So what do we have for you this month then? February had a range of decent metal release to devour, so today I present to you a small selection of them to savour.
Plague’s brand of old-school death metal stood out from the crowd, and Portraits of Mind is a highly enjoyable slab of meaty death metal. Intelligently crafted and viscerally heavy, this is the sort of high quality death metal that takes a modern view of old-school death metal, producing a sterling album that makes a firm impression.
Also notable this February is Loathe’s second album I Let It in and It Took Everything. Blending scathing aggression with heartfelt ethereal emotion, this is a record of both fierceness and depth. Loathe have always had more promise than many of their contemporaries, and on their new album this promise is ably realised.
Mourir’s black metal is a thing of savage beauty. Animal Bouffe Animal manages to strike a balance between harsh ugliness and emotive melody that’s compelling and addictive. The ability of the songs to both brutalise and captivate is remarkable, with the atmospheric and melodic aspects of the music working in tandem with the band’s raw nastiness.
Mordrake by Xenobiotic is striking both in its high-impact delivery and the longevity and depth of its songwriting. Showing remarkable progression and development from their debut album, Mordrake is the sound of a band truly coming into their own and destroying the opposition.
We’ll end this list with the atypical metallic journey that is No Good to Anyone by Today Is the Day. It’s clear that a lot of emotion and pain has been poured into this record, and the end result is an affecting and rewarding listen. Adopting more of a sludgy, rocky approach alongside bouts of scathing hyper-aggression, this latest Today Is the Day album is very accomplished.
Wonderbox Metal 