Level 10
Chapter One
Frontier
Russell Allen singing in yet another project!  (the man has a family to feed!)  This is more of a straightforward euro power metal thing with some guys from Primal Fear.  So basically something inbetween Adrenaline Mob (Straighthead hard rock) and Symphony X (full on prog metal).  Russell Allen is one of my favorite metal/rock vocalists, so I’m digging this.

Venom
From The Very Depths
Spinefarm
From a band that was at the forefront of true metal waaaay back when, they are still going strong and delivering the goods.  Heavy metal with some groove going on and a pinch of death metal.

The Wild Beyond
The Wild Beyond
Ultra Mega Sound
Melodic commercial hard rock type stuff. Reminds me a little bit of The Cult just a little bit (maybe a bit more heavy).

Napalm Death
Apex Predator
Century Media Records
Grindy death goodness as Napalm Death has pioneered

Diablo Blvd   (Single)
Follow The Dead Lights
Nuclear Blast USA
Some standard mainstream-type rock.  Laid back catchy active rock type stuff.

Xthirt13n
Taste Of The Light
Metal Shop Records
It’s your Judas Priest style of classic metal. Hints of Queensryche and other proggy power metal going on.  Quality stuff and really a sub-genre you don’t hear a lot of “new” stuff from these days.  Not too full on prog, not too power metal, and not all growly deathy.  Just right in the wheelhouse of good classic metal.

Year of The Locust
Home
Phantom Records
Kind of a grungy modern hard rock thing

If These Trees Could Talk
Above the Earth, Below the Sky
Metal Blade Records
Chilled out reissue from 2009, kind of like the Opeth Damnation album, relaxed jammy post-metal type stuff.

If These Trees Could Talk
Red Forest
Metal Blade Records
Chilled out reissue from 2012, kind of like the Opeth Damnation album.

Cry Excess
Ambition Is The S***
Luxor Records
Fairly straightforward standard new metalcore.  Hard rockin’ stuff, clean sung chorus (but not all emo whiney)

Solanum / Epi-Demic
Passages To Lunacy Split CD
Horror Pain Gore Death Productions
Solanum is some basic groovin’ death metal with some catchy riffs.  Epi-Demic is some rawly produced old school heavy thrash, maybe a basic heavy old Exodus.

By The Patient
Gehenna
Lifeforce
Grindy melodic death metal

Ingested
The Architect Of Extinction
Century Media
Brutal death metal, with a bit of that brutal “core” feel.  Drums and the backend feel like a freight train rolling through.  Vocals are pissed off and aggressive.

Beardfish
+4626-Comfortzone
InsideOut Music
Cool old school yet modern prog rock.  Not really mosh pit material, but still cool stuff!

Nightingale
Retribution
InsideOut Music
Another album from Dan Swano’s band.  Prog rock/prog metal type stuff. Doesn’t ever get really heavy, just a cool melodic metal thing with some catchy grooves.  (would have made some great mid-90’s aor type stuff!)

Angelus Apatrida
Hidden Evolution
Century Media
Heavy catchy standard thrash metal from Spain.  Great riffs, just enough abrasiveness in the vocals to make it pissed off, but mixed in with the shouts make it a great homage to the bay area.

SORDIDE (from France)
La France a peur
Label: AVANTGARDE MUSIC (Against PR)
A down tempo black metal type thing with some “meh” production.  Yeah you can have some blast beats and cold guitars and melodic stuff too, but when it sounds like it’s coming through an old phone it just takes a lot away for me.

EXTINCTIONIST (from Germany)
PORTALS OF EXTRATERRESTRIAL INVASIONS
Rising Nemesis Records (Against PR)
Technical Brutal Death Metal with gurgly vocals, not much else I can say… it’s good stuff.

Eastfrisian Terror
EastfrisiaApokalypse
Rotten Roll Rex
Standard thrashy catchy death metal.

Tourniquet (from USA)
Onward to Freedom
Pathogenic Records (Tourniquet’s own label) (Against PR)
Christian thrash infused power metal band is back… some cool stuff here.