GHOST - RITE HERE RITE NOW ORIGINAL MOTION PICTURE SOUNDTRACK (Loma Vista Recordings)
Ghost has contributed their entry in the lexicon of legendary live albums with the release of Rite Here, Rite Now. The soundtrack for the band's debut feature film captured the epic two-night stint at the historic Kia Forum of Los Angeles last year and will forevermore speak to the religious experience that is Ghost onstage. In addition to the roar of the sold out crowd for each of the career-spanning 17 tracks, the album concludes with the unearthed third Papa Nihil 1969 era single “The Future Is A Foreign Land” - which was the anthem for the closing credits of the film.
IRESS - SLEEP NOW, IN REVERSE (Church Road Records)
Los Angeles slowcore specialists Iress mark their debut on Church Road Records with the kind of full length that really does live up to the cinematic descriptor. Vocalist Michelle Malley has such an engaging, enigmatic quality to her performance - making these songs both delicate and damning in same breath. Sourcing elements of shoegaze, metal and dare we say it, even a tinge of grunge, Iress composes heavy music with the kind of sophistication that sets them apart from their contemporaries.
A WAKE IN PROVIDENCE - I WRITE TO YOU, MY DARLING DECAY (Unique Leader Records)
As the universe of deathcore continues to expand and evolve, A Wake In Providence exists on the fringe of the genre in a way that separates them from the pack. The band's latest full length explores more blackened, even gothic leaning motifs while asserting the requisite brutality that is at the baseline of the genre. Implementing piano and string sections to emphasize the symphonic elements of their sound, I Write to You, My Darling Decay is the kind of album that will keep deathcore from going stale.
MOUNTAINEER - DAWN AND ALL THAT FOLLOWS (A Thousand Arms)
Bay Area post-metal outfit Mountaineer paints a vivid, lush musical landscape with their latest offering. With tasteful production from Ben Hirschfield whose resume spans from Mom Jeans, The Story So Far to Against Me!, the nuance of these tracks compels you to listen with careful attention. Quality songwriting takes precedent over performative spectacle in a succession of steady moving tracks that toe a fine line between bombast and beauty. Post metal without the Highfalutin posturing, Dawn and All That Follows is Mountaineer achieving a new creative plateau.
POWERWOLF - WAKE UP THE WICKED (Napalm Records)
There is a theatric quality to German heavy metal powerhouse Powerwolf that is effectively presented on their latest record. Not that metal music needed a Broadway equivalent, but if ever there was one, Powerwolf could certainly be it. Which is at least part of the reason the band's live shows are held in such high regard. Powerwolf creates memorable scenes rather than songs - entries in an ever-evolving universe that is much more consuming that a casual listen. Sprawling compositions with orchestral elements, massive guitars and epic choruses make for an over-the-top record executed on an elite level.
