DYING WISH - FLESH STAYS TOGETHER (SharpTone Records)
Teaming with revered producer Will Putney [Knocked Loose, Nothing, Full of Hell] Dying WIsh has more than substantiated the breakout success achieved on 2023's Symptoms of Survival with their latest full length. Championed for their brand of metallic hardcore and articulate aggression, Dying Wish again assert an effective show of refined heft - one that harnesses real life trauma and weaponizes it. Emma Boster's performance and range is commanding while guitarist Pedro Carrillo has more than owned his role as a creative force - both as a songwriter and the band's visual steward. Further distilled and dominant as ever, Flesh Stays Together sources the best of metallic hardcore, thriving amount purists in both circles.
IGORRR - AMEN (Metal Blade Records)
The artistic breadth of French producer and sound architect Gautier Serre is limitless and his latest full length as IGORRR offers testament to that. The composition of AMEN spans precise metallic hulk, wildly inventive electronica and the tasteful incorporation of everything from a vocal choir to traditional oriental instrumentation. And while all this may sound disjointed, Serre's complete vision is constructed across 12 tracks that embrace exploration in extreme music. Inherently dark, masterfully executed and aided by the likes of Trey Spruance and Scott Ian for good measure, Amen is an absolute masterclass.
PEEELINGFLESH - PF RADIO 2 (Unique Leader Records)
Oklahoma brutalizers PeelingFlesh assert a potent meld of filthy guitars and pummeling percussion with a keen ear for classic samples on their latest studio album. Combining the style points of dark hip hop with the sonic force of corrosive death metal, the album's progression ebbs and flows - allowing for dynamic build ups and walloping beatdowns to develop throughout the album. Along with guest assists from Corpse Pile and Embryectomy, PeelingFlesh have tapped into the culture of cult with a record that merges 90's era Bone Thugs aesthetic with contemporary death metal muscle.
REVOCATION - NO GODS, NO MASTER (Metal Blade Records)
Technical death metal vets Revocation remain one of the most consistent units in extreme music on their fifth full length studio album, New Gods, New Masters. The album follows the strides achieved with 2022's Netherheaven and further cements the creative synergy of the current line-up with rhythm guitarist Harry Lannon and bassist Alex Weber. Produced and constructed by band architect Dave Davidson, the band's pedigree and reverence for death and thrash is evident. Their pursuit to push the envelope is equally as important, as New Gods, New Masters arguably serves as Revocation's most complete contribution thus far. If you needed more proof of that, the album's finale in "Buried Epoch" with Luc Lemay of Gorguts is all the convincing you will need.
PRESIDENT - KING OF TERRORS (King of Terrors)
You do have to admire how the UK's most buzzy band transformed an EP release into an inauguration of sorts. The masked alt-metal sensation has finally delivered their State of the Union with King of Terrors. While the collection explores the same musical terrain braved by the likes of Sleep Token and Bad Omens, the EP's breakout singles in "Destroy Me," "Fearless" and "In the Name of the Father" serve well in reaching a broader audience and will no doubt propel the band to bigger and bigger stages in the next year. Sharply produced, melodically balance and admittedly catchy, President is primed and makes a compelling case as a formative presence in current alt metal.
