Our loud favorites. In this column we cover Metal of all stripes, Punk, Hardcore, Stoner-Rock, Garage-psych ragers, Distortion worshippers, and any other odds-and-ends that might turn it to eleven.

Deafheaven Ordinary Corrupt Human Love

This has been one of the more universally liked records at the shop in a while! You've probably have Deafheaven by now. They've been toying with the blurred edges of metal, psychedelia, epic art-rock, and ambient soundscapes for a while now. Ordinary Corrupt Human Love is their latest offering, and it's in some ways the best distillation of their approach into digestible mini-epics. They've stayed true to their influences while improving the formula, making hugely enjoyable listen.

Sandrider Armada

If it ain't broke don't fix it, Sandrider delivers another total rager. This Seattle power-trio toe the line between hard driven noise-punk and stoney sludge rock perfectly. The sound is direct and powerful, not overly complicated, heavy rock music that is oh-so satisfying when done right. These guys do it right! Learn more about what records led them to their sound in our First, Last, and Favorite feature.

Tomb Mold Manor Of Infinite Forms

The brutality is alive and well. We're living through a mini death metal renaissance right now. In our last edition of this column we covered the excellent new one from Mammoth Grinder, and this week we've got the psychedelically titled Manor Of Infinite Forms. Fast, tight, ominous, and brutal, this record is constantly twisting into infinite forms of death metal zen.

Extremity Coffin Birth

See what we're saying. Death metal is back, here's another prime example. Extremity are on a mission to do the thing as straight-forward as possible, and it's rad. This quote from the lead singer should spell out the band's mind frame for this record: “I tried to challenge myself writing a whole album that takes place inside a coffin.”

Death INDIVIDUAL THOUGHT PATTERNS & LEPROSY

How about some classic OG death metal to go with the new stuff? Long out-of-print on LP, we recently got in a few much needed reissues from these old-school Florida death-metal originators. These records are unrelenting and technical, real ground-breakers in the genre. If you prefer the rawness go with Leprosy, and for a bit more precision brutality try Individual Thought Patterns.

Between The Buried and Me Automata II

"More epic, emotional, and eccentric than its counterpart, the record showcases Between the Buried and Me at their most effective, daring, and self-assured, resulting in a joyously brilliant sequence that ranks alongside the group's best work." -PopMatters review says it better than I can!