I'll keep it simple... From The Gallery Of Sleep is the most exciting instrumental album you'll hear all year. It's proggy, layered and fun. We're not worthy of Aric Improta's drumming. He is so good!

Staff pick by:
Endorsed by: ScreamingSteelUS

Hankering for a hunk of stoner rawk? Cravings a dose of riffs? Call Mr Plow, that's their name. That name again is Mr Plow.

Staff pick by:
Endorsed by: Auntie Sahar

Mousy vocals, reedy tones, modest production... but bombastic riffs, lofty concepts, fantastical mystique, and complete mastery over the art of flaming metal systems. Touching on power, prog, speed, and traditional heavy metal, Manilla Road produced a string of the finest albums ever released in any of those genres, and Crystal Logic crowned them all with its ensorcelling grooves. In losing Manilla Road, the heavy metal genre has lost one of its most literate and classically epic artists.

RIP Mark the Shark.

Staff pick by:
Endorsed by: BloodTears, Daniell, Dream Taster, X-Ray Rod, nikarg, Redel

I'm about a month late for the exact anniversary, but Nightfall In Middle-Earth is 20 years old now, and for the last 10, it has been my favorite album of all time. Andre Olbrich's guitar solos, Hansi Kürsch's vocals, the songwriting, the production, the choirs, the drama, the emotion, the cover art, even the cavalcade of excessive interludes - just about every characteristic of this album is, for me, the gold standard by which that characteristic is measured in all other works of music. I can still clearly remember hearing "Nightfall" for the first time and thinking within the first ten seconds, "This is the perfect band for me." Ten years later, I feel the same sentiments I did that first time. Happy birthday, Nightfall. Happy anniversary, Bards of Metal.

Staff pick by:
Endorsed by: BloodTears, BitterCOld, Dream Taster, Daniell, Darkside Momo

There's not much new here out of Chip, Lee, and company, but when their atypical, genre-bending formula has been working so well lately, what's really worth fixing? Here industrial, sludge, noise, and black metal influences combine yet again into a frightening yet oddly beautiful maelstrom. Certainly not for everyone, but definitely for those who love nightmarish music that has no qualms in smashing down artistic boundaries.

Listen.

Staff pick by:
Endorsed by: X-Ray Rod

After 26 years and ten albums whose titles all start with the letter "i," Dew-Scented have decided to make the world a nicer, calmer, gentler, and overall suckier place by taking themselves out of it. This was one of the bands that first acclimatized me to harsh vocals and more extreme forms of metal, and what a band to start with; to this day, Inwards is one of my go-to albums whenever I need something that is loud, fast, brutal, angry, unsubtle, and wicked sick in equal measure. I hate to see them go, but we've still got in "Bitter Conflict" one of the finest metal songs ever written.

Staff pick by:

Is you a hot head bent on giving bad people good ideas? Or just some trash trying to ring a bell with some Houdini magic tricks? Eh, it don't really matter I suppose. But if you're looking to avoid the warping spikes in the bottomless pit and the BB poison in the bubbles buried in this jungle, please dial 80808 to find the three bedrooms in a good neighborhood.

Staff pick by:
Endorsed by: X-Ray Rod

Eryn Non Dae. continue their chaotic sonic journey, exploring some more ambient territories this time.
While the first contact will probably be disappointing after the beast that is Meliora, don't be fooled: this is another exceptional release. Mellower, but probably more difficult to tame (hint: use headphones )...

Staff pick by:

If you want post metal done right, Long Distance Calling should be your first pick this year. Boundless is an album full of absolutely breathtaking music true to its name. With an excellent production to match it soars freely in the sky and you'll enjoy every moment of freedom of imagination it brings.

Staff pick by:
Endorsed by: BloodTears

Today marks the death of the last original Motorhead member.

Just reminding you to raise a beer and blast these immortal riffs in honor of Fast Eddie and the boys.

Staff pick by:
Endorsed by: Daniell, X-Ray Rod, ScreamingSteelUS, BloodTears, Darkside Momo, BitterCOld

Rest In Peace, Warrel Dane. Thanks for everything!

Staff pick by:
Endorsed by: BloodTears, Daniell, X-Ray Rod, Dream Taster, Deadsoulman, ScreamingSteelUS, Redel

So yesterday yours truly celebrated two big events: My not-so-young ass turned 25 and one of the modern classics in black metal turned a full decade!
With its' massive riffs, tasteful drumming, and let's not even start with the unique and thundering vocals of Mr. Nemtheanga... To The Nameless Dead is an album you cannot miss.

Staff pick by:
Endorsed by: Daniell, Darkside Momo, ScreamingSteelUS, Starvynth, nikarg, Redel

Seems I was about to miss one of this year's greatest albums, but thanks to their tour with Igorrr that won't be the case.
So guess what? That's Pryapisme at their best: Cat-worshipping electro / zheul / jazz / avant-garde / metal, still as wacky as usual, but a bit more, er, progressive as far as song structures are concerned. Purrr-fect!

Staff pick by:
Endorsed by: ScreamingSteelUS, BloodTears

"So man, what's new for music today?"
"Eh, not much. Pylar, that Spanish band, they just dropped a new album that takes the drone genre to incredible heights once again, incorporating chanting, string instruments, horns, native percussion, and intricate, jazz-like drumming into a massive, doomy core. All with artwork and lyrics that allude to ancient shamanism and druidism as well."
"Meh, drone is so boring. When's that new Morbid Angel coming out?"

Immerse thyself.

Staff pick by:
Endorsed by: BloodTears

Black Earth is a great opening salvo for what promises to be an awesome last 100 days of 2017 for \m/. An unrelentingly heavy assault that is a fine tuning of their approach which sounds like an organic Streetcleaner. Process Of Godflesh anyone?

Staff pick by:
Endorsed by: Daniell, Paz, BloodTears, Troy Killjoy, X-Ray Rod