GAEREA - LOSS (Century Media)

Portuguese exports Gaerea have been a disruptive force in the space for the last decade. The band's potent combination of styles drawing on elements spanning from black metal to post metal, all executed with brave experimentation, position Gaerea among extreme music's most rightfully lauded modernists. Exploring new sonic landscapes with clean vocals and lush atmospherics added to the arsenal, Loss is a artistic achievement for a band that had already established a precedent for heavy music through the lens of high art. Extreme music, elevated, Loss is an absolute triumph. 

POISON THE WELL - PEACE IN PLACE (SharpTone Records)

It would be misleading to call post-hardcore heroes Poison the Well's first album in 16 years a comeback. That would assume the Florida hardcore craftsmen had ever really gone away. In line with classic efforts like The Opposite of December... A Season of Separation and You Come Before You, Peace In Place asserts an aggressive timelessness that underscores the band's knack for evergreen songwriting. The core of Jeff Moreira, guitarist Ryan Primack and drummer Chris Hornbrook continue to prove a unique, enduring creative cohesiveness that results in entries that run the gamut from melodic to menacing, ethereal to explosive. This is premium quality post-hardcore that proves well worth the wait and arguably one of the band's best efforts of their storied career. 

DROPKICK MURPHYS/HAYWIRE - NEW ENGLAND FOREVER (Play It Again Sam)

In a show of solidarity, regional pride and generational punk lineage, Massachusetts diehards have joined forces as Dropkick Murphys and surging hardcore hitters Haywire lead the charge with the emphatic New England Forever. The collaborative project features each band issuing three rousing, original tracks and a tip of the hat with a take on one another's essentials - Haywire recorded Dropkick Murphys’ “The Boys Are Back” and Dropkick Murphys recorded Haywire’s “Always By My Side.” Aggressive, antagonistic and wholly authentic, the split not only bridges generations of punk and proudly praises home, but emphasizes how community remains core to true punk ethos. 

FOOTBALLHEAD - THE WEIGHT OF TRUTH (Tiny Engines) 

While the current wave of late 90's alt rock is in renaissance, Footballhead manages to take those familiar sonic components and breathe new life into the sound. Memorable hooks, perfect placement of driving power chords and sturdy, well-assembled songs make for a contemporary take nostalgic rock that points to an incredibly bright future for the Chicago firebrand. Downtuned mall rock fueled by Y2K angst, The Weight of Truth feels familiar and fresh all at the same time. 

EXODUS - GOLIATH (Napalm Records)

Thrash icons Exodus have unleashed their milestone 12th full length studio album, Goliath. The album marks the band's first outing via Napalm Records and follows the acclaim of their 2021 effort, Persona Non Grata, an album that earned the band's highest chart position of their four-decade plus career. Handling the production of the album along with a final mix from the legendary Mark Lewis (Whitechapel, Nile, Undeath), Goliath lives up to it's title balancing speed, technicality and gargantuan riffage on a collection of tracks unmistakably Exodus. Goliath also marks the return of 2000s era frontman Rob Dukes, rounding out a line-up that resonates as both classic and contemporary.