[Death Doom, USA] I was a year or so late to Echoes From Deep November, which is a really solid debut, defined by the synths. I feel this ups the songwriting in the sense that it is less reliant on the keys and therefore feels a bit more varied. Some great riffs and some really nice leads again. [8.5]

[Avant/Black, Norway] Very hard to accurately sum this one up, but a highly compelling blend of black metal with a range of other sounds. A surprisingly cathartic listen, despite the slightly odd turns it takes. [8.0+]

[Thrash, Chile] This is a fun and frenetic ride for sure, and the occasionally odd instrumentation is still cool. Ultimately doesn't quite have the charm of 2021's So It Goes for me. [7.0]

[Industrial/Symphonic, USA] Got to admire these guys for the consistency of pumping out a new record every New Year's Day, but it really is just more of the same and very hard to notice anything standing out at all. 'Broken Matter Manipulation' is decent, but then again, it doesn't have any vocals, so that helps... [5.0]