CULT OF LUNA - IN THE SHADOW OF YOUR SHADOW (Red Crk Recordings)
More than a generation into their tenure, the post metal pillars in Cult of Luna continue to defy expectation with their tenth studio album. Co-produced by Daniel Berglund, In the Shadow of Your Shadow finds the Swedish greats brandishing doom in their arsenal in what amounts to an album that is immense even by Cult of Luna's standards. Though not without its brilliant moments of sonic vastness and spaciness, it's those instances of calm that better build the dramatic crash of one of Cult of Luna's heaviest offerings to date. Add in a guest appearance from Joe Duplantier of Gojira and you have a potential classic in the band's celebrated catalog.
HATEBREED - FATAL PARADOX (BLKIILBK)
There are few things as consistent as a new Hatebreed record. Back with their first release in six years, the band finds a renewed sense of purpose as heroes of metallic hardcore and perpetual defenders of PMA. Frontman Jamey Jasta continues to be a powerful voice of reason, penning lyrics ripe with conviction and empowerment. Again joining forces with longtime producer and collaborator Zeuss, the Connecticut OGs have set the standard for metallic hardcore with another sterling showing of method and muscle.
thrown - UNWANTED (Arising Empire)
Emerging as one of heavy music's most promising prospects over the last couple of years, the Stockholm standouts in thrown went into their sophomore album cycle with big expectations and much like their sound - crushed. Building on the brawn of 2024's Excessive Guilt, the band construct a powerful, precise attack that sources frenetic guitars, bulldozing percussion and bark of vocalist of Marcus Lundqvist in what amounts to an 11-track blitz. Accented by well-utilized glitch and the occasional groove for some serious nu-metal bounce, Unwanted transforms hype into something real.
COMEBACK KID - CHOSEN HELL (SharpTone Records/Dine Alone)
Hardcore veterans Comeback Kid submit a career achievement on their eighth full length studio album, Chosen Hell. Teaming with revered producer Will Putney to unlock a new level of intensity, the band's ability to retain their hardcore foundation while exploring new terrain is a testament to their wherewithal. Frontman Andrew Neufeld is a force, leading the charge over a soundtrack that is as heavy as it is dynamic. Bolstered by guest features from Brendan Garrone of Incendiary and Courtney LaPlante of Spiritbox, the hardcore lifers prove they still have plenty of knockout power.
DISTANT - INTO DESPAIR (Century Media)
European deathcore destructors Distant pair brute strength with discernible technicality on their latest studio release. Distilling an eviscerating brand of dissonance, Into Despair sources elements of slam, death metal and noise to thoroughly execute sonic brutality. Shifting from eerie atmospherics to unrelenting assault, the band's brand ot extremity is equal parts calculated and chaos. Roping in features from Tyler Beam of The Last ten Seconds of Life, Darius Tehrani of Spite and Ricky Myers of Suffocation just to list a few, Distant have put deathcore on notice.
