Greetings Decibel readers!
If you’re here for some solid death metal, tech-death, and metalcore, you’ve come to the right place. If you’re merely curious about the album we used as the featured image for this week’s installment, skip to the third one on the list. Trust me, the pay-off is huge.
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Balmora – With Thorns of Glass and Petals of Grief
Word on the street is there’s a full-blown 2000s metalcore revival happening right now. Word on this weekly column is your dear narrator is totally defenseless against this. You know all the GenXer dudes who can’t get enough of HM-2 death metal because it just resonates with them on a deep, sentimental level? I’m like that with a solid set of At the Gates-riffs, breakdowns, and post-hardcore moodiness. But not overproduced! No Djenty, hollowed-out guitar tones allowed! And God damn, these guys do a great job. It’s like an updated version of Forever Scorned-era It Dies Today. Straight into my veins, pls.
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Cryptic Shift – Return to Realms
A proper reissue of the band’s 2016 album, Beyond the Celestial Realms. The resurrected classic from this UK quartet is packed with lots of goodies for fans of techy death metal that comes with a thrashy edge. A realm of riffs, indeed.
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Savage Grace – Sign of the Cross
You gotta respect a band that puts out statements like this: “This album is my masterpiece and a grand addition to my legacy of universally acclaimed classic metal recordings. Every song on this album is powerful, there is not one weak track on this record.” I mean, it sells itself, friends.
Stream: Apple Music
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Undead – Putrefactio
Straightforward, no-nonsense death metal. Mixed and mastered by the great Dan Swanö himself, this is old-school death metal done right. They’re brutal and brash, but still creative and catchy with how they go about it.
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Unearth – The Wretched, The Ruinous
Speaking of 2000s metalcore. One of the era’s greats returns for another installment. The album contains all the hallmarks of the band’s sound, and should be satisfying to long-time fans. Pay particular attention to songs like “Cremation of the Living,” “Eradicator” and “Into the Abyss.”
Stream: Apple Music