (Track 3). These two tracks really continue the true rhythmic style of Amon Amarth and also utilize the well placed guitar solos. As an overall album, I definitely love it and recommend it to anyone who needs to feel closer to the Vikings of old!

On a side note, I must say that the cover art for the album is the one of the tops from Amon Amarth as well. It definitely accents the overall feeling of the album.

Whitechapel – This is Exile
Metal Blade Records

(4/5)

You want gruesome, all-American Deathcore? Here it is! Just two tracks into Whitechapel’s newest album This is Exile, I could tell this album had what it takes to be a sick album! If I’ve said it once (or multiple times as it seems on this site), Deathcore and Death metal are by far not my favorite styles, but that may be changing with bands like Whitechapel and Carnifex. The overall level of brutality is THROUGH THE ROOF! The excessive amounts of blast beats always throw me off, but that is made up with the sickness of the other parts of the material. On top of the musical aspects, Phil Bozeman’s vocals are absolutely killer and accent the music very nicely. As far as the tracks on the album go, definitely check out “Father of Lies” (Track 1), “This is Exile” (Track 2/Title Track), and “To All That Are Dead” (Track 4). These three tracks are three small of examples of the true brutality that is Whitechapel! My advice to fans of Deathcore and Death metal is to get a copy of This is Exile as soon as possible and definitely check these guys out live; they are sick live!

Arsis – We Are the Nightmare
Nuclear Blast Records

(3.5/5)

If you are looking for another influential Death metal album coming from the East Coast, you better get your hands on a copy of Arsis’ newest release entitled We Are the Nightmare! With the skills of lead vocalist/guitarist James Malone, guitarist Ryan Knight, bassist Noah Martin, and sick drum master Darren Cesca all combined, We Are the Nightmare certainly scores high on the list of brutal Melodic Death metal albums I have heard as of late. There are quite a few tracks on the album that prove this over and over again, but there are a few specific tracks I would recommend over the others. These tracks include the likes of “Progressive Entrapment” (Track 7), “A Feast for the Liar’s Tongue” (Track 8), and the title track “We Are the Nightmare” (Track 1). Whilst these tracks are not ALL of the best, these are the ones I enjoy the most. “We Are the Nightmare” serves as a great intro to the album and starts off with its own great intro that builds beautifully into the song. When the song does hit, you know it! As far as “Progressive Entrapment” and “A Feast for the Liar’s Tongue” go, these two tracks are just heavy. Hands down. There’s no arguing that they show great variance and great examples of the more Death metal side of Melodic Death metal. Overall, this is a great album that I would suggest to any Death metal or Melodic Death metal fan, so if you fit into one of those categories, go out and grab a copy of We Are the Nightmare!

Carnifex – The Diseased and the Poisoned
Victory Records

(3.5/5)

No matter what you call Carnifex’s new album The Diseased and the Poisoned, one thing can be agreed on by everyone. This album is BRUTAL! Normally, Death metal and Deathcore products are not in my list of favorites, but Carnifex has shown that a little bit of variance can go a long way. One aspect that Carnifex brings to the table in The Diseased and the Poisened is their use of breakdowns. And when I say breakdowns, I mean “breakdowns so good they make you want to slap yo’ mamma!” Seriously, these breakdowns helped me get over the use of obsessive blast beats (which I normally don’t like), bringing a new element into this type of brutality. On top of the breakdowns and sick musical aspects, Scott Lewis’ vocals are on point and fit perfectly. I couldn’t ask for a much more perfect fit. As far as the tracks on the album go, I recommend listening to the title track “The Diseased and the Poisoned” (Track 6), “Innocence Died Screaming” (Track 5), and really, just about any other track on this album. I certainly recommend this album to any aspiring Deathcore or Death metal fan who is looking for something to scare the crap out of thier parents. On a more serious note, go get a copy of Carnifex’s The Diseased and the Poisened ASAP!

