If you're too lazy to read the awesome review that's one click away from you (shame on you!), this is what Alice heard while she was falling down the rabbit hole. You'll spend your first spin wondering what the hell is going on, and then it will grab you and never let you go.

Staff pick by:
Endorsed by: Ag Fox, BloodTears, Nefarious, Susan, Introspekrieg

Catchy heavy metal with a rough, razor-sharp black metal edge. A big thumbs up for those who love a little raw aggression in their melodic metal.

Staff pick by:
Endorsed by: Promonex, X-Ray Rod

Tort is a kissing-cousin to Doc's prior staff pick, Lurk. Well, not sure if they kiss, or are even cousins... but both bands put out awesome ugly, raw, doom-ish based music, and are on the same label.

Tort is an affront to all things decent, and, thus, is a swell addition to the musical library of anyone who stumbles across this site. If you dig the cover art, odds are you'll dig the album. Highly recommended.

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

Screw all your tech death bullshit fretboard wankers who forgot what death metal is and only churn out chaotic assemblies of soulless hogwash mistakenly called music. Asphyx is the shit, ladies and gentlemen. Let Deathhammer pulverize you.

Staff pick by:
Endorsed by: X-Ray Rod, Baz Anderson, White Winter Sun, Marcel Hubregtse, wormdrink414, Ag Fox, !J.O.O.E.!, Doc G., BitterCOld, Promonex, Nefarious, BloodTears

Bouncy, catchy, spooky, sinister, campy black metal.

Staff pick by:
Endorsed by: X-Ray Rod, Fat & Sassy!, wormdrink414, Troy Killjoy, Introspekrieg, R'Vannith, Darkside Momo

One of those heard-of-em, will check out albums that simply flew under my radar last year. Touring with Animals As Leaders should have brought more exposure to this gem, but it somehow went unnoticed. Prog metal has seen it's fair share of concept albums, but a fully interactive concept album? Blurring the lines between music and gaming, LCTR has teamed up with indie game developer Tom Vine to create a playable version of the album. Rumored to be reminiscent of R-Type, Contra, and Super Metroid, this album already proves it will have a killer soundtrack. Recommend for fans of Protest The Hero, Cynic, Between The Buried And Me, SikTh, hell, I even hear some nice stuff for King Crimson fans in there. Allergy Warnings: -core, cheese, photosensitive seizures.

Staff pick by:
Endorsed by: !J.O.O.E.!, Ag Fox

This remains catchy despite how remorselessly, horse-beatingly savage it gets. Great album here.

Staff pick by:

Old, established prog bands are becoming stale and repetitive. Riverside isn't.

Staff pick by:
Endorsed by: Milena, BloodTears, X-Ray Rod, Nefarious, Introspekrieg, Dane Train, Ivor

Buried Alive sums up the glory of Sentenced (mostly of its later years) and their special combination of lightweight, melancholic music with dark humor and authentically painful lyrics. I always mistakenly call it End Of The Road instead of its real name, because for me it's a painful reminder that Miika Tenkula is not among us anymore, and that the solo he played during the last song is the last one he ever played on stage.

Staff pick by:

*Curls into fetal position and rocks back and forth*
*Checks closet*
*Turns on night light*
*Pulls blanket over head*

"It was just a bad dream..."

Staff pick by:
Endorsed by: Marcel Hubregtse, wormdrink414, !J.O.O.E.!, X-Ray Rod, Daniell, Susan, BitterCOld, White Winter Sun

"Scummy" would be an understatement.

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

Metal Storm Awards is so last year. So, for those of you who balance on the bleeding edge of new releases, here's a suggestion to keep you on track and in check. The great stuff that is Crippled Black Phoenix is back with a new album. From depressing post rockish experimental atmosphere to Floydy tunes, they have it and they own it. So, you take your time to enjoy it.

Try it out!

Staff pick by:
Endorsed by: X-Ray Rod

This album is one of the most seamless blends of genres you've heard in a while. It's melodic, no wait, it's extreme! It's prog, but it's black metal, but then it's not black metal. One thing that steals the show is the clean vocals. Trust me on this one, this dude has one of the most soaring male voices in metal today, or any day.

Get it here.

Staff pick by:
Endorsed by: Milena, Fat & Sassy!, Troy Killjoy, GT, Ag Fox, BloodTears, Promonex, psykometal

Happy Happy Joy Joy... err, wait, Misery Misery Woe Woe. Profetus, the embodiment of all things toasterbath are back with another four song affair so bleak it will make those Sarah McLachlan SPCA ads seem like a trip to Disneyland after gobbling half a bottle of your mom's happy pills by comparison. Bon appetit!

Staff pick by:
Endorsed by: Marcel Hubregtse, X-Ray Rod, Daniell, KwonVerge, Troy Killjoy, Nefarious

Goatwhore have finally seemed to find their niche. Furiously awesome...thrash?...Death n roll?...Black n roll? Who the hell knows. This is just simply awesome.

Staff pick by:
Endorsed by: X-Ray Rod, Ag Fox, Troy Killjoy, wormdrink414, BudDa, Darkside Momo