The Banner-Each Breath Haunted
(Ferret Music, 2005)

The Banner definitely stands out on the Ferret roster. Imagine a more modern hardcore version of horror influenced punk with much less melody, and heavier riffs. The lyrics are dark, and even though the music is quite upbeat at times it isn’t completely devoid of a creepy atmosphere as well. It gives the band and album a very unique sound while still definitely having a classic hardcore feel. This is definitely one that I could easily recommend to all fans of hardcore.

Animosity-Empires
(Blackmarket Activities, 2005)

Animosity plays raging death/grind that reminds me just a little bit of The Red Chord, but without much of the hardcore influence. Blast beats pummel you while the guitars alternate between pounding bludgeoning rhythmic riffs and note based tremolo runs. The vocals are a throaty growl that definitely places this firmly within the death metal genre. Despite not having common structures, there definitely are many catchy elements here and there is even hints of thrash that come through from time to time. This is what I would call the future of American death metal. Turn it up, bang your head, and enjoy.

Lord Belial-The Seal of Belial
(Candlelight Records, 2005)

Black metal can be a rather uninventive genre at times, so when a band releases a new album that has a creative spark it definitely stands out. The opening track is slow and depressing with chugging breaks and sinister melodies, while the rest of the album ranges from similar songs to some downright hellishly fast blast ridden songs. This is also one of the most powerful and thick sounding black metal albums I have ever heard. This isn’t what you’d consider raw at all, this is well written, well produced and one of the best black metal albums to come along in years.

Paths of Possession-Promises in Blood
(Metal Blade Records, 2005)

One sure fire way to make a great death metal album is to enlist George “Corpsegrinder” Fisher to be the vocalist. This is very different from Cannibal Corpse though, and I actually think that his voice suits this band better. The band could be best described as old school death metal in nature. Think classic Florida death metal mixed with Swedish death metal. It’s melodic, yet heavy, but not exactly what you would call fast. It’s powerful though, and recalls a time when death metal wasn’t about showing off how fast your drummer was. For fans of old school death metal and death metal in general, this is a must have album.

Akercocke-Words That Go Unspoken, Deeds That Go Undone
(Earache Records, 2005)

I’ve always been a huge fan of this band, but damn have they ever gone above and beyond with this latest album. Blurring the line between death metal, black metal, thrash and progressive metal, Akercocke has a sound that is not easily described. One thing that is easy to put into words is that this is an original band, possibly one of the most original around in extreme music right now. It’s rare that a band is so progressive in nature in death metal. By progressive I don’t mean that they have 10 minute guitar solos either, I mean that they are taking the genre in new directions. Simply put, this could be called a perfect metal album.

Antigamma-Zeroland
(Selfmadegod Records, 2005)

Antigamma are definitely a grindcore band, but the use of dissonance and just plain weirdness really helps them rise above being just another grindcore band. Raging one second, slow and dissonant the next, the band takes chances and the album is littered with sections that will make you shake your head. But it is these moments that make the album so unique and interesting. I still love the old tried, tested and true style of grindcore, but to see a band putting effort into moving the genre in next directions is definitely exciting.

Linea 77-Available for Propaganda
(Earache Records, 2005)

I’m just not feeling this one for some reason. I guess you would call it punk rock, but the band has some straight up rock moments, and some of the stuff is a bit heavier I suppose. The band just has an odd sound, and I honestly could take it or leave it. I can listen to it, and enjoy certain aspects of it, but I don’t think this is an album that I would come back to often.

1349-Hellfire
(Candlelight Records, 2005)

There was a time when I was impressed by how fast bands could play, and I guess I got a bit jaded. But as soon as I pressed play on this new 1349 record I had to hold on for dear life, this my friends is one fucking fast record. The drums are literally a whirlwind, but still very tight, clear and natural sounding. The music is classic 1349, old school black metal with hints of a Celtic Frost sound every now and again. The production is noisy, but still manages to be tight. I think I prefer the sound of the bands last album, but this is still a damn fine album none the less. All fans of 1349 will definitely not be disappointed by Hellfire.

