This week’s Heavy Music HQ reviews include releases from Allegaeon, Chestcrush, Kiritsis, L.A. Guns, Lo-Pan, Marble Ghosts, Meshuggah, Rotting Christ, Stoic Suffering, Tomarium, Warfield and Wrath Of Logarius.
The ratings are on a 5-star scale.
Allegaeon – The Ossuary Lens (Metal Blade)
Allegaeon are a band that has little left to prove in the technical department. Their music is flashy, complex, and never ceases to throw surprises at you in the most entertaining way possible. The same is true for The Ossuary Lens – an album that proves the band can still deliver dynamic, catchy, and almost radio-friendly technical/melodic death metal.
At this point, Allegaeon displays maturity that only comes with years of experience. That said, I’ve never been the biggest fan of their production style. Their albums often sound overly compressed, and while that’s still true here, it feels easier to overlook – possibly because the record leans more into its melodic strengths and songwriting. One thing’s certain: Allegaeon have no shortage of ideas.
Rating: 3.5
(Carlos Tirado)
Chestcrush – ΨΥΧΟΒΓΑΛΤΗΣ (Self)
Scottish extreme metalers Chestcrunch have brought back their combination of sludge, death, and grind metal for their sophomore album ΨΥΧΟΒΓΑΛΤΗΣ. Meaning Soul Extractor in Greek, this album feels like it is doing just that.
When compared to their 2021 debut album Vdelygmia, ΨΥΧΟΒΓΑΛΤΗΣ is faster, and more in your face with constant blast beat drums through the whole album and more brutal breakdowns. With the tag team power of Evangelos Vasilako’s shredding guitars and Topias Jokipii’s dominating vocals, the overall sound feels as if Rob Zombie went into death metal as shown in tracks like “Hang Them! Torch Them!” ΨΥΧΟΒΓΑΛΤΗΣ is a solid step up from their debut album and could easily become an extreme metal modern classic.
Rating: 3.5
(Dalton Husher)
Kiritsis – Kiritsis (Wise Blood)
Kiritsis’ road to their self-titled debut album was a short one, as they formed just a year ago and already have a firm grasp of their sludgy hardcore. With a running time of about 31 minutes across eight songs, the band have the essentials down. The barky yells never change in tone, and the craziest thing they do instrumentally is the abundance of manic fills from drummer Nik Jensen.
A determined sonic charge is maintained, though the spicy pairing of “It Ain’t Easy” and “Like The Taste” in the middle of the album shows the multiple creative faces of Kiritsis. The former is a resolute march into doom, while the latter is a punky hellraiser in the vein of Motorhead. Most of this record should get new life in a live environment.
Rating: 3
(Dan Marsicano)
L.A. Guns – Leopard Skin (Cleopatra)
L.A. Guns, oft-regarded as the obnoxious kid brother to the Guns ‘N Roses juggernaut, beats them to punch with Leopard Skin, a new collection of slippery rock tunes that groove like the Sunset Strip parties never ended. With original members Tracii Guns and vocalist Phil Lewis on board, there’s a continuity present that other bands often lack.
Lead single “Lucky Motherf–ker” contains all the wah-wah drenched, hip-shaking riffage you might expect. And while Lewis’ upper register takes on a rougher edge that recalls prime Tom Kiefer on “Taste It,” the sweet edge that set him apart from his peers makes its return on “The Masquerade” – itself a call back to career highpoint “The Ballad of Jayne.” Despite lyrical content that doesn’t play as well in 2025, and the country-fried “Runaway Train” (what is it with metal bands of this era getting their “yee-haw” on?) Leopard Skin delivers on its promise.
Rating: 3
(Gino Sigismondi)
Lo-Pan – Get Well Soon (Magnetic Eye)
Ohio hard rockers Lo-Pan are marking 20 years as a band, and it has been a while since their last album. Get Well Soon is their sixth full-length, and first since 2019’s Subtle.
Their brand of hard rock edges close to metal in terms of heaviness and groove while still injecting ample hooks and melody. Tracks like “Northern Eyes” bring some stoner influences, while songs such as “The Good Fight” are more straightforward. And while most of the album is single-ready, Lo-Pan wrap up Get Well Soon with the nearly 8 minute “Six Bells,” a dynamic and varied number that nicely encapsulates the previous eight songs.
Rating: 3.5
(Chad Bowar)
Marble Ghosts – The Greatest Divide (Self)
Momentum is in Marble Ghosts’ favor with The Greatest Divide, their second EP after last March’s self-titled EP. Within a year, they have put together five new songs that put a darker spin on their sound. Though they are hard rock by design, their favoritism towards metal grows more obvious on this release. Drummer Jer Renaud’s double bass footwork gets more airtime, even though their commercial side still pops up in the uplifting choruses.
Guitarist Adam Hansen ups his lead work, with each track having a standout instance where Hansen plays the role of a returning guitar hero. Nothing on their last EP was as chunky as closer “Osmium” is on The Greatest Divide. The lyrics dwell in topics that a listener won’t hear much about on contemporary radio, such as child abuse and sexual assault. Though not much time has passed between releases, Marble Ghosts have begun to pinpoint what their direction should be.
