PIG PEN - MENTAL MADNESS (Flatspot Records)
Led by chef and multi-talent Matty Matheson, the passion project in Pig Pen has gone from side project to real deal with the arrival of their Flatspot Records debut. With production from the venerated Arthur Rizk, the band rounded out by hardcore veterans including Wade MacNeil of Alexisonfire/Gallows, along with Daniel and Ian Romano of Attack in Black and Tommy Major. Distilling a potent meld of 80's, time-tested hardcore executed with rock music sensibility, Pig Pen's assaultive brand of angst results in a mammoth first outing and testament to hardcore lineage.
SHADOW OF INTENT - IMPERIUM DELIRIUM (Blood Blast Distribution)
Technical deathcore veterans Shadow of Intent combine psychological horror, and scathing political commentary with metallic brutality and serous performative power on their latest full length, Imperium Delirium. A fully hands-on effort, the album was written and produced by guitarist Chris Wiseman with lyrics written efficiently executed by vocalist Ben Duerr. A hulking presentation of symphonic, dominant deathcore, Shadow Of Intent move to the head of the class with their newest LP.
BLOOD VULTURE - DIE CLOSE (Pure Noise Records)
Helmed by multi-talent Jordan Olds of 2 Minutes To Late Night, his latest iteration is the stylized, metallic noir of Blood Vulture. The project arrives via Pure Noise Records and marks the full length debut, Die Close. Filed as gothic sludge, the meld of well-constructed, dynamic songs anchored by sturdy riffage and a sinister subtext make for a mystifying musical ride that is as brooding as it is brutal. The album also features feature a host of diverse guests including Kristin Hayter, known best as Lingua Ignota, as well as Jade Puget of AFI and Brian Fair of Shadows Fall.
MAREUX - NONSTOP ROMANCE (Revolution / Warner Records)
Among the current wave of goth forerunners, Aryan Ashtiani, better known as Mareux, has established himself as an integral part of the modern era of dark music. For his newest incarnation, Mareux consumed a healthy diet of visual stimulation, citing the films Andrei Tarkovsky, Alejandro Jodorowsky and Hype Williams as source material for his latest presentation of danceable dread. Stylishly sinister, Mareux's take on darkwave is a vivid, modern take on the genre that pays homage to his predecessors while pushing the sound forward.
HEAVEN SHALL BURN - HEIMAT (Century Media Records)
The German aggressors took time in carefully crafting their first full length in five years. With production from the band's own Alexander Dietz and Danish producer Tue Madsen completing the final mix and master, Heimat is a hulking show of rage and range. Featuring collaborations with Jesse Leach of Killswitch Engage as well as composer Sven Helbig, conductor Wilhelm Keitel, along with the Mondëna Quartet and the Ukrainian Sophia Chamber Choir, Heaven Shall Burn combine artistic ambitious with sonic assault on a record that is as proficient as it is powerful.
