DESTINY BOND - THE LOVE (Convulse Records)

The Denver punk/hardcore hybrid tap into genuine emotion and feral energy on The Love. Treading on heady themes of identity, conflict and grief, the cadence of the album is relentless - oscillating from punk groove to hardcore clobber with efficiency. Noisy guitars, bombastic percussion and the vocal sway of Cloe Madonna make for a sophomore effort that hits hard with both conviction and purpose. Real love is loud, Destiny Bone prove it. 

UNTO OTHERS - I BELIEVE IN HALLOWEEN II (Lone Fir Records / Century Media)

Revisiting the musical sorcery of the 2021 EP, I Believe In Halloween, PNW noir rock specialists Unto Others have unveiled a second installment in the EP series just in time for the holiday. Frontman and sound architect Gabe Franco asserts a keen ability to craft ghostly groove with a concise collection of new tunes that hit hard and haunt heavy. Combined with a pair of timeless covers in Ramones' "Pet Sematary" and The Misfits' "Halloween," Unto Others continue to pave their own lane. 

MILITARIE GUN - GOD SAVE THE GUN (Loma Vista Recordings)

Ushering in the next chapter for Militarie Gun, the current configuration with guitarists William Acuña and Kevin Kiley, bassist Waylon Trim and David Stalsworth on drums comprises the ensemble cast for songsmith Ian Shelton's next full length effort. On God Save the Sun, the band's post-hardcore posture proves especially potent with Shelton's honest, earnest stream-of-consciousness shaping brilliant songs. Articulate, well-constructed, catchy and cathartic, all the hype Militarie Gun gets is well deserved and maybe not even enough. 

SPACED - NO ESCAPE (Pure Noise Records)

Coining the phrase "far-out hardcore" the Buffalo prospects concoct a punchy brand of aggression on their Pure Noise Records debut. With shades of crossover accenting a blue-collar grip on hardcore, gang vocals, assertive guitars and frenzied percussion make for five tracks that keep the pedal to the fucking metal. Among a growing community of bands that understand the fine balance in keeping heavy music fun, Spaced are blue chip candidates set to make their mark on the scene.  

TRIBAL GAZE - INVEIGHING BRILLIANCE (Nuclear Blast)

Texas death metal unit Tribal Gaze have unleahsed their second full length album and their first via heavy music authority, Nuclear Blast Records. Inveighing Brilliance serves as the first full length studio effort since the band's 2022 debut LP, The Nine Choirs which was followed by the release of their Deadbody EP late last year. A powerful assertion of classic death metal onto the contemporary landscape of heavy music, Tribal Gaze's old school pedigree resonates as a breath of fresh air in modern heft, with all the cred to appease the purists just the same.