Shrinebuilder: Shrinebuilder
With a roster of talent that is hard to match, Shrinebuilder’s Shrinebuilder is an impressive debut.
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Axxis: Utopia
Incredibly upbeat and dominant despite the overuse of operatics and keyboards—they still sound stuck somewhere between Diary Of A Madman and The Neverending Story soundtrack—Utopia is an indelibly catchy affair even if it refuses to advance the state of metal.
Rodrigo y Gabriela: 11:11
Rodrigo y Gabriela’s new album 11.11 challenges a lot of preconceptions of metal heads and metal music. While the instrumental, largely acoustic album cannot be traditionally considered as a ‘metal,’ the duo of Rodrigo Sánchez (lead guitar) and Gabriela Quintero, (rhythm) definitely has roots in classic and thrash metal. They started perfoming together after they both left a thrash metal band in Mexico, and while the music they do now is has a foundation of Spanish-influenced traditional folk, their faster and at times, gritter rhythms and rapid time changes serve as an homage to their metal foundation.
Ancestors: Of Sound Mind
Ancestors can’t decide whether to join the noodly prog rock or stoner doom circles, and has left a foot in both camps, coming off like Dream Theater on ditch weed.
Current Playlist: Bruce Franklin of Trouble
Trouble’s guitarist Bruce Franklin’s runs down his current playlist.
A Storm of Light: Forgive Us Our Trespasses
Forgive Us Our Trespasses is not only a lumbering, crushing sonic tour of a world without us, it’s also a cutting and unsubtle condemnation of humanity’s indifference to its own habitats.
Alice In Chains: Black Gives Way To Blue
To put more flesh on that connective tissue, great care seems to have been taken by Cantrell & co. to draw a hard line connecting the AIC of old with that of Black Gives Way To Blue.
Sanctification: Black Reign
While there’s no lack of unbridled aggression and combative, malicious intent, the prevailing aura is one of a band intent on reiterating their adoration for the likes of Deicide, Hate Eternal and a few of the more obvious homeland death metal acts such as Entombed et al.
Gnostic: Engineering the Rule
Gnostic is a great, enjoyable ride of a listen, and dare I say it, an effort for the Atheist members to get a bit more edgier without losing their signature sound.
Ararat: Musica de la Resistencia
South of the equator, one band single-handedly put stoner rock on the map: Argentina’s Los Natas. With their latest release, Nuevo Orden de la Libertad signalling a return to their heavy-rockin’ roots after some psychedelic detours, frontman Sergio Chotsourian lets his experimental side show with side-project Ararat.