FALLUJAH - XENOTAPH (Nulcear Blast Records)
The collision of death metal intensity with prog metal technique and innovation, Fallujah have leveled up and then some on Xenotaph. The album welcomes guitarist Sam Mooradian and drummer Kevin Alexander who both play an integral role in the band converging to create what is no doubt their most ambitious work to date - both thematically and stylistically. Over eight mind-bending tracks, Fallujah assert serious technical prowess on an album that creates an immense thematic universe and pairs it with a soundtrack that jettisons the listener to another world.
IRON MIND - TEST OF THE IRON MIND (Flatspot Records / Last Ride Records)
Australian hardcore stalwarts Iron Mind have been an institution of the culture for nearly two decades. Back with their first album in more than a decade, the collective assert a powerful brand of time-tested hardcore, combined with the perspective and wisdom that can only come from experience. A fluid combination of mighty riffs, building to dynamic breakdowns and backed by a cadence of convincing, commanding vocals from vocalist Sam Octigan, Test of the Iron Mind is an important document of Melbourne-bred hardcore and a powerful testament to the enduring bond of the band.
letlive.- THE BLACKEST BEAUTIFUL REVISITED (Epitaph Records)
Initially released back in 2013, The Blackest Beautiful marked a watershed moment for letlive., cementing their place in contemporary post-hardcore and propelling the band to be one of the space's most poignant, powerful performers. For the refreshed edition of the album, the original 11-tracks have been entirely remixed and remastered. Additionally, the latest edition features two bonus tracks, marking the first digital release from letlive. since their return. Landing Many Eyes and former Every Time I Die frontman Keith Buckley for a take on "27 Club" and Dan Campbell of The Wonder Years for "The Dope Beat Rendition" - few bands tout the versatility and musical agility of letlive.
PALESKIN - EUPHORIC END (Out of Line Music)
Swedish prospects Paleskin flex an effective combination of post-metal disposition with a post-hardcore pulse on their sophomore full length release, Euphoric End. Fusing delicate, emotive vocal melodies with big instrumentation, the musical ride shifts from intoxication to intensity as each of the album's ten tracks play out. If there was just a single track on the album that frames the totality of Euphoric End, ""Near Heaven" is all you need to be convinced.
SIGH - I SAW THE WORLD’S END (HANGMAN’S HYMN MMXXV) (Peaceville)
Doubling as both a celebration of 35 years of avant-garde metal mastery and a reimagining of the band's 2007's masterclass and first ever concept album, Hangman’s Hymn, SIGH has issued a fully reimagined, re-recorded version in I Saw the World’s End (Hangman’s Hymn MMXXV). Orchestral, opulent black metal framed as high art, Sigh architect Mirai Kawashima proves an extreme music tour de force with project elevates the sound and emphasizes the enormity of SIGH.
