Here’s some crowd-pleasing music for your Halloween party.
Creeping Death
The Edge Of Existence EP (eOne)
There’s a lot of death metal out there. Not much of it makes me want to smash my head through a plate glass window (in a good way). I don’t know where Creeping Death found their stash of riffs but this is some insanely high quality stuff – the six songs on this EP have more ideas than some bands’ entire discographies. They don’t even try to do anything new with the sound. They just perfect it.
Gus G
Quantum Leap (AFM)
Yeah, it’s shred, but it’s shred from one of the finest shredders in the business. There’s a reason Ozzy tapped him as his touring guitarist (and a reason it’s a shame that he never asked for his writing input). Like his obvious inspiration Joe Satriani, Gus G excels at finding the emotional throughline in the guitar pyrotechnics. His first all-instrumental solo album not only shows off his technical wizardry but his ability to write compelling tunes, even when nobody’s singing over them.
Kowloon Walled City
Piecework (Neurot/Gilead)
It’s been six years since Kowloon Walled City last emerged with a batch of cheerfulness and hope for us all. A lot has happened in that interim, and boy do we need some uplifting music. This Oakland-based noise rock band delivers feel-good hits here with titles like “Oxygen Tent” and “When We Fall through the Floor.” They’ve been sorely missed; hopefully they stick around to help get us through these trying times.
Trivium
In The Court Of The Dragon (Roadrunner)
I’m on record as not being too big of a fan of Trivium’s last record, What the Dead Men Say, so it’s high praise when I say that their 10th album is shockingly good! In the Court of the Dragon contains everything I love from them, in spades: epic thrash riffs, infectious choruses, and pit-pleasing breakdowns. Don’t know why this one clicks for me when the last few haven’t (maybe I just love album covers with dragons on them) but this feels like the band firing on all cylinders. Probably their best since Ascendancy.
OTHER SHIT THAT COMES OUT TODAY
Alda – A Distant Fire (Eisenwald) Listen
Antichrist Siege Machine – Purifying Blade (Profound Lore) Listen
Atræ Bilis – Apexapien (20 Buck Spin) Listen
Blood Red Throne – Imperial Congregation (NB) Listen
Manimal – Armageddon (AFM) Listen
Nothing – The Great Dismal B-Sides EP (Relapse) Listen
Shy, Low – Snake Behind The Sun (Pelagic) Listen
Untamed Land – Like Creatures Seeking Their Own Forms (Napalm) Listen