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Megadeth – Megadeth

Metalcatto

There’s a level of tragedy to this review. Despite how much we all love to pick on Megadeth, and especially on Dave Mustaine for all his public antics and tumultuous history, he’s our weird, cantankerous uncle in the metal family. Seeing the band seemingly ready to leave the gloves on the ring is a genuinely sad moment. I’m a realist; there is absolutely no way Megadeth is ever going to top the holy trinity of Rust in Peace, Countdown to Extinction, or even Peace Sells… But Who’s Buying? But here we are, collectively not quite ready to let the old guys ride peacefully into the sunset with their millions. So, let’s not pull any punches in discussing one of the most iconic acts in our little, utterly insignificant metal world.

Blackwater Drowning – Obscure Sorrows

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It’s time to review a band I have no prior knowledge about—a statement that, for a reviewer, borders on the embarrassing. Lucky for you, I have very little shame left. Blackwater Drowning (a wonderfully evocative name) arrives with their album Obscure Sorrows, and to be fair, the proposal is at least intriguingly enigmatic. So, let’s see if this album can rescue me from the near-permanent state of critical numbness that sets in after doing this for more years than I’d care to admit. Enough professional bitterness, however; let’s try to approach this with an open mind and see if we can find some genuine cheer in the music.

Beyond The Pale – Monument In Time

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There are musical projects with wildly ambitious dreams—like making a sustainable living from metal—and then there are the more humble endeavors that simply exist as an excuse for friends to create music together. That latter category seems to be where Beyond the Pale firmly resides. A band that began its battle during the isolating days of the pandemic, it’s are now ready to release its debut full-length, Monument in Time, which promises a savage and unrefined fusion of Death and Thrash Metal. I’m continually surprised by how infrequently these two genres are blended effectively, as the combination makes so much inherent sense. Anyway, let’s jump into the fray.

Greyhawk – Warriors of Greyhawk

Metalcatto

Explosions! Unicorns! Dragons! Now that I have your power metal attention, I should talk to you about Greyhawk‘s new album, Warriors of the Greyhawk. I assume they’re talking about themselves with this title. I’ll do my absolute best to give these guys a fair chance, despite my eternal disdain for anything that is remotely corny or happy. A reviewer needs to keep evolving; otherwise, we just become bitter old people like most. So, let’s start this riff extravaganza.

Paganizer – As Mankind Rots

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Paganizer is like a shark. In the sense that after millions of years, it has changed very little. And why would you when you play Old School Swedish Death Metal? However, even I’ve started to wonder if the band can break the mold for once. Given that its last release wasn’t that long ago, my hopes aren’t exactly high for As Mankind Rots to deliver change, but let’s see!

True kvlt: Temper, Baneful Tongue, Desu Taem, Bloodmoon Rite, & Arcaine

Metalcatto

You know what’s up, click below and see what underground darling we found this week! Maybe you’ll be surprised!

Alkaloid – Bach Out of Bounds

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The shreddiest band in town is back. Alkaloid has never subscribed to the philosophy that less is more. If a song can unleash a barrage of every conceivable riff, why hold back? Yet its latest project, Bach Out of Bounds, showcases the band attempting something notably different—a more academic and classical approach. This is arguably the closest the band has ever come to crafting an acoustic album. I understand how that description might sound dreadful to some, but don’t stop reading, because things are about to get interesting.

Handful of Hate – Soulless Abominations

Ixone

I think I’ve reached a point in my… listening of extreme metal if you will, where the wisest thing I can do is go against what my gut tells me about an album. What that actually translates as is: The more I put off listening to an album because I’m not sure that it will be good, the better that album is going to be when I actually manage to get over myself and actually listen to it. I guess that’s one way to avoid complacency in the realms of music… but I digress.

The Ruins Of Beverast – Tempelschlaf

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I’m kind of mad that this promo somehow ended up in my junk folder and only now did I get around to listening to The Ruins of Beverast – Tempelschlaf. Needless to say, I can’t recall a time when this band released anything that wasn’t at least a solid 4/5. Few acts have mastered the feeling of shamanic Black Metal the way The Ruins of Beverast has. The trance-like state the music induces is so distinctive that its only real competition has always been itself. As a result, my standards were high going into this record. I was expecting nothing less than a hallucinatory descent into something deeply unsettling, so let’s get into it.

Unverkalt – Héréditaire

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Unverkalt knows exactly how to grab my attention. A Post-Metal release on Season of Mist, with a German/Greek background and a French title like Héréditaire? That’s basically a checklist designed to lure me in. It sounds refined, a bit pretentious, and unapologetically artsy—and yes, I’m fully on board with that. So forgive me in advance if my expectations run slightly ahead of what an underground act can realistically deliver, but that’s what happens when the promo does its job well. Either way, let’s see how long it takes before we spiral into existential despair again.