SPIRITBOX - TSUNAMI SEA (Pale Chord / Rise Records)

Spiritbox have further asserted their prime position atop heavy music's new class with the arrival of the eagerly-awaited full length, Tsunami Sea. A potent, proficient, powerful meld of weighty guitars, mammoth percussion, dynamic vocals from Courtney LaPlante and a hint of glitchy electronica for added style points, the follow-up to the acclaimed Eternal Blue is deserving of all the hype and then some. The presentation is the kind of effort that underscores why the band is on the brink of super stardom and regarded as gamechangers in landscape of modern heavy music. 

INGROWN - IDAHO (Closed Casket Activities)

While Boise might not be synonymous with hardcore culture, Ingrown is making a convincing argument otherwise. The proud Idaho collective made a lasting impression with 2021's GUN, and have again flexed an impressive kind of grit on their follow-up. Teaming with producer and collaborator Andy Nelson, the band's tailwhip of charred hardcore and frenzied crossover make for a combination that crushes without relent. The band even pay tribute to their lineage (literally and figuratively) taking on an updated version of the track “Asylum" which was originally written by vocalist/guitarist Ross Hansen's father, Erik, of 80's hardcore heroes State of Confusion. 

WHITECHAPEL - HYMNS IN DISSONANCE (Metal Blade Records)

Pioneering deathcore stalwarts Whitechapel have delivered an resounding return to form on their latest full length, Hymns In Dissonance. Setting out with the intention of writing their most aggressive presentation to date, the band successfully execute a collection of songs that emphasize precision, technicality and sonic devastation all in one. Whitechapel have established their brand with the kind of artistry that challenges the boundaries of extreme music, while still honoring the integrity and identity of the music. Brutal, brave and brilliantly composed, Whitechapel remain the top of the heap in deathcore and beyond. 

IMMINENCE - THE RETURN OF THE BLACK

Skyrocketing Swedish unit Imminence have unleashed their extended edition of their universally acclaimed 2024 LP, The Black, with a bolstered collection of remastered original tracks and collaborative works featuring the likes of Lucas Woodland (Holding Absence), Niklas Karlsson (Orbit Culture), Joel Holmqvist (Aviana), Scott Kennedy (Bleed From Within), and Tim Charles (Ne Obliviscaris). The album also touts two new entries in "Death Shall Have No Dominion" and "God Fearing Man" - both of which expand on the band's stylistic collision of string arrangements, violin melodies, pummeling percussion and towering song dynamics. 

DAWN OF OUROBOROS - BIOLUMINESCENCE (Prosthetic Records)

The Bay area collective in Dawn of Ouroboros dominate on their third full length studio effort, Bioluminescence. Embracing elements of black and death metal combined with the chops of tech, the end result is a sure-handed, cohesively-constructed record as epic as it is ambitious. Appropriately sourcing thematic inspiration from the ocean, the band manages to convey that vastness in their sound, traversing atmospheric open waters to terrifying torrents in the eight-track progression.