Honorable Mentions:
Testament, Dark Roots Of The Earth (Nuclear Blast): What can you say about Testament? They’re thrash metal legends who know what they’re good at. With album number ten, the band delivers classic thrash metal, but it’s far from a rehash of 80’s metal glory. The most amazing thing about this album is how fresh it sounds, proving that Testament is the farthest thing from a washed-up metal band from the days of yore. The dual guitar work of Alex Skolnick and Eric Peterson is key on this album, particularly on tracks like “Native Blood”, but the performances of other members like Chuck Billy are as stellar as ever. Also, one of the bonus tracks is Iron Maiden’s “Powerslave”, and it totally rules.
Converge, All We Love We Leave Behind (Epitaph): Converge is another band that I hadn’t really taken the time to get into before this year’s release. And then I listened to this album and realized how batshit insane they are. It’s all out aggression and there are songs that just pummel you. Jacob Bannon screams like a man possessed, reaching a high point on “Sadness Comes Home”. For every stint of rage, there comes a point where you have a few seconds to catch your breath before you’re thrown right back into the insanity. I can definitely see what I’ve been missing.
Meshuggah, Koloss (Nuclear Blast): Insane time signatures and rhythms paired with extreme heaviness is what Meshuggah is all about. With Koloss the band delivers all this and more. It’s as if every member of the band was sent out specifically to punish you with heaviness as their weapon of choice. “The Demon’s Name Is Surveillance”, with absolutely blistering guitar work from Fredrik Thordendal and Mårten Hagström, drew me in immediately and Jens Kidman’s vocals are still powerful. This album definitely demonstrates that Meshuggah are still at the top of their game.
