Alestorm - No Grave But The Sea
Review by ScreamingSteelUS

7.7

Alestorm has developed a taste for songwriting that weighs heavily on party-style dance-metal tunes that could fly in any nightclub if they didn't smell so strongly of marine life, and No Grave But The Sea delivers the hearty "Mexico" and heavily hardcore "Alestorm" to follow up "Magnetic North" and the cover of Taio Cruz's "Hangover." It's good to see the band embrace such a fun, high-energy, and catchy style, especially because the strictly traditional folk metal sea shanties have begun to sound a little formulaic. I don't know if Alestorm could in good faith abandon its "serious" metal roots entirely and become a purely party band, but it's a shame they don't at least do so more often.

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The Ruins Of Beverast - Exuvia
Review by Apothecary

8.2

I am not going to hide my bias. Alexander Von Meilenwald is a crafter of some of the finest blackened doom metal on the planet, and I am most definitely a fanboy for The Ruins Of Beverast. Having been somewhat disappointed, however, with the project's previous Blood Vaults effort, I went into 2017's Exuvia with some pretty high hopes of the music redeeming itself. And by the grace of Nyarlathotep, those hopes have been met.

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Distillator - Summoning The Malicious
Review by ScreamingSteelUS

6.4

Thrash power trios don't come along very often, unless you count the four-piece bands that utterly disregard their bassists (which is most of them). Distillator is a rare band whose members seem to be in perfect harmony; Summoning The Malicious is one of the best-mixed albums I've heard from the modern thrash movement, and there is something truly energizing about being able to hear all the instruments working in tandem. Guitar is still king, but Frankie Suim's bass playing is often the most interesting thing on this album, and Distillator were smart to make it audible.

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Mastodon - Emperor Of Sand
Review by ScreamingSteelUS

5.9

Emperor Of Sand follows after Once More 'Round The Sun and The Hunter before it as a mixture of streamlined hard rock and periodic bursts of classic Mastodon fury, with a psychedelic alt-rock haze seeping into a few riffs. As with any Mastodon album, Emperor Of Sand houses some inspired musicianship now and then, especially from Brann Dailor, but in keeping with the band's recent trend, the album centers around less kinetic displays and aims for commercial heaviness.

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Body Count - Bloodlust
Review by ScreamingSteelUS

8.6

Body Count is in the house.

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Ulver - The Assassination Of Julius Caesar
Review by Apothecary

9.0

If Ulver were one of the X Men characters, they'd easily be Mystique. Ever changing, always in a state of flux, and able to morph their identity with incredible ease. When we last left off, Ulver dropped that "Zodiac Album" with the unpronounceable title. Highly psychedelic, jammy, and meditative, if you know the band and what they're all about by now, you know there's only one thing you can ever expect next out of them: the unexpected.

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Cellador - Off The Grid
Review by ScreamingSteelUS

7.9

The passion and pace that lift Off The Grid off the ground signal an album full of highly professional and energetic barrages of power metal marshmallow. Cellador hadn't released an album since 2006, but they have apparently been bottling up energy since their debut. Off The Grid is as crisp and pure as they come, with not a screw or crumb out of place.

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Altar Of Betelgeuze - Among The Ruins
Review by Apothecary

8.0

There's a special feeling you get inside when you're anticipating the sophomore release of a quality band. You're obviously still following them because something about their breakout effort stuck with you. Maybe it floored you to the point that you're foaming at the mouth for the next chapter. Or perhaps you thought it was "just ok" but are still curious as to whether or not the band has gotten any better in the interim. Either way, you want more.

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