Synastry – Blind Eyes Bleed
Year of the Sun Records

(4/5)

Ok guys and gals in the Metal world, here we go again for our boys in Canada and at Year of the Sun Records! A new addition to the Death metal scene, Synastry, has made its mark on the current scene with their excellent debut album, Blind Eyes Bleed! The first thing that needs to be mentioned is their affective use of a, sort of, Industrial sounding effect that is implemented with the brutality of the progressive Death metal sound. Really, I think it sounds awesome! The Industrial effects are not overbearing, so Synastry isn’t and Industrial metal band, but they have included a decent amount of it to make their sound really unique. Unique is what I’m looking for! Musically, this four piece couldn’t have put much more into the album to make it any better of a debut. As far as vocals go, Jimmy Anastasopoulos blends perfectly with the music, and these four guys have really created a killer album. Another unique thing about the band is the fact that there are four guys with only ONE guitarist. Wow! This guy deserves flowers and handties for crying out loud!

It is rare to see this nowadays and I have found a place for these guys in my respect for bands like this because of how difficult it is to get a great sound with just one guitarist in the age of new Metal. As far as favorite tracks on the album, the one I really have to suggest is “Beast of Myself” (Track 5). the overall album is a great one, but “Beast of Myself” sticks out to me because it has a great heaviness and brutality to it, but at the same time, this is one where Synastry implemented the Industrial aspect very well. Once again, this entire album is good and this is a great start for this band. So, for all you Progressive Death metal fans, or fans of straight Death metal, grab a copy of Blind Eyes Bleed as soon as possible! Metal on!

Epicurean – A Consequence of Design
Metal Blade Records

(4/5)

With this re-release of 2006’s A Consequence of Design, Epicurean is hitting the Metal scene hard with this Melodic Death metal masterpiece! Although the regular screamed vocals by John Laramy are not all exactly my favorite, the clean vocals sound incredible and his sound definitely fits in with the rest of the band’s sound. As for the rest of the band, everybody sounds great on the album and there are obvious influences from bands like Opeth and some more Symphonic sounding bands like Epica. Overall, I really like what Epicurean has put together as far as sound and overall quality. As far as favorite songs go, I can’t really choose any for the mere fact that they all have something I really like about them. One thing I really like is the fact that there is another newer band out there writing songs over 5 and 6 minutes long. That always helps for a good change of pace when stuck in the monotony of 3 to 4 minute songs. If I had to mention a couple of songs to definitely check out, I’d have to say “Of Malice and Majesty”, “Anathema: The Gate Keeper”, and “To Cast the Mourning Shadow”. These three songs come later in the album, but they all show different styles and influences the band put into the music. As an overall album, I definitely love this album and recommend it to any Melodic Death metal fan!

Soilent Green – Inevitable Collapse in the Presence of Conviction
Metal Blade Records

(4.5/5)

Soilent Green is back from a 3 year writing period with a new album, and this album is a force to reckoned with! Compared to their 2005 release Confrontation, Inevitable Collapse in the Presence of Conviction has more Death metal influence with more quick and choppy sections that are heavily laden with blast beats provided by drummer Tommy Buckley (also the drummer for Crowbar). On top of the blast beats and other insane drum bits, the vocals laid down by Ben Falgoust (also the vocalist for Goatwhore) fit perfectly with all the music laid down and certainly resemble the stylings of his Goatwhore material. To take this chaotic piece of art to the next level, guitarist Brian Patton (also the guitarist for EyeHateGod) and bassist Scott Crochet (also the bassist for Hostile Apostle) both tear the roof down with their ever changing riffs of different Metal styles and even some Jazz and Blues influence thrown in. Ultimately, this album sows a great mix of the other bands these four guys play in, creating (as mentioned before) a beautiful work of artistic chaos. With all of these influences and sounds brought together, I’d have to give it up to “Mental Acupuncture”, “Antioxidant”, and “All This Good Intention Wasted in the Wake of Apathy”. Honestly, these three songs just stick out to me for their overall quality. The entire album is incredible and flows together perfectly, but those three just stick out a bit over the rest for me. Overall, if you’re looking to get into the New Orleans “Sludge metal” game, check out Inevitable Collapse in the Presence of Conviction on Metal Blade Records!