Kruger - For Death, Glory, and the End of the World

Switzerland. Somehow not a nation that I would associate with badass death n' roll. But alas, Kruger have proven me wrong once again. I found out about this little-known act when I heard that Gojira's Joe Duplantier was doing guest vocals on their new album (this one). Being that my love for Gojira is borderline stalker-ish, I had to find out more about these guys. There was no way that Joe would put his name (and his glorious vocals) on an album that was anything but stellar. And damn if Mr. Duplantier doesn't have some good taste. This album is stunning.

Gorgasm - Orgy of Murder

The fact that this CD was even released seems like a god damn miracle to me. Gorgasm have always been one of the most promising brutal death metal bands, and when I heard they were breaking up (back in 2007) my heart broke a little bit. But here we are 4 years later and Damien Leski (vocalist, guitarist, main songwriter) found himself a new group of guys to fill in the empty slots and they have released arguably their best album to date, Orgy of Murder.

Debauchery - Germany's Next Death Metal

Pop death metal. Never thought you'd hear that phrase, eh? Well, I can't think of a better way to describe Germany's Debauchery. Sure, they're heavy, dark, and (sometimes) fast, but the straight-forward song structures and plain old catchy riffs make them as close to pop music as any strictly death metal band could ever be. It's really no huge surprise, considering they come from Germany, a country where metal in all its forms is much more appreciated and revered than it will ever be in the States. It may even be to the point that metal has become pop (meaning "popular") music in Europe, so the term 'pop death metal' could really be the most accurate way to describe these titans of death metal.

Periphery - Icarus EP

Periphery, unfortunately, have been one of the most disappointing bands I've heard in a long while. They are immensely talented and creative dudes (especially Misha Mansoor, the driving force behind the band), and have so much potential it is beyond words. Any fan of Meshuggah and the resulting "Sumeriancore" and "djent" movements has undoubtedly heard of and (probably) loves this band. I, on the other hand, am very, very torn.

Feastem - Fear In Concrete

It's rare that I come across a relatively new grindcore band that truly blows me away. That's not to say that I don't like and support up and coming bands, but most that I find are good and not great; they don't stand out from the pack if you will. Feastem, on the other hand, are definitely not one of those bands. Sure, they're not doing anything groundbreaking here, but their style of old school crust and grind is executed perfectly, and it's utterly palpable. And they're from Finland, too. Home of fellow grinders Rotten Sound. So yeah...

Thot - Obscured by the Wind

Most of what I review and listen to on a regular basis is (obviously) metal related. However, my tastes do extend much further than the metal genre and this is one of those instances where I have stumbled upon (not via the website) a true gem in the vast expanse of music. Thot is a band hailing from Belgium that categorize themselves as "vegetal noise music". I'm not entirely sure what that means but I'd have to say they are some amalgamation of rock and industrial; what I would call post industrial or experimental death rock. They're hard to label, but that is just one of the things that is so fascinating about this relatively unknown noise duo.

Rotten Sound - Cursed

With a career spanning nearly 20 years, Rotten Sound are a force to be reckoned with in the field of grindology. As much as I love grindcore in all its forms--good or bad, long or short, fast or slow--almost no band in the scene plays with as much heart and ingenuity as these Finnish grindologists. From their blisteringly fast less-than-a-minute songs to their sludgeified grind epics, every release offers up something new and refreshing and Cursed is far from an exception.