Back catalogue: Metal

Review: The second full-length from Los Angeles crust-punk/powerviolence mob ACxDC (Antichrist Demoncore) arrived in 2020, six years after their venomous self-titled debut made good on the promise of over a decade's worth of demos, EPs and splits. Satan Is King (a nod to Kanye West's 'Jesus Is King' released the year prior) is another caustic batch of pummelling d-beat punk funnelled through a rusted scuzzy decanter of hardcore fury and satanic worship, featuring feel good hits of the summer such as 'Copsucker'. In all seriousness, if you find your current hardcore lacking in the blasphemy department or just a tad too sanitised, then look no further than this crushing collection of audible violence from true cavern crawlers of the underground.

Review: For people of a certain age, their teenage years were defined by the edgy grunge, alt and punk rock sounds of bands like Alice in Chains. Three decades later their seminal sophomore effort, Dirt sounds as good as it ever did and gets an anniversary reissue to mark the occasion. It comes with plenty of powerful drums and big-ass basslines as well as yelping vocals and fuzzy textures that take in a range of emotions and even bigger riffs. This issue features a special insert and comes across four sides of vinyl so it's nice and loud, just as intended.

Review: The third full-length from Canada's greatest thrash metal act, Annihilator, was met with initial puzzlement upon its release in 1993. 'Set The World On Fire' saw the band straw away from the more metallic route of albums such as 'Alice In Hell', in favour of a more radio-friendly approach. Time working its nostalgic magic has led to cuts like, 'Knight Jumps Queen', and, 'Brain Dance', becoming live staples since, while many have grown to appreciate the expansive and accessible scope the project exuded. The final full-length to feature bassist Wayne Darley, as well as their final work with renowned metal label Roadrunner, this reissue comes at a retrospective time where artists can cherish their once misunderstood works, and offer them up to new legions of eager, less judgemental fans.

Review: Since the unveiling of their decrepit debut EP Granular Transformation at the end of 2020, Californian doom-tinged tech-death brutalists Apparition have become a hushed name and recommended extremity amongst the caverns of audible ugliness. Following on from 2021's insidious and unsettling full-length LP Feel, the band return with Disgraced Emanations From A Tranquil State; a monolithic opus set to eclipse any of the muted hope of their previous material. Dissecting forms of early psychedelic proto-doom, but with the sole intention of re-channelling those fuzzed out sonics into abyssal swathes of complex, heaving dread, this isn't your beer-chugging, whiplash-headbanging gross out death metal (while there's always a place for that). Rather, this is a cosmic realm of Lovecraftian variety, designed to enthral, impress, touch, harrow, and haunt in equal measure. Arriving courtesy of Canadian extreme metal peddlers Profound Lore, no refunds will be offered for those lost to the abyss.

Review: British rock band Atomic Rooster - made up from members of The Crazy World of Arthur Brown aka organ player Vincent Crane and sticks man Carl Palmer - had success in the 70s and 80s. They went through some mad stylistic changes in that time but remain best known for their hit singles 'Tomorrow Night' which hit number 11 in the UK charts and number four gem 'Devil's Answer', which both came in 1971. Neither of them feature on their self-titled album and debut from 1970 which itself made the Top 50 of the UK album charts, but it still packs a real punch with a prog rock feel.