Spinefarm 黑胶唱片和CD

Review: Woking based Metalcore behemoths, Employed To Serve, delivered their most precise accomplishment to date with last year's 'Conquering.'

The fourth full-length from the quintet showcases a simultaneous embracing and disregard for their bevvy of influences ranging from Zao and Converge to Machine Head.

It's in the middleground where ruthless bastardisations of frantic mathcore and groove laden nu-metal coalesce to conjure crushing bangers such as 'Twist The Blade' or lead single, 'Mark Of The Grave.'

Review: As one of the leading lights in European prog metal, Opeth have come a long way since they first appeared in the mid 90s, but as with all totemic bands, it's fascinating to travel back in time and remember where it all began. For Opeth, it started with Orchid, which was signed by Candlelight without the band even having recorded a formal demo. The strength of their potential shone through from rehearsal sessions, and the resulting record showed off their prowess in two-part guitar harmonies, Celtic rhythms and sweeping, epic arrangements punctuated with moments of powerful metal. Now Spinefarm have reissued it as a double LP pressed on red, translucent vinyl - one for collectors and newcomers to the world of Opeth alike.

Review: The third album from the Swedish prog-metal auteurs served as their first endeavour following the replacement of drummer Anders Nordin with Martin Lopez, while proving that their newfound departure into ethereal waters weaved around their reliable gothic death metal machinations was no mere one-off. Distinguishing itself from its seminal predecessor, Morningrise, by restricting all tracks to below the ten-minute mark (an accomplishment for a group notorious for their eschewing of brevity), the expansive tracklist which includes fan favourites such as 'Demon Of The Fall', would cement Opeth as leaders of a new artistic nuanced form of prog-death which they have continued to refine over the ensuing decades since.

Review: Everyone's favourite German metal absurdists, Rammstein, are set to follow up 2019's acclaimed untitled release with 'Zeit'; a bombastic affair that plays on their plethora of strengths, with results ranging from ridiculous to harrowing.

Take 'Zick Zack' with its trudging riff and frontman Till Lindemann's trademark auf deutsch swagger, resulting in a self aware banger recalling the XXX soundtrack days of 'Feuer Frei'.

With the epic, emotive dirge of the title track laying at the polar opposite end of the sonic spectrum, as well as two subsequent parts to this project including orchestral rearrangements and remixes, still to come; eight albums deep and the sextet still feel as inspired, bizarre and consistent as ever.

Review: Special anniversary edition of the second studio album by German industrial metal giants, Rammstein. Sehnsucht was originally released in 1997 and features some of the band's most popular songs, including 'Du Hast', 'Engel', and 'Tier'. Notably, the album was the first to be sung entirely in German to be certified platinum in the US. This anniversary edition hears the album remastered in HD sound, a new mix of the track 'Spiel mit mir', not to mention a 38-page book containing previously unreleased photos and full lyrics. The album comes in a tri-fold sleeve housed in a mirrored slip case.

Review: Sheffield metalcore giants While She Sleeps make their long awaited return on the follow up to 2021's Sleeps Society. Taking a more sprawling approach to composition this time around, and allowing outsider influences from the likes of Gorillaz, Aphex Twin and even Britpop to help steer their creative course, the resulting sixth full-length Self Hell, offers simultaneously the band's most aggressive, complex and frenetic work in over a decade, whilst tapping into newfound electronic soundscapes aided by the use of vintage synths such as the Korg MS-20 and Behringer TD-3. These warring textures provide a unique balance of post-metalcore serenity, with technical riffs weaving around lush hues of ambient, euphoric electronica akin to say Mount Kimbie, yet repurposed for angst-riddled displays of sonic, melancholic fury. That doesn't necessarily mean that there's a lack of chugging bangers with glistening synth lines, but they're deftly balanced with moments of triumphant catharsis.