BEHEMOTH - THE SHIT OV GOD (Nuclear Blast Records)
Extreme metal vanguards Behemoth prove ever provocative on The Shit Ov God. Behemoth prioritized the complete presentation on this album like never before. Crafting a visual component that complimented the thematic weight of the album, the intersection of divinity and defiance come to life as the artwork and the imagery come to life in eight tracks of bombastic blasphemy that propels black metal in to the modern age.
GHOST BATH - ROSE THORN NECKLACE (Nuclear Blast Records)
North Dakota's black metal contemporaries Ghost Bath deliver a masterful combination of guts and the grandiose on Rose Thorn Necklace. The album serves as the first full length release since 2021's Self Loather and marks the first album apart from the trilogy that began with 2015's Moonlover. Marking an important new chapter for the band, the album is a triumph of black metal melancholia, augmented by added elements like haunting synth, dynamic polyrhythms and the kind of convincing emotion rarely capture on record.
CANDLEMASS - BLACK STAR (Napalm Records)
Pioneering doom metal legends Candlemass' latest EP, Black Star, is a significant four-track presentation. Showcasing a pair of new tracks, the first new offering since the band's universally acclaimed 2022 LP, Sweet Evil Sun, the EP also marks the band's 40th anniversary as extreme music icons. In addition to the pair of new singles, Black Star touts two mammoth covers - with legends taking on legends. Candlemass pays homage to Black Sabbath with "Sabbath Bloody Sabbath" and closes the show with Pentagram's "Forever My Queen". The concise presentation does well in combining the band's linage and legacy in just four walloping tracks.
SLEEP TOKEN - EVEN IN ARCADIA (RCA Records)
There is no other band more polarizing in the heavy space than Sleep Token. While fans and critics argue the merit of the metal DNA of the band, the reality is, Even In Arcadia is a watershed moment in heavy music. Apart from the sweeping melody, the superb performances and the kind of elegance executed with hints of heft, the band have dared to exist outside the tropes of traditional heavy music to craft something memorable. Cinematic in every sense of the word, Sleep Token might be metal's most important band currently and the range, execution and enormity of this album underscores why.
THE CHAIN - BLIND THE WORLD (Triple B Records)
There is a grit that comes with Aussie hardcore that remains unmatched. The Chain are the latest export from the region to further add to that legacy with their Triple B, Last Rites Records full length debut. A confrontational combination of punk disposition, paired with hardcore pedigree (and even a hint of powerviolence for good measure), Blind the World is the kind of submission that will have far-reaching implications in the current landscape of hardcore. In short - the shit slaps.