Grimfist-10 Steps to Hell
(Candlelight Records, 2005)

I was a big fan of the debut album from Grimfist, so it’s little surprise that I am enjoying the latest album from the band. Not quite black metal and not quite thrash, the band plays metal that is old school in approach and draws almost equally from both subgenres. The band even has a few slower parts that would make Tony Iommi proud. The band isn’t innovative and they aren’t even particularly original, and they aren’t trying to be. This is 100% pounding metal and I wouldn’t want it any other way.

No Innocent Victim-To Burn Again
(Facedown Records, 2005)

It seems like every band in getting back together these days, but few bands seem to reclaim that original fire. No Innocent Victim are back together and it could be argued that this album stands up against any of the albums that made them a name within the hardcore scene. Even though there are countless bands out there that now sound like NIV, it’s pretty easy to remember that these guys were one of the first bands playing metallic hardcore of this sort, and to this day they remain one of the best. 14 songs of heavy and pissed off hardcore is what this disc offers, and these are 14 of the best songs the genre has seen in a long time.

Neon Blonde-Chandeliers in the Savannah
(Dim Mak Records, 2005)

Despite starting with a song that is very Blood Brothers sounding, this side project of Blood Brothers gets very different with the rest of the album. Sort of electronic, sort of spastic rock, Neon Blonde is definitely very hard to describe. It seems random yet at the same time it all sort of makes sense. David Bowie thrown in a blender with the Blood Brothers might be an adequate description, but this is one you have to hear to understand. You may not even get it after listening to it. This is definitely not for everyone, and I’m on the fence myself, but there’s no doubting that this is an interesting and unique album.

Gorefest-La Muerte
(Nuclear Blast Records, 2005)

I was amazed by how old the band looks on the back of the promo I received, but damn they still got it. This is fast, barbaric, and very much a continuation of the early days of Gorefest. The later rock influenced material is hinted at, but I would say these songs are better then the songs the band had in this style in the past. But for the most part this is old school Swedish death metal and it smacks you in the face, and it’s a smack that you’ll be happy to receive. Often when bands have a comeback it takes a few albums to get back into the game, but this is easily one of the strongest albums that band has ever released. All Gorefest fans need to hear this album.

Ringworm-Justice Replaced by Revenge
(Victory Records, 2005)

Straight out of the gate, this is one of the best albums Victory has released in a long time and this is also the best album yet from Ringworm in my opinion. Heavy, metallic, and pissed off the band absolutely destroys for the entire duration of this album. The band really manages to be extremely heavy, yet there isn’t anything overly metal. It is still very much a hardcore record at heart. Ringworm is a band that really never gets as much credit as they deserve. Hopefully this album will take the band up a notch and show people what heavy hardcore is really all about.

The Tossers-The Valley of the Shadow of Death
(Victory Records, 2005)

This is very different from what I would expect from Victory. The Tossers are essentially a Celtic punk or possibly even just rock band. It’s fast, and catchy and only features acoustic instruments. The songs are chock full of banjo, mandolin, fiddle, and even tin whistle. While this isn’t a style that I’m very familiar with, this is definitely an album that is catchy enough to make just about anyone a fan. The lyrics are easy to relate to, and the music is some of the catchiest I have ever heard. I think it is a style that is possibly best experienced live in a bar with a beer in your hand, but grab a beer and listen to this loud, it’s the next best thing.

The Black Dahlia Murder-Miasma
(Metal Blade Records, 2005)

I was reading that Miasma was a big leap forward from Unhallowed, and pretty much one listen is all it takes to realize that statement is very true. The band has improved in pretty much every way possible. They are tighter, faster and the song writing is just better here. The style is still the same though; you can expect fast Swedish influenced metal with dual vocals, and a lot of energy. I think that this new album does use the blast beat a great deal more, and the new drummer on this album is much better. Anyway you look at it, this is just a much better album then Unhallowed was, and that is saying a lot because Unhallowed was a damn good album.

Battlelore-Third Age of the Sun
(Napalm Records, 2005)

From the fact that there are elves on the cover and a song is called Gollum’s Cry it’s not hard to figure out that this band is heavily influenced by the Lord of the Rings. The band plays melodic and mid tempo metal with a fairly surprising gruff vocal approach with is nicely counter pointed with a female vocalist. The formula may not be all that new, but it works well for Battlelore. The band also plays with a lot of energy, which I also think help them stand out as well. Fans of Lord of the Rings will undoubtedly be into the subject matter, while all fans of majestic and melodic metal will enjoy the band’s sound tremendously.