From prog odysseys to doom revivals and everything in between, this is the best April metal has to offer.
Ayreon – The Source
by Alex Melzer
Packing a double disc full of progressive music; a very ambitious space concept, with twelve different characters and singers; and several other guest musicians can be a recipe for overwrought disaster. In the case of Arjen Lucassen and his Ayreon project it is just another day at the studio. Already with a more-than-impressive back catalogue of the same modus operandi, The Source is a roller coaster ride through progressive and power metal.
One of Lucassen’s greatest talents is to fully utilize the strengths of each singer within every song, and he takes more cues from Star One here than in the past—making it the most guitar-oriented Ayreon album in years. And it fully pays off! Opener “The Day the World Breaks Down” is one of the best songs Lucassen has ever penned, and he never ceases to amaze with the level of musicianship, grandeur, cohesion and just plain awesomeness in crafting his complex-yet-often-immediately-accessible songs. A very hot contender for the album of the year title!
Night Demon – Darkness Remains
by Nathan Hare
Night Demon’s second album continues right where their debut Curse of the Damned (2015) left off. The band’s fun, campy take on NWOBHM and B-movie horror continues on here, with more of the anthemic choruses and galloping ’80s trad riffs that made their debut so enjoyable, plus some really flashy leads that take their sound to a higher level. Darkness Remains is a really solid, loving homage to classic metal.
Vampire – With Primeval Force
by Matej Makovický
Swedish quintet Vampire’s second full-length provides more than just an entertaining salute to the past. Elements of Venom, NWOBHM, thrash and classic Swedish death metal hardly bring anything groundbreaking. However, the band’s dead-on sense of songwriting and the tremendous interplay between jagged riffs and melodic leads make With Primeval Force an addictive disc.
Everything just works on this album, even the slightly polished production and the raspy vocals. The shifting tempos, riffs and a genuine classic-horror atmosphere are interwoven with a great sense of variety and tension. Vampire prove that with songs like “Knights Of The Burning Crypt” or “Midnight Trial”, they can hack’n’slash their way to the blackened heart of any old-schooler.
While She Sleeps – You Are We
by Joshua Bulleid
I thought Harlott had this one in the bag. Yet, while it took a little bit for While She Sleeps’ third to click with me, once it did there was no turning back. Although Extinction is arguably as good a thrash metal record as You Are We is a metalcore one, it’s nowhere near as integral to it’s respective scene, nor is it anywhere near as ambitious. Setting aside the unfortunateness of its title and its incessantly “woke” lyrical content, this is an album that—once unpacked—simply cannot be denied.
There are entire albums’ worth of moments in each and every one of these songs, and both the band’s musicianship and songwriting have grown beyond measure—perfectly blending the metallic aggression of While She Sleeps’ previous effort with the ambitious scope of their debut. You Are We is likely the best pure metalcore record in nearly a decade (since Misery Signals’ Controller (2008)), and is sure to become the landmark against which records of its ilk are measured for those to come.
Hellripper – Coagulating Darkness
by Shawn Miller
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One-man Scottish wrecking ball Hellripper unleashed their debut album, Coagulating Darkness, on CD and cassette this month. The album is an eight track hellride of speed metal licks and leads, filthy first wave black metal and unrepentant thrashing.
Think Venom, Sabbat and Speedwolf and you have an idea of how this album sounds. Just add James McBain’s vicious snarl and you have a winning formula that pretty much can’t be beat. As far as black/speed metal goes, it just doesn’t get better than this.
Sigil – Kingdom Of The Grave
by Larry Best
Encased in a raw, gritty sound that instantly takes our minds back to the Slowly We Rots and Altars Of Madnesses of yore—texan death metal outfit Sigil are here to pummel us. Kingdom Of The Grave is their first full-length release, and it succeeds on so many levels: primarily by taking the old school sound of classic death metal acts like Massacre and Morbid Angel and making it relevant in the 21st century.
This upcoming quartet have actually released the death metal album of the year so far—easily beating out those from Obituary and Immolation. Kingdom Of The Grave isn’t breaking boundaries, but it perfectly sums up everything there is to love about old-school death metal.
Royal Thunder – WICK
by Eric Ward
People say rock is dead. Those people haven’t listened to Royal Thunder. WICK opens with a bang in the form of “Burning Tree,” which rocks reasonably hard. However, its true strength lies in the hypnotic, trance-inducing guitar melodies and percussion. The sensational drumming is what really propels these songs into the heart of fans, with each percussive drum beat coming down like a ton of bricks.
From there, the album starts to rock even harder while maintaining the hypnotic vibe and showing off the band’s immense creativity. Combine that with Evan Diprima’s terrific sense of percussion and what you get is something truly original—a rare feat these days, but Royal Thunder have managed it with WICK.
The Obsessed – Sacred
by Jamie Cansdale
Twenty three years ago was the last time we heard a full-length from Wino’s lovechild and, like a phoenix rising from the ashes, The Obsessed’s return is nothing short of doom-trodden glory. Projecting everything you could possibly want from an album from this well-missed group, Sacred is a self-opening piñata of hard and heavy riffs blistering with dynamic energy; lyrics seemingly the result of a long and tiring life well lived guide the listener deep into the inner workings of a living legend.
Nothing here is forced: it feels natural, organic, and fundamentally true—an element so many bands this day and age seem to forget about—and this is what makes the album so great. Out of a roaring sea of doom metal bands trying to change the tides, it is only the masters of the oceanic turbulence who are worthy of doing so and none are more worthy in our beloved genre than Wino. He has lived it and continues to live it. You would be crazy to miss this heavy beast of a record!
