KILLSWITCH ENGAGE - THIS CONSEQUENCE (Metal Blade Records)
Killswitch Engage is officially back. The champions of Amercian metal deliver their first offering of new music since the Atonement cycle of 2019 with a stellar return to form, This Consequence. Asserting the musical muscle that has become the band's signature, backed by the affirming, empowering message from frontman Jesse Leach, the arrival of the album makes good on being one of the most anticipated releases of the year. Heavy and full of heart, This Consequence is quintessential Killswitch from start to finish.
SPY - SEEN ENOUGH (Closed Casket Activities)
With the distinction of leaning more into the punk spectrum of modern hardcore, Bay Area standouts SPY have managed to make an impressive amount of headway since their 2019 formation. Making their Closed Casket Activities' debut with the arrival of their new EP, Seen Enough, the concise, six-track presentation which hovers around 10 minutes of pure wallop was recorded by Jack Shirley at Oakland's Atomic Garden. Underscoring that live volatility and raw power, the EP was recorded live to tape for an explosive quality that hits hard and sticks.
SCOUR - GOLD (Housecore Records)
Sourcing elements from black metal, grind, punk, and thrash, SCOUR's individual resumes and collective education ensures their knowledge and resource pool in extreme music is infinite. The collective is comprised of Philip H. Anselmo, Derek Engemann, John Jarvis, Mark Kloeppel also of Misery Index, and Adam Jarvis of Pig Destroyer and Lock Up, Applying that wealth of knowledge and passion for the heaviest of music, combined with an affinity for the darker side of the literary spectrum, SCOUR's source material is conceptualized and executed well as they complete their EP trilogy with their latest opus, GOLD.
TRAITORS - PHOBIAS
South Florida deathcore practitioners Traitors have concocted full length molotov with their fifth studio album, PHOBIAS. Bolstered by a succession of previews from the album with "SBC", "Release", and bulldozing track "No Witness", the band's dominate brand of downtempo, proves well executed and musically devastating. Given the proliferation of deathcore and the popularity of the subgenre, it is especially tough to stand out. Traitors continue to assert their DIY DNA and jockey for position as one of the most buzzworthy bands in the space. Phobias is as convincing of that as it is crushing.
SILVERSTEIN - ANTIBLOOM (UNFD)
Post-hardcore lifers Silverstein have delivered the first half of their ambitious double album with Antibloom. Marking the band's 25th anniversary with the launch of what the band calls their "largest campaign" to date, the intent was craft a sort of career summation into one project. The final result, at least for the first portion is a songwriting masterclass in the genre - assembling a collection of songs that showcase rich melodies, anthemic choruses and an emotive collective performance that is impossible to ignore. Silverstein has managed to hit their stride more than two decades in and this is just the first half.
