Evil is certainly the sentiment of the week, with nefarious intent all around from Eternal Evil, Funebrarum, Hecate Enthroned, Serpent Lord and Trelldom. The big prog names of the week try their best to steal the show: Balmora – These Graven Halls (metalcore/melodic death metal) Elder – Through Zero (progressive/psychedelic rock/metal) Monolord – Neverending (stoner/doom metal) Devin Townsend – The Moth (progressive/symphonic metal) TOP PICK OF THE WEEK Trelldom – …by the wor

Some great prog, grind and folk coming your way from As The Sun Falls, Blindead 23, Makkmat, Noituma and Psyclops. And here are a few bigger things coming out this week: Armored Saint – Emotion Factory Reset (heavy metal) Dimmu Borgir – Grand Serpent Rising (symphonic black metal) Moonlight Haze – Interstellar Madness (EP) (symphonic/power metal) XCOMM – Time To Burn (hardcore) TOP PICK OF THE WEEK Blindead 23 – Deuterium Genre: Progressive extreme metal Subjective rating: 4/

Some smaller names are really stepping up to the plate this week, among them Atavistia, Defect Designer, Desiccation, Gozu and Tyrannus. Big releases are almost non-existent this week, with a couple of notable exceptions: Periphery – A Pale White Dot (progressive extreme metal/metalcore) Pro-Pain – Stone Cold Anger (hardcore/groove metal) TOP PICK OF THE WEEK Tyrannus – Mournhold Genre: Black/thrash metal Subjective rating: 4/5 Objective rating: 4/5 Country of origin: Scotlan

Get ready for a packed week of mixed flavors, with highlight releases from A Forest Of Stars, IATT, Lyrre, Restless Spirit and Voidthrone. In case you're still starved for more, there's plenty to choose from above the underground: Black Veil Brides – Vindicate (gothic hard rock/metalcore) Darko US – Oni 2 (deathcore/metalcore) Draconian – In Somnolent Ruin (doom/gothic metal) Darkthrone – Pre-Historic Metal (heavy/black metal) Frozen Soul – No Place Of Warmth (death metal) In

There's very little mercy to be had from these albums by Cognizance, Devenial Verdict, In Malice's Wake, Lair Of The Minotaur and Spell. Here's a few bigger releases from this week, if you're interested. Haste The Day – Dissenter (metalcore) Sevendust – One (alternative metal/rock) VCTMS – pain processing II (hardcore/metalcore) Venom – Into Oblivion (blackened heavy/speed metal) TOP PICK OF THE WEEK Devenial Verdict – Old Blood – Fresh Wounds Genre: Death metal Subjective r

It's up to the underground to convince us that the world of metal will go on after the monumental goodbyes happening among the big names, and a laudable effort is made by Armed For Apocalypse, Aversio Humanitatis, Cnoc An Tursa, Scimitar and Volcandra. Here are the mentioned goodbyes, and some other stuff that's not quite as notable in comparison: The Amity Affliction – House Of Cards (metalcore) At The Gates – The Ghost Of A Future Dead (melodic death metal) Atreyu – The En

The time has come for some exciting up-and-comers to show their quality, and their names are Doodswens, Draken, The Moon And The Nightspirit, Ordh and Reeking Aura. Above the underground it's really all just a big random heap: Crimson Glory – Chasing The Hydra (heavy/progressive metal) From Ashes To New – Reflections (nu metal/metalcore) Holywatr – Deo Gratias (alternative rock/metal) The Last Ten Seconds Of Life – The Dead Ones (deathcore) Nekrogoblikon – The Boiling Sea (EP

It's a week for hellos and goodbyes, with the most extreme stuff elevated beyond the murky depths, leaving releases by Battlegrave, Nukem, Skaphos, Spirit Adrift and Witch Ripper. Have you ever seen this much death metal in the "overground"? Will we ever again? Archspire – Too Fast To Die (technical death metal) Bodysnatcher – Hell Is Here, Hell Is Home (deathcore/hardcore) Immolation – Descent (death metal) Inferi – Heaven Wept (technical death metal) Lord Of The Los

A decent mix of flavors this week, offering a respite from my incessant pushing of death metal, with releases from Apolaustic, Bloody Valkyria, Green Carnation, Toxic Shock and Void Of Light. There's no massive releases this week, but a handful of familiar faces: Corrosion Of Conformity – Good God/Baad Man (stoner/sludge metal) Nervosa – Slave Machine (melodic death/thrash metal) Sunn O))) – Sunn O))) (drone/doom metal) TOP PICK OF THE WEEK Void Of Light – Asymmetries

A black and speed metal extravaganza, this week offers far more than just my top 5 picks from Aggressive Perfector, Bekor Qilish, Blasart, Power Paladin and Winterfylleth. There's good stuff coming from the bigger names as well, but not nearly as interesting. Black Label Society – Engines Of Demolition (heavy/doom metal/hard rock) Hellripper – Coronach (black/speed metal) Këkht Aräkh – Morning Star (atmospheric black metal) Myrath – Wilderness Of Mirrors (power/progres

