Night Vapor – 1000 Miles of Mud
clashing notes, sporadic beats, quavering distortion, and chain-smoking vocals
Skraeckoedlan – Äppelträdet
a sludgy, distorted bass tone that is as viscous as the deadly muck of a WWI Flanders battlefield.
The Ocean – Phanerozoic I: Paleozoic
massive songs which are perfectly crafted in every way, but the execution is deceptively simple; in some ways minimalist
Northern Crown – Northern Crown
plenty in the way of deliberate and crunchy groove, dynamic usage of riff and tempo changes, and compelling vocal melodies that rival their doomy forefathers
Spearhead – Pacifism is Cowardice
some battlefield somewhere in the history of mankind, bodies strewn as far as the eye can see, the sun baking the littered corpses and making mere silhouettes of the circling vultures as they wheel around tirelessly above. You can almost feel it’s heat and smell the stench, it’s that good.
Road Warrior – Power
one of the most exciting, refreshing, and fist-pumping powerful (pun intended) records of 2018.
The Exploding Eyes Orchestra – II
a fusion of somber lullabies and bass-heavy anthems
Great Reversals – Stalactite
Great Reversals infuses an emotional complexity to their music which makes them stand out from their contemporaries
Cloud Rat – Clipped Beaks/Silk Panic
one of the most daring bands in music right
Valkyria – Tierra Hostil
an aggressive and guitar-driven power metal band