This week’s Heavy Music HQ reviews include releases from Alter Bridge, Anti-Sapien, Beyond The Black, Blanket, Carrion Vael, Deadwood, Edenbridge, Gluecifer, Hyperion, Marianas Rest, Orchid Throne, Sardonic Allegiance, Soen, Total Annihilation, Vessels and Zu.
The ratings are on a 5-star scale.
Alter Bridge – Alter Bridge (Napalm)
For their eighth album, veteran hard rockers Alter Bridge went the self-titled route. They’ve had a lot of success in their 20 plus years, and have even managed to keep their lineup intact for that time, a rare feat. Alter Bridge was recorded at Eddie Van Halen’s 5150 Studios, working with their longtime producer Elvis Baskette (Trivum, Sevendust, Mammoth).
AB doesn’t reinvent the wheel, but their songwriting chops are razor sharp, with numerous radio-friendly tracks like “Playing Aces” and “Silent Divide.” In addition to that type of concise song, they are also able to compose more epic numbers, like the 9-minute closer “Slave To Master,” their longest song to-date. Between Creed and Alter Bridge, guitarist Mark Tremonti, bassist Brian Marshall and drummer Scott Phillips have been playing together for more than 30 years, and their chemistry is evident. Myles Kennedy has one of the best sets of pipes in music, and his performance as always is first-rate. Add Alter Bridge to the long line of rock-solid Alter Bridge albums.
Rating: 3.5
(Chad Bowar)
Anti-Sapien – At The Mercy Of The Merciless (Terminus Hate City)
Anti-Sapien’s At The Mercy Of The Merciless is death metal by way of Discharge, a punky crust scraped onto songs deemed acceptable for circle pit massacres. The big shift between this EP and their 2023 debut album, Calculating Obsolescence, is increased cruelty. There isn’t the doomy chug on here that was present on songs like “Malsumis” and “#Mylist” from their last record.
“Grinding The System” seems prime for an outright onslaught, yet the band throws in some classic heavy metal guitar harmonies for kicks. The title track has all the grooves any bouncing head can manage, which is a good turn after the demanding previous song, “D.E.A.D.” At The Mercy Of The Merciless is a fine way to spend 22 minutes if the only prerequisite for a listener is a good moshing time.
Rating: 3
(Dan Marsicano)
Beyond The Black – Break The Silence (Nuclear Blast)
Break The Silence is the sixth full-length album from the German symphonic band Beyond The Black. It’s a concept record with themes of the need to connect in a divided world and the importance of communication. Jennifer Haben handles most of the singing, with some male vocals adding variety from time to time.
The album also features several guests, including Lord Of The Lost’s Chris Harms on the soaring “The Art Of Being Alone,” one of the record’s strongest tracks. Asami from Lovebites guests on the accessible “Can You Hear Me.” Throughout the album Beyond The Black shift from heavy, symphonic metal songs to more rock-oriented tracks. There are numerous memorable songs on Break The Silence, but a couple less-than-compelling tracks somewhat dilute the overall impact.
Rating: 3
(Chad Bowar)
Blanket – True Blue (Adventure Cat)
The UK group Blanket have always encompassed numerous genres, and that remains the case on their latest release True Blue. Emo, shoegaze, grunge, alt rock, post rock are some of the styles that have been used to describe their music. The songs tend to unfold slowly, written with a lot of twists and turns and delivered with emotion and depth.
Heaviness and delicateness co-exist smoothly on tracks like “Hole In My Head,” while songs such as “Levitate” and “Leaning On You” are more straightforward. Bobby Pook’s vocals are ethereal and many times pretty deep in the mix. The last two songs, “Wallflower” and the title track, are the lengthiest at 7 and 8 minutes, and just as engaging as the shorter compositions. True Blue is an emotional journey through a wide scope of tempos, textures and styles.
Rating: 3.5
(Chad Bowar)
Carrion Vael – Slay Utterly (Unique Leader)
Since the release of the band’s third studio album Abhorrent Obsessions, and more noticeably since 2022, Carrion Vael have gradually moved away from the heavy influence of technical/melodic death metal pioneers. As a result, each new release has become an emotionally engaging experience. While the band’s identity has not yet fully crystallized into something entirely singular, they continue to command attention with every album.
With their fifth studio album Slay Utterly, the band reaches a confident stage in both songwriting and self-expression. As their compositional growth becomes increasingly evident, it is the band’s dazzling musicianship and pristine production that truly reveal the album’s layered intricacies in a devastatingly immersive way. The record assaults with the same atmosphere of violence and bloodshed depicted in its cover art, allowing no room for escape and leaving no moment to skip a track. Slay Utterly stands as Carrion Vael’s strongest effort to date, signaling that new horizons have opened for the next phase of their sonic evolution.