Rating: 3.5
(Dan Marsicano)
Meshuggah – Immutable (The Indelible Edition) (Reigning Phoenix)
Meshuggah‘s latest album Immutable was released in 2022. As the band embarks on a North American tour, they are issuing Immutable ( The Indelible Edition). It is an exciting album that showcases Meshuggah’s chops in an extraordinary fashion. In addition to the original version’s 13 songs, this one adds three live tracks: – “Kaleidoscope,” “Ligature Marks” and “God He Sees In mirrors.”
The songs on this edition are more clear and crunchier than on the original release with a deeper and more impactful sound. This leads to an upgraded experience. In terms of musicianship, the guitar work is interesting and has a large djent aspect to it. The drum work is pounding and it forms a nice backbone. Vocals are harsh and nicely sit atop the music. Immutable (The Indelible Edition) is a nicely produced gem in the band’s discography and this edition should hold people’s interest.
Rating: 3.5
(Adam McAuley)
Rotting Christ – 35 Years of Evil Existence – Live In Lycabettus (Season Of Mist)
When they emerged in the ’90s after forming a few years prior, their controversial name drew a lot of attention, and Rotting Christ quickly helped spread the Greek black metal scene across the globe. They have issued a few live albums over the years, and to mark more than three decades as a band are releasing 35 Years of Evil Existence – Live In Lycabettus.
The nearly two hour career-spanning show took place at the Lycabettus Hill Theater in their hometown of Athens. Their early days are represented by tracks like “The Sign Of Evil Existence” from their 1993 debut The Mighty Contract and “King Of A Stellar War” from Triarchy Of The Lost Lovers. They play “Like Father, Like Son” from last year’s Pro Xristou and their early, mid-career and recent material blend seamlessly into a memorable show. For 35 Sakis and Themis Tolis have flown the flag for Greek black metal, and with a busy tour calendar show no signs of slowing down or stopping any time soon.
Rating: 4
(Chad Bowar)
Stoic Suffering – All Tomorrows (Self)
All Tomorrows is the debut from the Bay Area deathcore band Stoic Suffering. John Rivera is the band’s mastermind, handling vocals, instrumentals and co-producing. There are some special guests as well.
Entheos’ Chaney Crabb and Drag Me Out’s Denis Stoff guest on three tracks. Opener “The Star People” is the highlight of their contributions, a heavy song with a blend of harsh and clean vocals. Crown Magnetar’s Dan Crown appears on “Beware The Qu,” a groove-laden and intense pummeler. The rest of the brief album consists of a few short mostly instrumental interludes. All Tomorrows puts a modern and cinematic spin on deathcore.
Rating: 3
(Chad Bowar)
Tomarum – Beyond Obsidian Euphoria (Prosthetic)
Beyond Obsidian Euphoria is an album where all five members of Tomarum are musically equal, as the chances of a solo from bassist Michael Sanders are as high as a solo from the other three guitarists in the band. Their second full-length is part of an overarching concept, enhanced this time around by theatrical wonderment. Spoken word narration, different vocal styles and no pauses between certain songs makes this flow like a bingeable TV miniseries.
These points are evident right from the opener “In Search Of The Triumph Beyond… (Obsidian Overture).” Tomarum were mainly a duo around the time of their 2022 debut, Ash In Realms of Stone Icons, before solidifying their current line-up, all of whom contribute songwriting to Beyond Obsidian Euphoria in some form. They craft a world able to lift up their sweeping black metal.
Rating: 4
(Dan Marsicano)
Warfield – With The Old Breed (Napalm)
Teutonic thrashers Warfield released their debut album back in 2018. Seven years later the trio has signed with Napalm Records for their sophomore outing With The Old Breed.
The album title is an apt description of their approach, paying homage to classic German thrash bands like Destruction, Kreator and Sodom. They also take some cues from Bay Area legends. The album flies by in a cacophony of galloping riffs and shredding solos. They expand their horizons with the 7-minute “GASP,” slowing the pace dramatically for a while before speeding up a bit, but still keeping things at a moderate tempo. There’s not a lot of originality to With The Old Breed, but Warfield’s execution and enough variety to keep things interesting makes it an album fans of old-school thrash can appreciate.
Rating: 3
(Chad Bowar)
Wrath Of Logarius – Crown Of Mortis (Season Of Mist)
Formless black metal is how Wrath Of Logarius explain their style of music, one that basically equates to unrelenting determination on Crown Of Mortis. As they named their group after one of the toughest boss fights from the Bloodborne video game, it’s only fair that their sound takes on the same punishing form. All the dodging and quick strikes can’t hold back their demonic attacks.
There are pauses in the battle, like the gentle framework of interlude “Crypt” and the bass-heavy instrumental break in “Of The Void,” where they take on a shapeless outline that hints at how much Wrath Of Logarius could warp traditional black metal. Whether they advance their mechanics, as the Bloodborne series would eventually do, or just remaster the original will show how formless they are.
Rating: 3.5
(Dan Marsicano)
