05) Cryptopsy, An Insatiable Violence (Season of Mist)

Time to get BRUTAL, An Insatiable Violence is a Death Metal masterpiece. This veteran extreme music machine delivers a total banger here from start to finish. With Flo Mounier’s insane double bass and blast beats to Matt McGachy’s guttural lyrics, this album is a standout in the Cryptopsy discography. The album is equally solid from start to finish, with “Until There’s Nothing Left” and “The Nimis Adoration” making you bang your head just a little harder.
Key Track(s): “Until There’s Nothing Left,” “The Nimis Adoration”

04) Whitechapel, Hymns in Dissonance (Metal Blade Records)

Deathcore is a genre with so many killer bands, but Whitechapel are undoubtedly the standouts, and with Hymns in Dissonance, they take you to a darker, eviler, and more haunting place than their last few releases. Absent are any clean vocals present on the last few albums from vocalist Phil Bozeman, who sounds absolutely possessed on every track as the album starts with the song “Prisoner 666” with Bozeman growling, I bear the number 666. Other standouts are “Hymns in Dissonance” and “Hate Cult Ritual,” but you can’t go wrong with any of the 10 songs on this record.
Key Track(s): “Prisoner 666,” “Hymns in Dissonance,” “Hate Cult Ritual”

03) SpiritWorld, Helldorado (Century Media)

Spiritworld may be the inventors of the Death-Western genre, but regardless, they are a fresh new sound that combines the sound of Power Trip and Fugitive with a bit of western-flavored Death Metal. Their third album, Helldorado, will have you headbanging and moshing in your living room with songs “Waiting on the Reaper” and “Oblivion,” while “Bird Song of Death” will have you pulling out your cowboy hat and stomping your feet.
Key Track(s): “Waiting on the Reaper,” “Oblivion,” “Bird Song of Death”

02) Testament, Para Bellum (Nuclear Blast)

Testament dominates the top of the thrash metal mountain, delivering nothing but super-strong albums since 2008’s The Formation of Damnation and 2025’s Para Bellum may be the best one yet. The galloping thrash element is in full effect on this album, and along with Chuck Billy’s diverse vocal range, all songs are similar yet very different. His ability to hit the Death Metal growls, clean vocals, and Black Metal screams makes this album a vocal showcase. Alex Skolnick and Eric Peterson remain a dynamic guitar duo. With the fretless bass playing of Steve Di Giorgio and lightning-fast drums by Chris Dovas, this album will be hard to outdo in the future. Every song is worthy of a listen, but be sure to at least crank up the first three songs, “For the Love of Pain,” “Infanticide A.I.,” and “Shadow People.”
Key Track(s): “For the Love of Pain,” “Infanticide A.I.,” “Shadow People”

Chris Loomis

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