Party thrashers Municipal Waste take you back to the good ol’ days of crossover metal with “The Fatal Feast” featuring Nuclear Assault’s John Connelly.
Whitechapel vocalist Phil Bozeman’s guttural growl has been described as “bowel-rotted throat flatulence,” and we won’t even try to top that descriptive gem.
Unleashed do things their way, and while their Viking assault has stayed pretty much true to its roots, you might hear some tweaks to the formula here.
Machine Head experienced a renaissance with the 2007 thrashterpiece The Blackening, and after a long wait, Unto The Locust picks up right where they left off.
“Trip The Darkness” is streamlined and effective: even if modern-day Lacuna Coil is miles away from the more thoughtful, expansive sounds of Unleashed Memories.
Krisiun’s no-nonsense death metal has earned the Brazilian band tour spots alongside Immolation, Nile, and Unleashed, and they’re still going for the jugular.
Ex-Nevermore guitarist Jeff Loomis shreds alongside like-minded souls Marty Friedman, Chris Poland, and, on “Surrender,” former Emperor frontman Ihsahn.
Iced Earth picked up Into Eternity screamer Stu Block for this album after the (second) departure of Matt Barlow. Like Ripper Owens, Block is a great fit.
Buffalo metalcore mainstays Every Time I Die have a way with song titles, and “Underwater Bimbos from Outer Space” also delivers on the chaotic sounds.