This week’s Heavy Music HQ reviews include releases from Alien Weaponry, Chamber Mage, Deafheaven, Decripisy, Doomsday, Fleshspoil, Judicator, Memphis May Fire, Ministry, Seven Sisters, Sicksense, Telepathy and Vulvarine.
The ratings are on a 5-star scale.
Alien Weaponry – Te Rā (Napalm)
Te Rā, the third album from the New Zealand band Alien Weaponry has a sound that is one of a kind and very compelling. There is a somewhat Egyptian feel to the songs as they traverse their structures. The album is also groove oriented and recalls the likes of many Sepultura works.
It is a very appealing in its catchiness and has a somewhat mainstream feel to it with strong rhythms and maintains the listener’s attention. Guitars form great structure for the songs and have a nice beat to them that makes the songs listenable. The drums form a nice backbone to the songs. All in all, the performances are very tuneful and addictive. The only downside to Te Rā is that it is perhaps slightly too mainstream.
Rating: 3.5
(Adam McAuley)
Chamber Mage – By Light Of Emerald Gods (Nameless Grave)
Fans of epic U.S. power metal can rejoice at the arrival of Chamber Mage and their debut By Light Of Emerald Gods. This Colorado collective opens things with the powerful “In Battle,” a fitting title to properly start things off giving ample Jag Panzer’s Ample Destruction vibes and unafraid to slow things down to showcase some variety.
Vocalist Avery Berg fits the sound of this genre supremely well as USPM tends to be more of the epic flair without the cheesiness of your more typical European fare. This is just traditional heavy metal that you ride into battle listening to. The twin lead guitars are on full display throughout the album buoying the album with stellar fat bass and a simple drum attack too, you get the full band experience on 10-minute album epic “The Silver City Fell” to end things on the proper note. In the current absence of bands like Visigoth and Omen, look no further than Chamber Mage for the power metal punch. By Light Of Emerald Gods is the beacon we need during these dark times.
Rating: 4
(Tom Campagna)
Deafheaven – Lonely People With Power (Roadrunner)
Four years after Infinite Granite saw a shift in Deafheaven‘s sound to incorporate more clean vocals and a shoegaze influence, 2025 brings the band’s sixth full-length, Lonely People With Power. It’s their first release for Roadrunner Records. The band returns to its black metal past with the harsh and heavy “Doberman,” and it’s not a one-off. The intensity continues on “Magnolia,” but this is a diverse and well-rounded album, evident with the post-metal approach of “Heathen” and the three “Incidental” compositions, the second which features Boy Harsher’s Jae Matthews on a track that’s mellow and laid back for the first two-third before the intensity cranks up. The third installment, ethereal and quiet, includes spoken word contributions from Interpol’s Paul Banks.
“Winona” is one of the album’s highlights, a dynamic song that’s a slow build with a cinematic feel that goes from introspective to ferocious and back again. George Clarke uses mostly harsh vocals this time around, but melodic singing is also utilized periodically. With Lonely People With Power, Deafheaven revisit the potency of their earlier work without losing the experimental aesthetic and eclectic songwriting they’ve embraced over their career. This album is ambitious, but Deafheaven are up for the challenge, delivering a powerful and memorable record.
Rating: 4.5
(Chad Bowar)
Decrepisy – Deific Mourning (Carbonized)
The interweaving link between Decrepisy, Acephalix and Vastum grows stronger with Deific Mourning. For their sophomore album, Decrepisy have Acelpalix/Vastum vocalist D.G. Butler as primary vocalist, a position once held by guitarist/bassist Kyle House, himself a former member of those two bands. Additional synths/vocals from Vastum’s Leila Abdul-Rauf bind the West Coast death metal connection together.
Death/doom hovers over Deific Mourning, its trance-like stutter shaken up by a cavalcade of rhythmic explosions. The synths accentuate the unpleasantness, even when used as a tool for gothic horror on closer “Afterhours.” Butler’s deep-toned singing is a 180 from his mammoth growls on the rest of the songs, and the menacing bass guitar is the primary motivator. It shouldn’t work as well as it does, creating an excellent new wrinkle to Decrepisy’s music.
