Slayer

Leper Colony – Leper Colony Review

Leper Colony – Leper Colony Review

“Ah, the first week of a new year. A week of renewal. Of bitter resentment at work. Of new Rogga projects. Yes, the grimy foreman of the Swedish death metal factory is back with of course another new project. After releasing–by my rough Metallum count–seven full-length albums with various projects in 2022, Rogga returns this month with Leper Colony’s self-titled debut. Coincidentally, I’ll be the seventh writer to review Rogga for this here site. Might ye despair, lest Rogga sneer at your pleas that he just for once in his life slow down and make the death metal masterpiece that more than one reviewer suggested he’s capable of?” Pieces of genius.

High Command – Eclipse of the Dual Moons Review

High Command – Eclipse of the Dual Moons Review

“For me, 2022 has been chock-full of highly anticipated albums from returning favorites, so it’s only fitting that my last review of the year should be more of the same. Three years ago, I told you not to miss Beyond the Wall of Desolation, the debut full-length from Massachusetts band High Command and late addition to my year-end list. When I first heard that record, I immediately fell in love with the band’s epic, fantasy-themed crossover thrash and was impressed by the way they were able to take a bunch of old-school, typically aggro styles and mash them together into something oozing with grandeur.” Command to highly overrate.

Goatwhore – Angels Hung from the Arches of Heaven Review

Goatwhore – Angels Hung from the Arches of Heaven Review

Goatwhore is an institution, and in 2022 celebrate their 25th anniversary, fittingly capping the occasion with their first album since 2017’s solid, if safe, Vengeful Ascension. During a recent binge-to-end-all-Goatwhore-binges, alongside several of my esteemed colleagues, I gained a renewed appreciation of what a consistently kick-arse and reliable outfit the NOLA legends have been over the years. Despite honing a well-worn thrash/black/death formula, each Goatwhore album possesses skillful tweaks, creating distinctive album-to-album character.” Rocking the Goat.

Algebra – Chiroptera Review

Algebra – Chiroptera Review

“Ask most folks around the world to describe Swiss culture in a word, and I’d bet that “precise” ends up in the top ten most common responses. Switzerland is known for producing precision-made watches, cutlery, and chocolates, and thanks to Coroner’s technical version of the genre, we can probably add precision-made thrash metal to the list. And if we want to emphasize that last point, we need look no further than Swiss thrashers Algebra.” Fast maths.

Vrenth – Succumb to Chaos Review

Vrenth – Succumb to Chaos Review

“Over the years, I’ve come to realize that death metal is more about the visceral reaction that your body and mind have to a barbaric aural bludgeoning than it is about memorability, and I’ve thus come to enjoy entire albums full of quality metal of the dead variety. But every once in a while, a death metal band comes along with the apparent intent of providing that same visceral journey while simultaneously providing riff after memorable riff, a host of unforgettable solos, and enough stylistic changeups to keep the listener on their toes. California’s Vrenth is just such a band.” Death with life.

Revocation – Netherheaven Review

Revocation – Netherheaven Review

Revocation are cool again. To be fair, Revocation were almost always cool. From 2008’s Empire of the Obscene to 2014’s Deathless, the band were unstoppable, almost single-handedly revitalizing death thrash. With the speed and grace of a whipsnake, they gleamed through twisting, treacherous songs, dazzling with every move. Their music was not malicious; it was downright joyous, and bandleader Dave Davidson’s boisterous solo work hearkened back to the crazed fret flights of records like Rust in Peace while taking thrash in new directions.” Be not deaf in Heaven.

Eruption – Tellurian Rupture Review

Eruption – Tellurian Rupture Review

“The first time I listened to Eruption was with 2017’s release, Cloaks of Oblivion. That album was a fun introduction to the band’s interesting mix of Forbidden and Metal Church, with hints of Iced Earth-like vocals and aggression. The mix was pleasant, the songwriting solid, and the vocals were vastly improved from previous releases. With 2022 comes Tellurian Rupture. And once again, the band has improved every aspect of their sound.” The floor is Grier lava.

Soulfly – Totem Review

Soulfly – Totem Review

“For the most part, I enjoy Soulfly. Even if they rarely bring anything new to the table. I guess Soulfly and Primitive contradict that statement because Max Cavalera explored a new territory of Korny, Limp Bizkit metal. Contradicting because, while Cavalera stepped out of his comfort zone, I fucking hate those albums—even more than I hate Ferrous. Yet, when Marc Rizzo joined the ranks on 2004’s Prophecy, Cavalera and crew brought thrash, death, and inklings of Chaos A.D. and Roots back into the mix. From that point, I’ve grown accustomed to the existence of Soulfly and enjoy albums like Dark Ages, Conquer, and Enslaved. Now it’s 2022, and Rizzo is gone. What does this mean for ole Maxie?” Mad Maxie.

Battlegrave – Cavernous Depths Review

Battlegrave – Cavernous Depths Review

“Perhaps the most awesome thing about Battlegrave is the way that they combine their genre influences together. Many bands blend genres in such a way as to make it difficult to pinpoint where one ends and another begins. Not so with Battlegrave. Cavernous Depths sounds like Morbid Saint, Demolition Hammer, and Oxygen Destroyer were each run across a table saw and had their constituent parts randomly and brutally sewn together.” Snitches and death thrash fans get stitches.

Witchery – Nightside Review

Witchery – Nightside Review

“With each new vocalist, the band evolved to capture their distinct voices—from the uniqueness of Toxine to the catatonic Legion to current pavement-cracker Angus Norder. And each time, the band traverses a new era. For these newer eras, the band has increased its heaviness to better partner with the vicious vocal contributions. And it’s served them well—until 2017’s run-of-the-mill outlier, I Am Legion. While it was a solid enough album, it was a letdown compared to back-to-back masterpieces, WitchKrieg and In His Infernal Majesty’s Service. Five years later, one wonders where Nightside will lie in the band’s extensive catalog.” We own the Nightside.