SOULFLY - CHAMA (Nuclear Blast Records)
Further cementing the Cavalera family legacy, patriarch Max joins forces with sons Zyon and Igor Amadeus along guitarist Mike De Leon for the band's landmark 13th full length studio effort. The album was produced by Zyon Cavalera and longtime friend and collaborator, Arthur Rizk. With contributions from Dino Cazares of Fear Factory, Todd Jones of NAILS, Gabriel Franco of Unto Other and Michael Amott of Arch Enemy, the universe fo Soulfly is as vast as their sound. 13 albums in and the Cavalera family legacy is as healthy and heavy as the ten tracks on CHAMA indicate.
THE ACACIA STRAIN - YOU ARE SAFE FROM GOD HERE (Rise Records)
Building on the tandem attack of 2023's double effort, Failure Will Follow and Step Into the Light, The Acacia Strain craft sonic brutality that has the added bite of intellect supporting its intensity. You Are Safe From God Here sources the most effective elements of sludge, doom, and death metal, combined with the band's hardcore punk DNA to make for an pulverizing finished product. Touting guest assists from Sunny Faris of Blackwater Holylight and hardcore heavy hitters Brody King and Colin Young of God's Hate, The Acacia Strain are the intersection of articulation and aggression.
VOWWS - i'll fill your house with an army (Out of Line Music)
The duo of Matt James and Rizz as VOWWS certainly pulled out all the stops of their post-punk, bleak synth, industrial tinged full length amalgam. Enlisting Billy Howerdel of A Perfect Circle to helm the production, along with contributions from drummer Josh Freese of Nine Inch Nails (and way too many important bands to list here) and James Munky Shaffer, VOWWS oscillates from plush pop noir to darkwave with guts and grace. Constructing the kind of album that illuminates the beauty in the bleak, VOWWS deliver an immersive presentation that deserves to be embraced by both rock and electronic music fans alike.
CONJURER - UNSELF (Nuclear Blast Records)
UK standouts Conjurer's third full length studio album, Unself, follows the earned acclaim of their exceptional 2022 sophomore LP, Páthos. Working with producer Joe Clayton, the band's efficient meld of post metal balanced with elements of musical extremity, assert both a varied method of attack while also showcasing the diversity of influences each brings to the collective table. That dynamic has been signature for Conjurer, making the band one of the UK's most important, emerging contributors in heavy music with proven consistency in their sonic pummel. On Unself, it's clear Conjurer pushed themselves to unlock their true potential. As a result, we all win.
DOWNSWING - AND EVERYTHING WAS DARK (MNRK)
Albany aggressors Downswing have delivered their defining work thus far with And Everything Was Dark. Marking their arrival on MNRK, the band has endured personnel changes and the inevitable growing pains of being a band only to come out stronger and more focused on the other side. Sharply produced, precisely executed and durably crafted, the band's contemporary take on hard, fast and loud is tempered with big choruses, melodic breaks and a built-in groove that makes each track effective. Along with features from Chris Roetter from Like Moths To Flames, Travis Moseley of Colorblind, and Elijah Witt of Cane Hill, the cosigns suggest that Downswing is on the come up.