Rating: 4
(Arash Khosronejad)
Deadwood – Rituals Of A Dying Light (Innerstrength)
For some bands, it takes a few releases to land on their full potential. Deadwood are like this, as they’ve taken what was generic deathcore and thrown technical death metal into it on their new EP, Rituals Of A Dying Light. They haven’t loosened their tight hold on cataclysmic breakdowns, but they’re now supplemented with showy guitars.
The guitars are a whirlwind of noise in the intro to “Tales Of Massacre” and wild shredding during closer “Echoes Of The Fallen.” Much of the EP is spent in a manic state, though the mid-tempo “Whisper Of Death” is a bleak respite offered by Deadwood. They’ve spent the last few years refining their death metal with various EPs and singles, and Rituals Of A Dying Light is the most complete version of the band to date.
Rating: 3.5
(Dan Marsicano)
Edenbridge – Set The Dark On Fire (Steamhammer)
Edenbridge‘s Set The Dark On Fire is an album that reinforces rather than reshapes the band’s established symphonic/power metal style. The record is expansive and densely packed, with its strongest material appearing in the first half, where heavier riffing and a more restrained use of genre tropes create a solid and engaging flow.
Across its length, the album functions as a summary of the band’s career, combining melodic hooks, aggressive passages, orchestral drama, and power ballads in a way that will be familiar to longtime listeners. However, the extended runtime weakens the overall impact. As the album progresses, repetition sets in and the sense of momentum declines. While consistently competent and polished, Set The Dark On Fire remains firmly within safe and predictable boundaries.
Rating: 3
(Carlos Tirado)
Gluecifer – Same Drug New High (Steamhammer/SPV)
Twenty-two years after the release of Automatic Thrill and a reunion back in 2018, Norwegian hard rockers Gluecifer return with their sixth studio album Same Drug New High. They are bringing their classic sound back for the modern era.
From start to end, the whole album is just a high energy modern hard rock classic with a Judas Priest-like style that has aged like wine over the years. “The Idiot” is a quick and easy attention grabber of an opener thanks to Danny Young’s aggressive drum solo in the first ten seconds. Same Drug New High is a nice welcome back piece for Gluecifer and it will be interesting to see if they choose to keep this momentum going.
Rating: 3.5
(Dalton Husher)
Hyperion – Cybergenesis (Fighter)
Hyperion were one of a long list of bands affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. Their second album, Into The Maelstrom, came out in April of 2020 right as the pandemic was ramping up, and their lineup went through major revisions. Now, almost six years later, the band has emerged from that daze with new members but the same enthusiastic heavy metal with Cybergenesis.
This record has the dual guitar harmonies, sky-high vocal range, and power metal fuel of their past releases. They introduce synths in the introduction to closer “The Whole Of Time,” an appropriate accompaniment for its lofty seven minutes. It doesn’t appear to have been the easiest road to get to Cybergenesis, but Hyperion haven’t faltered in their purpose of anthemic heavy metal.
Rating: 3.5
(Dan Marsicano)
Marianas Rest – The Bereaved (Noble Demon)
The Bereaved, the latest release from the Finnish band Marianas Rest, is a doom album on the heavier side of the genre and is really downtrodden. It leans to the funeral side of the doom metal spectrum and has a crushing aspect to it that is quite wonderful to behold. The album is nicely atmospheric and carries with it great weight, a molten epic of the genre with a very powerful aura to it. It is not anything revolutionary, but certainly interesting.
The band’s musicianship is top notch and very interesting and has a very bleak viewpoint of the world. There is a heavy emphasis placed upon the guitars and it makes the album very poignant and impactful. Vocals are piercing and very powerful and round out the remainder of the instruments nicely. The Bereaved is a very solid release overall.
Rating: 3.5
(Adam McAuley)
Orchid Throne – Buried In Black (Self)
Musician Nicholas Bonsanto uses Orchid Throne’s Buried In Black as an outlet for his thoughts on mortality, grief and anxiety. He was involved in the entire development of this debut album, from playing all the instruments to mixing and mastering the final product. The lone guest spot is from flutist Mary Beck on the last two songs, “Breath Of Autumn” and “With Promise.”
Buried In Black navigates through an unsteady storm of doom metal. Occasionally, Bonsanto will gather enough negativity to pursue death metal, as guttural growls and blustery blast beats take over. It’s the use of keyboards, like the synths in “Guilt” and the classical piano sounds on “Dreamworld,” that are Buried In Black’s greatest strength.
