Humankind - Monsoon Season:

 

If you've heard "Big Dawgs" you will understand "Monsoon Season". From the instrumentation to the lyricism, if you're a modern rap fan, this record is probably for you. 

A little screw music dripping on "Big Dawgs" leads into a pretty good experience for the rest of the trip. From the amazing amount of features on this mixtape, to the amazing sound crafted in general, this record flows with tenicity and anecdotal rhyme. Beyond all of the bells and whistles this album has, it also demonstrates a valid point: Humankind is likely here to stay if he wants to. Easily a ten star improvement over their first ep "Surface Level" which was also pretty good. Having Maxo Kream, and Denzel Curry never hurts anyone's probability in my opinion. The remix of his lead single is pretty outrageous and sick as well. Hit it up or be behind the vehicle that is Humankind. If you enjoy a soundtrack to hyperf focus related activity this album is for you. 

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Sacrifice

 With the recent discussion of Big Four the canadian version, I figured we need to discuss this band. Their career is long and storied but this album is as thrash as thrash gets and equally as hard as anything from the US of A. From the opening number of Comatose to my favorite track Black Hashish,  the album as a whole works. Rob Urbinati shows up as always for this record, delivering his harsh crisp vocals as instantly recognizable Sacrifice. 

That being said, there are lots of elements here that span other genres. Personally,  it's what I look for in a thrash album, and this one delivers. Under no circumstance is this record anything other than pit worthy, but, it also showcases true growth and a chip in the game of thrash to argue for Canada being successor to the thrown. 

Joe Rico and Urbinati play off of each other in a winning combo with Pym and Watts bringing up the rhythm to match ferocity and pit worthy sonic violence. Hitting that progressive sound as well, all things considered you're missing out if you dont buckle down and listen in. A year old already this release is here to stay and cemented in the history of hard music forever. 

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Peeling Flesh:

 

If you've never experienced the Oklahoma metal scene, or slam death metal, you're in for a treat. "Slamming Gangster Groove" as they themselves reference this music is full of rap samples,  blaxploitation samples, and hard-core grooves. From Damonteal Harris' growling vocals, to Jason Parrish & Mychal Soto's chugging guitars the sound is uniquely metallic.  Coupled with Joe Pelletier's rhythm section Austin Hirom (replaced by Chip Smith) had the bass answer. While gore, murder, and thuggery aren't for everyone, if you like metal in general this should be a no brainer.  Three years in, this album finds the band sitting on a throne all but there's in southern metal. OKC produced a maven of excitement and hopefully everyone buys it up. Already announced on the "Louder Than Life" festival in Kentucky, it may result in much needed national exposure. After 11 mistakes and this album they deserve it. Keep your ears peeled for more from them. 

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Habak:

 

If you've never heard the term "Crust Melodico" you're probably behind in the times, and not alone. With a DIY ethos and a vibrant sound, this band "Habak" from Tijuana Mexico is for you. Although a language barrier may exist between listeners and lyrics, we as a world should start overcoming that, these days. From a crust (sub-genre of punk) sound with heavy melody, to some clean instrumentation this band is to be taken very seriously. A very mature, even grave lyric subject may be intense for some listeners, I do urge anyone to give it a try (internet translation is easy to find today) because you never know what your missing. 

The title track to this record is very good, and very resounding. Time enough to feel how you feel these days, enough said. I have to say the subject matter of "Condenadx Al Olvido" makes that track my favorite. From rhythm to melody, after the mesmerizing intro. But, I'll let you be the judge:

Condenadx Al Olvido

I see in my hands the passage of time—the marks left by the immortal monster.

Written upon my path is my destiny: to bear witness to humanity.

Time and space conspire against a being condemned to solitude.

We are tellers of a thousand tales—stories that time will soon erase; only man truly knows man, yet at the end of his era, not even he will remain.

Time and space conspire against a being condemned to solitude.

We are nothing...

Only man truly knows man. A being condemned to solitude.

Rivers Of Nihil:

  

If you dont know this album by sight (Dan Seagrave art), you may not know about this band. Constantly morphing from one sound to the next, with an ever changing landscape of musicians Rivers Of Nihil is here to stay. In my opinion, this album is the reason why they are cemented. The future and present of technical death metal, this album is a definition of sound. The lead single "Where Owls Know My Name" is more progressive in that arena with instrumentation not heard as often in technical landscapes. Zach Strouse from "Burial In The Sky" provides that sax. Brody Uttley is the driving force behind this album (and possibly the band) and the journey he steers is mesmerizing. 

Jake Dieffenbach's last outting with them brings ferocity unequaled in the following releases, some say. Though I tend to disagree. The trilogy on this record are definitely "Hollow", "Death Is Real", & " Where Owls Know My Name". I'll leave you with their description of it:

"Owls is essentially the story of the last man on earth. He was made immortal by the planet itself (the conscious seed of light, as it were) to be the sole intelligent witness of the death of the planet. Really though this is all set dressing for the more emotional content on display here, so looking too closely at the lyrics for story purposes is probably a bit of a futile effort in my opinion. It's really just about loss and getting older and coping with the things you've done in your life."

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