THE LAST TEN SECONDS OF LIFE - THE DEAD ONES (Metal Blade Records)
Effectively merging technicality with precision performance, The Dead Ones showcases TLTSOL at their best on album number eight. Enlisting Carson Slovak and Grant McFarland of Pennsylvania's Atrium Audio to further refine the band's brand of brutality, the deathcore unit asserts an evolved sound as songwriters in the same swing of the sword. Along with special guest features from David Simonich of Signs Of The Swarm, Nate Johnson (ex-Fit For An Autopsy), Alan Grnja of Distant and the band's original vocalist Storm Strope, the album touts a powerhouse of personnel and a showcase of skill.
WAGE WAR - IT CALLS ME BY NAME (Fearless Records)
Among the band's most primal, savage works, It Calls Me By Name serves as Wage War's homage to Florida, embracing the sometimes harsh environment of home and translating it into song. Combining savage vocals, commanding riffs and thudding percussion, Wage War assert they are among the best in the game at fusing arena-sized hooks with clobbering breakdowns for the most dramatic effect. Sturdy built and swamp forged, Wage War remain at the head of their class among the metalcore's rightfully celebrated.
.GIF FROM GOD - DISSIMULATION (Prosthetic Records)
A product of the robust heavy music community of RIchmond, VA., .Gif From God's weave of grindcore, punk, screamo and metalcore build out a sound that is as versatile as it is volatile. What would normally be discordant noise for the sake of dramatics works cohesively as hulking riffs, urgent percussion and violent vocal spew work together in what amounts to a musical molotov. The assortment of extreme music elements on display assert the's band's healthy pedigree while the willingness to combine them is gutsy AF.
NINE INCH NOIZE - NINE INCH NOIZE (Interscope Records)
This is one of those beyond superlative type of releases where any and all descriptors are just going to fall short. Given the built-in cinematic quality of all NIN compositions, an entirely electronic repurposing of these essentials only raises the ceiling in terms of how expansive these songs can sound. The end result is a collection of songs that really do create another world - one that lands somewhere between dancefloor and dystopia. The collaborative prowess of Trent Reznor, Atticus Ross, Boys Noize and Mariqueen Maandig Reznor achieves of a new level of artistry that supersedes all category. A true one of one.
CRIPPLED BLACK PHOENIX - SCEADUHELM (Season of Mist)
The UK collective of Crippled Black Phoenix construct a masterful complex of atmospheric deathrock, elegant doom and powerful post-rock on their most personal effort to date. Traversing themes of grief, isolation and existential dread, Sceanduhelm thematic departure allows for the music's poignant pen to shine - resulting in a soundtrack that is as at time bleak as it is beautiful. Achieving a soundtrack that frames dark music with a sense of elegance, the veterans of macabre rock prove masters of their space with an album that skirts category.