Rating: 3.5
(Dan Marsicano)
Sardonic Allegiance – Coast II (Self)
Founded in 2008 in Rotterdam, the Netherlands by multi-instrumentalist Triest, Sardonic Allegiance have never been a prolific band. Over nearly 18 years, they have released only three EPs, yet those limited offerings were enough to carve the band’s name into the memory of dedicated black metal listeners. Their latest release Coast II, following the first chapter released in 2025, marks a clear step forward and a notable moment in the band’s evolution.
Coast II feels like a defining moment for Sardonic Allegiance. With the potential of a future Coast III completing a trilogy, the leap in songwriting from the first to the second installment is immediately evident. Triest’s devotion to 1990s Scandinavian symphonic and melodic black metal is more pronounced than ever. Despite its concise 26-minute runtime, the EP feels expansive, unfolding with gloomy, cold, yet majestic melodies layered with subtle symphonic touches and driven by relentless blast beats. Everything a serious melodic black metal listener expects is present here, resulting in a listening experience that is immersive, focused, and rewarding.
Rating: 3.5
(Arash Khosronejad)
Soen – Reliance (Silver Lining)
Swedish mob Soen have been plying their trade for seven albums now, but after initially exploring a Tool-inspired approach have embraced more commercially-friendly heaviness. Reliance continues this trend, albeit with a mixed bag of songs. The band, led by Joel Ekelöf (vocals) and Martin Lopez (drums, ex-Opeth) executes the material with conviction, the former in particular doing his utmost to soulfully sell cuts like “Discordia.”
As the Breaking Benjamin-tinged, straight-ahead, yet memorable opener “Primal” indicates, if you like your riffs with a chaser of melody, this group has you covered. There are highlights like keyboard-laden, emotionally-driven “Indifferent” or “Draconian,” which references Soen’s proggy roots. However, there’s also uninspired fare that feels carefully curated for rock radio consumption, with sanitized guitars and certain hooks difficult to differentiate from one track to the next. Reliance should be greeted by plenty of wailing and wringing of hands from fans who have decried their recent direction. Those seeking a dose of accessible hard rock/alt-metal will be satisfied, though.
Rating: 3
(Brendan Crabb)
Total Annihilation – Mountains Of Madness (Testimony)
Swiss death/thrashers Total Annihilation take their time between albums. There was an 8-year gap between 2012’s Extinction and …on Chains Of Doom, and nearly six years between that one and their latest release, Mountains Of Madness.
With a band name like Total Annihilation there are certain expectations, and while they provide plenty of extremity and heaviness, there is subtlety as well. They increase the melodic quotient this time around without sacrificing aggression and technicality. They blend mid-tempo death metal with periodic up-tempo thrash riffs and tasty solos, and even give a wink to grindcore on the 9 second “Illusion.” Mountains Of Madness is potent death metal with plenty of variety.
Rating: 3.5
(Chad Bowar)
Vesseles – Home (Self)
Identity and self-discovery are what Valira Pietrangelo searches for on Vesseles’ debut album, Home. Valira labels herself as a demon, which isn’t a ploy to get more eyes on the band or a costume to go in and out of at random. For Valira, this is who she truly is; a creature from The Beyond where the true form of existence is found. This discovery comes through the bombastic surge of symphonic black metal.
As is standard with the genre, orchestration sets a theatrical spirit, though it’s the piano work from session musician Antonio Giardina where Home makes its mark. Almost every song has a stretch where the piano is by itself for a chunk of time, either as a lead-in to a sizzling riff or as a comforting pause in action. Home is a necessary outlet for a demon looking for a place to fit in.
Rating: 3.5
(Dan Marsicano)
Zu – Ferrum Sidereum (House Of Mythology)
Italian experimental instrumental trio Zu‘s latest release is Ferrum Sidereum, or “Cosmic Iron” in Latin. Hot off the heels of last year’s RuinsZu jazzIsDead, Zu bring their unique blend of various genres into a vibrant and high-energy listening experience.
Describing the exact sound of Ferrum Sidereum is hard because each song has its own style and each song itself feels like two smaller songs melded together like with “La Donna Vestita Di Sole.” One thing that bridges the whole album together is the liberal use of baritone saxophone played by Luca T Mai, an instrument not often heard in the genre but adds a nice touch to the overall sound. With well over twenty-seven years under their belt, Ferrum Sidereum shows how Zu’s genre-bending adventure has aged well over the years.
Rating: 4
(Dalton Husher)
