Cannibal Corpse – Kill
First of all, Cannibal Corpse, alongside with Morbid Angel, set most of the rules for Death Metal. I think that every Death Metal fan should know CC’s work because of that. Even if you don’t like them, at least try to listen to the records on an educational basis.
DevilDriver – The Fury of Our Maker’s Hand
I could just talk about Dez Fafara, former Coal Chamber frontman and now Devildriver frontman, well well Mr Dez how times have changed…or maybe not, after the separation from Coal Chamber (just for flaming their best album by far was Chamber Music), he quickly formed a new group, going from the goth>nu>metal that Coal Chamber played to…well…Thrash Metal, that sure surprised me, and i always like a good surprise, Devildriver play a by the book Thrash Metal, sure it touches parts of Rock/Death but hey that’s nitpicking, it’s thrash, actually quite a soften thrash to say the least.
Hate Eternal – I, Monarch
Hate Eternal has already managed to overcome the “just a side-project” syndrome right on their second album – and a killer one, I might add. I’ll skip the part were I would talk about Erik Rutan‘s great work on Morbid Angel, his departure and how he managed to assemble one of the best extreme death metal bands in the Universe. Erik has nothing to prove by now. H.E. truly has conquered the death metal throne – or at least the podium. So what does Erik and the rest of the guys present us with “I, Monarch”?
In Flames – Come Come Clarity
In Flames?, no time no see, hailing from the Gothenburg school of heavy metal, to be more precise melodic death metal, since, before that, using melody with death metal was a icky, how times have changed, almost half of death metal bands nowadays, indeed infuse some form or another of melody in their arrangements, however, In Flames are a particular case, they have two sides, after “Reroute to Remain” and before, “true” In Flame fans of course don’t like the after, so “Come Clarity” is here, have In Flames reached some?
Gojira – From Mars To Sirius
Lets start this by saying i love Gojira, i don’t know them for long, but in the last couple of months we have become very close, like a married man with it’s mistress, well back to the point, Gojira plays a very personalized kind of “Neo” Morbid Angel, you know a slow hard and technical Death/Black Metal, but unlike Morbid Angel, Gojira seem to have an edge, picking the best of all kinds of metal and fusing into their progressive onslaught.
Neurotic – The Rebirth of Sin
Neurotic is that kind of band that you gotta….love? Well everyone loves death metal, anyhow, they come from Portugal, and did i say they play death metal, yeah much derived from the “slower is better” school of death metal (in contrast with “i’m in a hurrey to go home” school of death metal), hey who doesn’t love some “Morbid Angel” well at least that’s what their lead guitarist says, yeah i know them so i’m biased, but since we are talking about love, who doesn’t love some one sided reviews.
Textures – Drawing Circles
I really like Textures, i loved their first album, their 3 way combination of Thrash/Calc Metal/Melody was a great listen (with lot’s of hints of Meshuggah), now with the new album you get a surprise it seems they (i suppose for the need to combine everything to a more trademark sound) went a different way, it sounds more like an metal experimental album, than a full fixture, thought the sound does seem more mature, the truth is it lacks the one two punch of a purer form of thrash/calc metal, and with it and the prolonged necessity for melodic passages it lacks much of the brutal aggression they once possessed.
Darkane – Layers Of Lies
Darkane are back, and when i say back, i say BACK, yeah new album, first of all Darkane is no new kid on the block, they are the block, pounding your face all day long, their innovative technical thrash meets melodic death his back, after 4 albums things are looking up.