Photo by Hector Clark
POPPY - EMPTY HANDS (Sumerian)
Asserting the kind of range and versatility that has made her such a firebrand in heavy music, Poppy's latest full length is a varied presentation that assert competent range, shifting from pop to metal core with ease. Poppy’s ability to shapeshifter from melodic vocals to all out chaos creates waves of energy that make for a compelling listen.From hushed, delicate melodies to big percussion and crushing guitars, the album is an emphatic reminder of Poppy's range that flexes a bold musical balance of beauty and brawn.
MEGADETH - MEGADETH (BLKIIBLK)
Issuing the band's 17th studio effort, the self-titled release serves as a proper summation of a career that helped forge the foundation of thrash music. As Mustaine's final studio release with Megadeth, the album's biggest takeaway is likely the rendition of "Ride the Lighting," when in actuality, there is still plenty of substance to suggest the band is exiting triumphantly. Tracks like "The Tipping Point," "Made to Kill" and "The Last Note" showcase the kind of technicality that has made Mustaine and the different iterations of Megadeth the stuff of legend. And if this really is the final Megadeth album, the effort serves well in sourcing the various eras of the band to further punctuate such a storied tenure.
CRYSTAL LAKE - THE WEIGHT OF SOUND (Century Media)
Veteran metalcore unit Crystal Lake have delivered what seems to signal their second coming in The Weight of Sound. Implementing a much more deathcore approach, both in power and personnel, the album is inherently more aggressive than ever. Adding to the obvious muscle of the music, the band corralled a roster of guest features with the likes of
David Simonich, Jesse Leach, Myke Terry, Taylor Barber and Karl Schubach adding to the potency and power of the record overall. Marking the first record with vocalist John Robert Centorrino, the Japanese collective is now positioned to begin a pivotal new era, equipped with an album that suggests their they are back and better than ever.
PELICAN - ASCENDING (Run For Cover)
There is a stylistic fluidity to Pelican that makes them not only highly adept among many musical avenues, but the degree of authenticity in which they do it is really what is impressive. The band's Ascending EP consists of B-sides from their Flickering Resonance LP and even these tracks translate as well-constructed even if they didn't make the inital cut. Adding in a guest feature from Geoff Rickly for a refreshed version of "Cascading Crescent," the band's blue collar approach to high art is a killer combo conducive to durability in heavy music.
HOLDER - RUIN THE BEST OF ME (DAZE)
Emerging from the Massachusetts hardcore scene is tall task, yet Holder have managed to land on the radar for good reason. A measured, albeit menacing meld of 90s/2000s post-hardcore/screamo, the band's latest EP is a brief 2-track presentation while still delivering all the pummel to back their hype. Rowdy riffs, frenzied percussion and urgent vocals make for an EP that stirs excitement of the band's future potential.
