Faith No More – Superhero
To say that the heavy-metal world was collectively chuffed when Faith No More not only reunited but also pledged to make a brand new-album – their first since 1997’s Album of the Year – would be a massive understatement. In an era where metal’s veins are increasingly clogged up with throwaway bandwagon bilge, these inveterate mavericks and gleeful mischief makers could hardly be more essential for injecting some imagination and oddness into the mix, and true to form, the forthcoming album, Sol Invictus, is an absolute rip snorter. Superhero, one of the record’s more immediate and accessible tunes, confirms that age has not diminished FNM’s power to startle and delight. May they never disappear again.
Between the Buried and Me – Memory Palace
Much revered in progressive metal and mathcore circles, Between the Buried and Me have been building towards a brain-shattering prog masterpiece over their last few records. This band’s sense of untamed, exploratory joy has long been a wonder to behold, but Memory Palace suggests that they are only just hitting peak form now, with its bewildering blizzard of smart ideas and innumerable twists and turns that are somehow both jarring and fluid. Those who prefer their metal in neat, four-minute chunks may struggle with the sheer breadth of ambition on display here, but if you want your mind blown, few contemporary bands come close.
Extinction Level Event – Entropy
Forget “djent” – it’s time for “clank”. Or at least that’s what all-bass, tech-metal crew Extinction Level Event are labelling their streamlined onslaught of taut polyrhythms and low-level grind. Evidently in thrall to Meshuggah, just as their contemporaries invariably are, this band may not be reinventing the wheel here, but Entropy’s refined but rugged sonic textures and abrasive, futuristic attack certainly sound like the beginning of something new and exciting. It’s one for bass players, obviously, but fans of intelligent, creative metal should also find plenty to stir the neck muscles here.
Demonical – Cursed Liberation
Sweden’s importance to the evolution of death metal is beyond dispute, and there are bands all over the world clamouring to emulate the classic sound of albums recorded at Stockholm’s Sunlight Studios in the late 80s and early 90s. Pleasingly, the Swedes are still churning out phenomenally invigorating sounds of their own, and Demonical have been flying the flag for visceral riffing and Discharge-tinged filth for many years now. Their new EP is easily the most compelling thing they’ve released to date, and Cursed Liberation showcases the Avesta crew’s ongoing crescendo of potency brilliantly. Death metal is alive and out for blood.
Kamelot – Veil of Elysium
Even in a genre where sonic opulence comes as standard, Kamelot’s symphonic bluster is notoriously tethered to a mantra of “more is more”. One of the power-metal scene’s biggest, the band from Tampa, Florida, recently sold out the Forum in London and seem likely to become even more popular this year, when the gleaming grandeur of new, 11th album Haven is unveiled next month. Considerably heavier and braver than many of their peers, Kamelot have moved with the times and embraced the glistening oomph of modern production with great finesse. The combination of founder member Thomas Youngblood’s fiery riffs and vocalist Tommy Karevik’s effortless emoting will clearly not appeal to everyone, even in the metal world, but triumph looks inevitable nonetheless.