You're likely to find conceptual depth and stylistic flexibility where you least expect it among these releases from Egregore, Gutvoid, Hanging Garden, Iron Firmament and Papa Necrose. Defying expectations is less of a theme and more of a localized phenomenon (looking at you Gaerea) in the mainstream this week: Exodus – Goliath (thrash metal) Gaerea – Loss (blackened metalcore) Lost In Hollywood – Lost In Hollywood (metalcore) Poison The Well – Peace In Place (melodic

Friday the 13th proved to be a fitting release date for these albums by Gluttony, Mammon's Throne, Monstrosity and No/Más. Not into horror? The mainstream releases are significantly less spooky: Fabienne Erni – Starveil (symphonic metal) Lamb Of God – Into Oblivion (groove metal) Angus McSix – Angus McSix And The All-Seeing Astral Eye (power/electronic metal) UnityTX – Somewhere, In Between… (rap metal) Vicious Rain – The Anatomy Of Surviving (metalcore) TOP PICK OF

Gritted-teeth solemnity gives (mostly) way to entertainment factor on these releases from Axe Dragger, Desert Storm, Miserere Luminis, Temple Of Void and Triumpher. The big name bands aren't being all too serious either: Erra – silence outlives the earth (metalcore) Leaves Eyes – Song Of Darkness (EP) (symphonic metal) Lost Society – Hell Is A State Of Mind (heavy/nu metal) Tardigrade Inferno – Hush (alternative metal) Vreid – The Skies Turn Black (melodic black met

This week's for those who don't like playing by the rules, just like Cemetery Reign, Cryptic Shift, Ennui, Necrosexual and Unverkalt. The big names are playing it fairly off-kilter as well: Carpenter Brut – Leather Temple (synthwave/electronic metal) The Gloom In The Corner – Royal Discordance (metalcore) Ruoska – Kade (industrial metal) Varials – Where The Light Leaves (hardcore/nu metal) Rob Zombie – The Great Satan (shock rock/industrial metal) TOP PICK OF THE W

A dark and moody week, with little light penetrating to the underground, as evidenced by the releases from Coscradh, Domhain, Incandescence, Nazghor and Serpent Gates. Up above they've got some actual light to energize and illuminate proceedings: Atlas – Sunder (melodic extreme metal/metalcore) Clawfinger – Before We All Die (rap metal) Exhumed – Red Asphalt (death metal/grindcore) Mirrorcell – Long Nights In Lovescape (alternative metal/metalcore) Stam1na – Apnea (

The wave of bleak morbidity keeps on rolling, but meets some brighter-minded resistance, featuring releases from Ensanguinate, Mors Verum, Night Of The Vampire, Phendrana and Sleeping Giant. The same thing is happening overground, just on a bigger scale: Before I Turn – Immoral And Malevolent Happenings (metalcore) Karnivool – In Verses (progressive metal/rock) Mayhem – Liturgy Of Death (black metal) Tailgunner – Midnight Blitz (heavy metal) TOP PICK OF THE WEEK Overt

The wave of bleak morbidity keeps on rolling, but meets some brighter-minded resistance, featuring releases from Ensanguinate, Mors Verum, Night Of The Vampire, Phendrana and Sleeping Giant. The same thing is happening overground, just on a bigger scale: Before I Turn – Immoral And Malevolent Happenings (metalcore) Karnivool – In Verses (progressive metal/rock) Mayhem – Liturgy Of Death (black metal) Tailgunner – Midnight Blitz (heavy metal) TOP PICK OF THE WEEK Mors

No mercy this week, as death and doom roll in from all fronts, with releases from Invictus (JPN), Kosuke Hashida, Malignant Aura, Skulld and Tarlung. If it gets too brutal, take a breather up above the surface: Dead Air Divine – The Answer (technical/progressive metalcore) Hanabie. – HOT TOPIC (EP) (nu metal/metalcore) Hällas – Panorama (hard rock/heavy/progressive metal) Møl – Dreamcrush (progressive black/alternative metal) TOP PICK OF THE WEEK Skulld – Abyss Calls

This is the first week of the year where I feel that the underground loses the edge, even with quality releases from Deathraiser, Furi Helium, Karloff and Meteora. Some first-rate metalcore and thrash is on offer up on the surface: Crystal Lake – The Weight Of Sound (metalcore) Elwood Stray – Descending (metalcore) Helix – Scrap Metal (hard rock/heavy metal) Megadeth – Megadeth (thrash metal) Poppy – Empty Hands (pop metal/metalcore) Textures – Genotype (progressiv

A compact but stylistically divergent group of releases awaits this week, from Carrion Vael, Death Cult, Marianas Rest and Total Annihilation. We've some big names showing up in January, and here's the first real taste: Kreator – Krushers Of The World (thrash metal) Ov Sulfur – Endless (symphonic deathcore) Soen – Reliance (progressive metal/hard rock) Soulbound – sYn (industrial/alternative metal) TOP PICK OF THE WEEK Total Annihilation - Mountains of Madness Genre: