BALMORA - THESE GRAVEN HALLS (DAZE)
Among heavy music's most buzzworthy bands, blackened metalcore collective Balmora make a clear statement their full length studio debut - a project some three years in the making. These Graven Halls showcases an potent meld of metallic fury with evident nods to pillars like The Black Dahlia Murder and On Broken Wings. Bolstered by guest spots from I Promised The World, Upon Stone, Empty Shell Casing and Holder, These Graven Halls mark Balmora's recorded arrival and usher in a new era of contemporary, outsider art.
MONOLORD - NEVERENDING (Relapse Records)
Swedish doom practitioners Monolord manage to maintain their expansive, riff-heavy sound while wrangling in their focus with Neverending. The band's meld of melody and low-end heavy distortion result in a collection of tracks more concise and as a result, more effective in its streamlining. The prowess of their songwriting is evident as entires like "Oozing Wound" restore the kind of epic sensibility distinct to doom, without trailing off and losing focus. A fine balance of power and intentionality, Neverending is Monolord hitting their stride.
STATIC DRESS - INJURY EPISODE (Sumerian Records)
Post-hardcore visionaries Static Dress set a precedent with their 2022 debut, Rogue Carpet Disaster. On Injury Episode, the band's cinematic scope and artistic breadth is only built out further on a sophomore record that plainly ups the ante. The release also serves as the first collaborative project with Olli Appleyard (vocals), Vin Weight (Guitar), George Holding (Bass), and Sam Ogden (Drums) with each submitting their own distinct contribution to the enormity and depth of an instant post-hardcore classic.
MELTING - A PATHETIC EXCUSE FOR A LIFE (Greyscale Records)
The evolution of heavy music is thriving in Australia. Metallic hardcore firebrand MELTING have submitting a bulldozing example of such with their latest EP, A Pathetic Excuse for A Life. The controlled volatility on each of the six tracks is the kind of wesonized chaos that makes good bands, great. Fluid tempo shifts, clobbering breakdowns and explosive execution throughout, MELTING have the youth and ability to make a seismic impact if they continue on this trajectory.
ELDER - THROUGH ZERO (Blues Funeral Recordings)
For the last two decades, ELDER has thrived on the fringe of psyche/doom/stoner. The band's ability to reinvent themselves while maintaining their signature is a testanent to both their songwriting expertise and their creative consistency. Through Zero is an expansive, eloquent showing of careful composition - one that proves mesmerizing. Somewhere between heavy psych and meticulous prog, the band's ability to craft transportive entries like the 10-minute, otherworldy opener "Sigil To Ruin," suggests ELDER are and long have been in the league all their own.
