This is the second album from Russian groove metal band Shokran.
Shokran play modern groove metal with a hearty djent influence, as well as having neo-classical, progressive, technical and Egyptian-themed aspects to their sound. They have a lot going on across these 35 minutes, and it’s all Continue reading “Shokran – Exodus (Review)”
Meshuggah are a legendary Swedish progressive/extreme metal band and this is their eighth album.
The fathers of djent return, with 59 minutes of progressive metal that definitely blows the proverbial cobwebs away.
This is very heavy indeed. If you know Meshuggah at all then you know Continue reading “Meshuggah – The Violent Sleep of Reason (Review)”
Coma Cluster Void are a death metal band, (of sorts), and this is their debut album. They have an international lineup, with members from Canada, Germany and the US.
This album features not one, but two ex-Cryptopsy singers. You heard that right. To be fair, one of them, (Lord Worm), is only a guest vocalist on a couple of tracks, but still. The other, (Mike DiSalvo), is only one half of the vocal attack, the other half being provided by Continue reading “Coma Cluster Void – Mind Cemeteries (Review)”
This is the third album from Subliminal Fear, an Italian metal band.
This is modern metal that takes its primary influences from a combination of the cybermetal styles, (Fear Factory, Mnemic), and melodic groove metal, (Soilwork, In Flames, etc.), alongside a pinch of djent and industrial.
With this in mind, the band operate in the more commercial realm of the style, rather than on the heavier end as some bands do when incorporating these influences, (for the most part at least; that’s not to say the band can’t be heavy or more extreme when they want to). The songs work well in this context though, with the band’s clean vocal harmonies being Continue reading “Subliminal Fear – Escape from Leviathan (Review)”
Jinjer are a metal band from the Ukraine, and this is their second album.
King of Everything mixes metalcore, hardcore, thrash metal, groove metal, melodic death metal and djent…Okay, that’s a lot of sub-genres. Let’s just say they cover a lot of bases.
That’s putting it too simply, though; in reality, Jinjer have managed to produce a complex and diverse album that has a whole lot more going on than you might expect for a band that’s labelled Continue reading “Jinjer – King of Everything (Review)”
Despite are from Sweden and play modern metal. This is their third album.
This makes a good impression very early on. Despite play a kind of modern metal that takes from the Swedish melodic death metal scene of yore, as well as more modern and even some progressive/djent elements. Synergi is my first exposure to the band, and to my ears comes across as a mix of Darkane, In Flames, Fear Factory and Whitechapel.
With three guitarists, the music is nicely heavy and treads the line Continue reading “Despite – Synergi (Review)”
Whitechapel are from the US and play deathcore/metal. This is their sixth album.
2014’s Our Endless War saw Whitechapel effectively combining their death metal/deathcore roots with their more further-developed modern metal approach from their previous release into an album that made the most out of both of these influences.
Mark of the Blade continues where Our Endless War left off, providing a large chunk of heavy, aggressive music with modern, groove and djent parts welded onto their thoroughly metal core. However, the band have also progressed and expanded Continue reading “Whitechapel – Mark of the Blade (Review)”
This is the début album from 3rd Machine, a modern/groove metal band from the Netherlands.
This is rhythmic groove metal with keyboard enhancements that takes influence from the cyber metal scene.
Despite the modern production though, it has somewhat of a 90s metal feel to it to me. This is not meant in any detrimental way. 3rd Machine seem Continue reading “3rd Machine – Quantified Self (Review)”
I Am Noah are a metalcore band from Germany. This is their début release.
Metalcore is somewhat of a much-maligned genre, rightfully so in many ways. Regardless of what its detractors say though, there have been, (and are), some great bands playing the style that have left an impression on me at one time or another.
I Am Noah walk the same path as those who actually know what they’re doing with this kind of music. The familiar elements are all here, (backed up by a slight djent feel in places), but the band bend, burn and crush them into their own image. Continue reading “I Am Noah – The Verdict (Review)”
Death Lullaby are a Canadian Metal band and this is their début album.
This is modern Metal/djent that takes no prisoners with its heavy assault.
Stylistically the band are somewhat of a crossbreed between djent and NWOAHM. This is to their benefit; djent by itself is a very easy sub-genre to do badly, but here the limitations of the style are made up for by the more Metal influences of the modern/NWOAHM elements. The end result is songs that still might be a bit too much for some naysayers of djent, but for me strikes the right balance.
Wonderbox Metal 