Photo by Aslak Junttu
ALLT - ATARAXIA (Century Media)
Among metalcore's most innovative and progressive units, Sweden's Allt showcase songwriting expertise on a sophomore record that feels further along in their tenure. Achieving a well-measured sonic aggression, the restraint emphasizes dramatic effect, delivering on the cinematic element that most bands only claim to. Allt crafts weighty weighty compositions with obvious emotional depth, making for an album that is as ambitious as it is authentic.
SOUTHPAW FLHC - THE STANDARD (Spinefarm)
Metallic hardcore collective Southpaw FLHC continue the strong lineage of Florida hardcore with their diverse brand of heft. A stylistic meld of punk ethos, metal intensity and hip hop swagger, the band's message of empowerment and community is one that rings loud and proud across all ten tracks of the aptly titled, The Standard. Compiling a collection of tracks that are hostile, heavy and honest, the band's brand of hardcore positions them as one of the genre's next on deck.
DISFIGURING THE GODDESS - BLOOM (Seek & Strike)
Flexing real versatility with an inventive meld of styles and influences, Cameron Argon proves a formative creative force at the helm of Disfiguring the Goddess. Sourcing elements of electronic music along with the harsh pangs of industrial and volatility of slam, the end result is an invigorating take on the deathcore category. The album's unpredictability and unconventional approach hits from various angles to amount to a different kind of heavy. The fact that it comes from Argon solely is what makes the project that much more impressive.
CAIRISS - WILDERNESS (Self-Released)
The post-metal, blackgaze collective out of Hampshire toe a stunning balance of the ethereal and the explosive on their debut full length, Wilderness. Much like the title suggests, the band's sound is vast and expansive - utilizing dual vocals, eruptive black metal heft and moments of soaring sonic beauty to create a truly vivid soundtrack. As the entries build to these massive crescendos, it becomes hard to believe that is the band's debut full length - despite being together for more than a decade. proof that heavy music can resonates as high art, Cairiss has emerged.
LONG GOODBYE - A WHISPERED PROMISE OF FAILIRE (Papercut)
For as frenzied and unhinged as the Durham aggressors sound on their latest EP, there is a discernible measure of focus needed to piece together something so cohesive. Tapping into early 2000's metalcore, the band's combination of caustic panic riffs, freznied breakdowns and vocal spew amount to something fresh and familiar simultaneously. The tracks move with swift, unpredictability though nothing ever feels impulsive or for added flair. All four tracks of the EP are chaos, calculated.
