albumConstellationsAugust Burns Red3.5★the record where metalcore got genuinely technical instead of just fast. Meddler still goes off, holds up way better than the scene around it did.Aug 9
albumAtonementImmolation4.0★thirty years deep and still bending the riffs sideways. nobody writes dissonant death metal that grooves like this.Jun 18
songSuffocationMorbid Angel5.0★the groove here is filthier than anything its imitators managed for years. Pete's drumming is barely human.Jun 18
songIn the Absence Ov LightBehemoth4.5★the slow-burn opener that announces the whole record. the snarl on the last line is the hook.Jun 18
albumDopesmokerSleep4.0★one 63-minute riff and a weed pilgrimage. either you're on the bus or you're not and i'm very much on the bus.Jun 18
songImmortal RitesMorbid Angel4.5★the moment death metal grew up. the riffs sound like they're collapsing inward and it's still terrifying.Jun 18
albumSorceressOpeth3.5★the prog-rock pivot loses people but that title track riff is filthy and the quiet bits earn their keep. not Blackwater Park, doesn't try to be.Jun 18
songFault and FractureConverge5.0★that main riff is one of the best in hardcore. the stop-start in the back half wrecks me every time.Jun 18
songVisions From the Dark SideMorbid Angel4.5★the riff turns inside out halfway through and i never see it coming. Altars is wall to wall but this is my pick.Jun 18
songThe Burning Shadows Of Silence (Remastered)Emperor4.5★the riff that comes in around the middle is pure cold majesty. Ihsahn already sounded decades ahead here.Jun 18
albumOpvs Contra NatvramBehemoth3.0★slower and more ceremonial than The Satanist and that threw me at first, but it sits with you. the theatrics are still dialed in.Jun 18
albumUnder the Red CloudAmorphis4.0★the clean/growl trade keeps finally clicking on this one. Tomi carries the melodies, the riffs stay heavy underneath. their best modern record imo.Jun 18
songInto The Infinity Of Thoughts (Remastered)Emperor5.0★the way it erupts after the intro still gives me chills. the keys and the blast beats shouldn't work together and somehow they completely do.Jun 18
songDistance and MeaningConverge5.0★the slow one that hits harder than the fast ones. Jacob's delivery cracks at the right moment and it's devastating.Jun 18
songMesse NoireBehemoth5.0★the chant in the chorus gets stuck in my head for days. theatrical without tipping into silly, which is a tightrope.Jun 18
songFuror DivinusBehemoth4.5★blast straight out of the gate, no mercy. live, this one is a wall.Jun 18
