Sunn O))) - Life Metal (Southern Lord)

In the first of two albums set to be released by the band this year, ‘Life Metal’ is an unflinching meditation on the very nature of sound itself. Teaming up with Steve Albini and his drive for big and bold gestures Sunn O))) have created yet another immaculate dose of reductive doom. Bereft of any sense of polish, this album, like the rest of Sunn O)))’s catalogue, is a master className in cycling through the stages of a riff while bridging the gaps between the notes with waves of decay and amplifier feedback. Yet, each note is delivered with an astonishing level of grace while sparking with delicious overtones captured in perfect detail.

Varaha - A Passage For Lost Years (Prosthetic)

Consisting of 69 minutes of highly charged atmospheric metal, Varaha’s debut album ‘A Passage For Lost Years’, transcends any notion of genre with its enthralling combination of doom, post-black, post-metal and gothic to create an evocative and melancholic journey. With every passage geared towards the fullest emotive impact, this album has no problem in bringing of the feels with craftsmanship so highly tuned that ‘A Passage For Lost Years’ is an album harrowing in its beauty and compelling in its multi-layered darkness.

Decrepit Birth - Polarity Re-Release (Agonia)

Originally released on the 27th of July 2010, technical death metal giants Decrepit Birth have graced us with a re-release of this genre classNameic. Originally entering the Billboard chart at number 18 selling well over a thousand copies in its first week, Decrepit Birth are bringing ‘Polarity’s’ long complex passages and relentless auditory assault to fans both new and old while gifting the album the production that it truly deserves.