If you know the band, you know what to expect. And you won't be disappointed. Chances are, you'll be amazed.

Staff pick by:
Endorsed by: BloodTears, Dream Taster

Cold and distant, depressive and haunting, desolate and gloomy. Very well done. If you remember the first Manes album, you'll more or less know what to expect, but with much better production and musicianship. A mandatory listen for fans of black metal that bets on atmosphere as opposed to speed.

Staff pick by:
Endorsed by: Auntie Sahar

Starting with Demigod, Behemoth's albums became more and more soulless. Faster, more brutal, better produced, but devoid of feelings. But no more. This one is spontaneous, wild, unhinged and unpredictable. It has more music than brutality, more feeling than calculation. A fantastic treat.

Staff pick by:

If you read my review of their previous album, you know I love them. If you didn't and you don't know the band, stop being uncool and go listen to it. Classic heavy/doom metal doesn't get better than this.

Staff pick by:
Endorsed by: Marcel Hubregtse, !J.O.O.E.!, R'Vannith, BloodTears, wormdrink414

Sorry Dream Theater, Fates Warning make us wait for their albums much longer, but release much better music.

Staff pick by:
Endorsed by: BloodTears, Dane Train, Introspekrieg, Yaniv

Most probably the best comeback album since 2004. Whichever Carcass album you used to like, you will find somehting for you here.

Staff pick by:
Endorsed by: BloodTears, ScreamingSteelUS

It's not groundbreaking, it's not genre-defining, it's not brutal, surprising, innovative. It's, simply put, cool. And that's all it needs to be to please me.

Staff pick by:
Endorsed by: psykometal, Introspekrieg

They didn't waste those 6 years that passed since "Simple Mind Condition". The new album was worth the wait, even though it's not as great as some of their old releases.

Staff pick by:
Endorsed by: !J.O.O.E.!, Marcel Hubregtse, X-Ray Rod

Their best since Severed Survival. Need I say more?

Staff pick by:
Endorsed by: X-Ray Rod, wormdrink414, Marcel Hubregtse, Doc G.

These guys will make you wait for their new output for a long time. But when it arrives, you know it is worth the wait. It really is.

Staff pick by:
Endorsed by: Nefarious, Abattoir, Marcel Hubregtse, R'Vannith, X-Ray Rod

The dense, suffocating atmosphere of H.P. Lovecraft's stories has finally found a good sonic equivalent - death metal with quite a bit of black thrown in the mix. Add expert execution and appropriately oppressive production and you get a winner.

Staff pick by:
Endorsed by: !J.O.O.E.!, X-Ray Rod, psykometal, Nefarious, R'Vannith, Darkside Momo, Ag Fox

An inspired live performance by one of the most important and influential rock bands of all time. A mandatory listen for anyone who claims to know anything about metal, or where metal comes from.

You don't neet to love it, but you need to know it.

Staff pick by:
Endorsed by: Fat & Sassy!, wormdrink414, BloodTears

Perhaps a tad weaker than their older releases, but still a joyride full of creepy melodies that creep out from between heavy-as-lead riffs.

Staff pick by:
Endorsed by: Marcel Hubregtse, X-Ray Rod, wormdrink414, BloodTears, Susan, BudDa

Take Blut Aus Nord's Procession of the Dead Clowns, slow it down to glacial pace, completely dehumanize guitars, subdue the vocals to the point of non-existence, and add tons of sick reverb. Spice up with dementia and insanity. That's Atonal Hypermnesia for you.

Staff pick by:
Endorsed by: X-Ray Rod, !J.O.O.E.!, Ag Fox, Introspekrieg, KwonVerge

Why am I hearing the best album of 2011 in 2012, for blue fuck's sake? Instead of trying to define the band myself, let me quote their own words: "a mixture of the heaviness of death metal, the intensity of black metal, the ambiance of doom metal and the complex structures of progressive metal". Fuck my descriptions, listen to the music. Make sure to listen to the whole album, it's very diverse and genuinely breathtaking.

[URL=http://handsofdespair.bandcamp.com/]The whole album here[/URL]

Staff pick by:
Endorsed by: Troy Killjoy