#1 - Ancestors - In Dreams And Time
In Dreams And Time represents a return to relative modernity for this LA band after the retro prog of last year's excellent Invisible White EP. As always the band boast epic compositions with performances to match. The key to Ancestors is the balance of their various elements and using them in unity. There are no heroes here squirming for attention, all play their part. While all members are firing on all cylinders singer Justin Maranga is of particular note, his astral howl cuts through the murk and gives the album a human heart. Washes of Wurlitzer organ liven up “Corryvreckan” which could have easily wallowed in the abyss of blunt prog metal. It concludes with the extended Neurosis like jamming of “First Light” that unfolds as a 19 minute odyssey. At times it is cold and bleak while at others raw and seething – quite a ride from start to finish.
Rating: A-
Recommended tracks: Corryvreckan, The Last Return, Running In Circles
#2 - Killing Joke - MMXII
Reinvigorated by their successful return in 2010 with Absolute Dissent, Killing Joke seem to be enjoying a late-career creativity renaissance. MMXII is a more focused and streamlined affair than the previous album or possibly any before that. The music, the power, the voice; everything is just as apocalyptic as ever about Killing Joke. Behind it all there is a real heart which beats the most clearly on “In Cythera”, the most overtly-goth track on the album. “Corporate Elect” out-punks bands half their age and 'Glitch' is practically straight-up metal. MMXII is nothing new for Killing Joke but it is a wonderful distillation (and a timely reminder) of everything that makes them great.
Rating: A
Recommended tracks: In Cythera, Glitch, Trance
#3 - High On Fire - De Vermis Mysteriis
You have come to expect thick glorious sludge from High On Fire and that is precisely what you get. Every track is punishing and murky as hell. The hard-hitting Oakland trio have a reputation for coarse, violent music and it appears that it is a reputation that is not taken for granted. De Vermis Mysteriis (“The Mysteries of the Worm”) is the bands seventh album, a milestone of nearly twice as many albums as guitarist/singer Matt Pike's former outfit: Sleep. Perhaps it is due to their last album, Snakes For The Divine, being so diverse and well-recieved but De Vermis Mysteriis has a hard time gaining traction. After a prolonged slog the final track “Warhorn” closes things out in style (even if it is rather similar to “Bastard Samurai”). Easily your daily does of heavy even if its not their best work.
Rating: B-
Recommended tracks: Serums Of Liao, Warhorn
#4 - Meshuggah - Koloss
Warning: Koloss is suffocatingly heavy. Do not even turn this record on if you are of weak constitution or faint at heart; you are likely to get motion sickness or worse. Seriously. For a band with such an extreme presence and extreme reputation as Meshuggah Koloss is a surprising controlled affair, far less savage than the intimidating Obzen. That doesn't mean that this album to won't threaten to melt your face and break your back at every turn – because it will. Rather that it sets up a formidable pace and maintains it stoically through the album's duration. While this show of restraint is admirable it also makes every song blur into one another, preventing Koloss from having many stand out tracks as opposed to merely very good moments.
Rating: C+
Recommended track: Break Those Those Bones Who Sinews Gave It Motion.
#5 - Sigh - In Somniphobia
Japanese black metal weirdos Sigh have been dabbling in prog rock and carnival orchestras for the past 19 years (accordions in my black metal? What?) and In Somniphobia continues their legacy of sheer nuttiness. You will find shades of Frank Zappa, King Crimson, and Mr Bungle. Needless to say this album is way the fuck out there. Things start with the fiery "Purgatorium", a slab of metal neo-classicism, and it just get weirder and weirder from there. No matter how far into space Sigh drift they are always mindful to bring you back to their core black metal aesthetic. Is it in the journeys in between these peaks of relative normality that you are shown something amazing. An exercise in willful madness that is never less than puzzling. If this is your first exposure to Sigh (as it was for me) then brace yourself!
Rating: B
Recommended tracks: The Transfiguration Fear, L’excommunication a Minuit
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