05) Gluecifer, Same Drug New High (SPV / Steamhammer)
The Norwegian hard rock unit returns with their fresh release twenty-two years in the making, full of fast and loud anthems in abundance, and Gluecifer crammed 11 of them onto Same Drug New High. With each track bringing their love for our kind of music to life, Same Drug New High is a powerful mix of songs that showcase that their diverse skills haven’t dulled a bit.
RIYL: Hanoi Rocks, Kvelertak, Motorhead, Scorpions, Turbonegro, The Hellacopters
Standout Cuts: 5. The Score, 11. On the Wire
04) Ov Sulfur, Endless (Century Media Records)
The Las Vegas five-piece, Ov Sulfer, return with their sophomore album – Endless – an invitation to immerse yourself in their offering of atmospheric moments and seething extemity while exploring themes of the human condition like existential unrest and isolation. Guest appearances from Josh Davies (Ingested), Johnny Ciardullo (Carcosa), and Alan Grnja (Distant) add a guest vocal assist when the songs call for it while not diverting from the album’s thick, unrelenting ambiance.
RIYL: Carnifex, Despised Icon, Job for a Cowboy, Lorna Shore, Rings of Saturn, Signs of the Swarm
Standout Cuts: 3. Forlorn, 4. Vast Eternal
03) Kosuke Hashida, Moment of Silence (Horror Pain Gore Death Productions)
Grinding, thrashy, full-on ruthless – Kosuke Hashida is all of these things and much more. Here this one man death metal project produces a barrage of barbaric might and delivers unabashed urgency without a second for you to take a breather.
RIYL: Abysmal Dawn, Cattle Decapitation, Napalm Death, Pig Destroyer, Spawn of Possession, Vader
Standout Cuts: 7. Scorched Earth, 12. Retaliation
02) Gavial, Thanks, I Hate It (Exile on Mainstream)
The colossal heft of the riffs and long, trippy jams combine to create an intense trip through doomy hard rock, by way of a reflective veil of classic blues.
RIYL: Black Sabbath, Kyuss, Lucifer, Owl, Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs, The Sword
Standout Cuts: 2. Koru Mindset, 5. Leviathan
01) Megadeth, Megadeth (BLKIIBLK Records)
Not counting the Metallica cover (it isn’t – THAT – bad), this namesake finale is 10 track opus that fuses everything Dave Mustaine has stood for in thrash metal since 1985 into one more aural assault. Megadeth’s last release to rattle your god-damn heads is an unpretentious tribute to Mustaine’s career, with enough modern-day sneer to satisfy both old-school fans and new-comers alike.
RIYL: Exodus, Havok, Lich King, Nuclear Assault, Overkill, Vektor
Standout Cuts: 5. Puppet Parade, 10. The Last Note