Rating: 3.5
(Dan Marsicano)
Doomsday – Never Known Peace (Creator-Destructor)
Mixing thrash metal with hardcore has been done a million times over, so it’s always great when a band like Doomsday finds a way to make it exciting. Never Known Peace is the riff-y debut album from this group out of Oakland, California. The guitar solo isn’t ignored either, as “Everyday War” has a thrilling trade-off spot that’s matched by Ripped To Shreds guitarist Andrew Lee providing a few solos of his own to “Holy Justice” and “Remnants Of Spite.”
With this being crossover thrash, a signature crunchy breakdown is inevitable on most of these songs. “Extinction’s Hymn” is an excuse to stuff one into a 90-second interlude, while the stomping pace of “Pain Dweller” solidifies its tale of agony and despair as life is drained away. An array of demos and EPs strengthened Doomsday’s sharp sting on Never Known Peace.
Rating: 3.5
(Dan Marsicano)
Fleshspoil – The Beginning Of The End (Self)
Fleshspoil doesn’t act conservatively on their debut album, The Beginning Of The End. While the trio are a death/black metal band, they don’t hold themselves back for these six songs. Opener “Bleed Through This Life” has the obligatory blast beats, but layers them with somber melodic guitars as opposites attract. “Skies Turn To Graves” has an honest-to-god hook early on taken from arena rock, and they go full-on prog midway through “Fleshspoil.”
That’s just the first half of The Beginning Of The End, and there’s the primal struggle of “Walking Dead” and contemplative “A Frail Demise” to get through. That’s not to ignore the melancholy closer “Born Into Despair,” as bitter emotions drive the record to a mournful conclusion.
Rating: 3.5
(Dan Marsicano)
Judicator – Concord (Self)
For their seventh album Concord, the veteran Utah power metal band Judicator eschewed the label route for an independent release. They decided to do a Kickstarter campaign to fund the record, and exceeded their goal. Their lyrical focus on the album is the American West.
The songs on the album are rousing and mostly mid and up-tempo, adding plenty of atmosphere and depth to the hooks and melodic choruses. Opener “Call Us Out Of Slumber” sets the pace nicely, delivering both catchiness and ample instrumental sections. Tracks like “Weeping Willow” are more concise, but no less complex. The album wraps up with the epic 8 minute “Blood Meridian,” a wide-ranging number that encapsulates what Concord is: a varied and enjoyable power metal album.
Rating: 3.5
(Chad Bowar)
Memphis May Fire – Shapeshifter (Rise)
Memphis May Fire are approaching their 20th anniversary as a band. They’ve had plenty of songs hit the charts over the years, and always manage to stay contemporary and modern. Like 2022’s Remade In Misery, Shapeshifter was produced by the band’s guitarist Kellen McGregor.
Pretty much every song on the album could be a single, and that’s not hyperbole; so far 8 of the record’s 10 tracks have been issued as singles. Some of the catchiest songs on the album are opener “Chaotic,” “Overdose” that features Blindside’s Christian Lindskog and the ballad “The Other Side.” There’s not an ounce of filler on Shapeshifter, which clocks in at 30 minutes of metalcore goodness, expertly balancing melody and aggression.
Rating: 3.5
(Chad Bowar)
Ministry – The Squirrely Years Revisited (Cleopatra)
When they started back in the early ’80s, Ministry were more of a synth pop band than the industrial group they later evolved into. They even toured with The Police after their debut album With Sympathy was released. Over the years frontman Al Jourgensen has distanced himself from that era of the band, but now he’s embracing it.
The Squirrely Years Revisited finds Ministry dusting off those early songs and re-recording them. That includes non-album singles like “I’m Falling,” “(Every Day Is) Halloween” and “All Day” and tracks from With Sympathy such as “Work For Love” and “Revenge.” The CD version also includes three songs from 1985’s Twitch. Jourgensen and company keep the spirit of the early songs alive while giving them a more modern production. As fans await an album of new material next year, The Squirrely Years Revisited is an interesting examination of the band’s formative period.
Rating: 3.5
(Chad Bowar)
Seven Sisters – Shadow Of A Fallen Star Pt. 2 (Dissonance)
It has been four years since British progressive rockers Seven Sisters began their rock opera style saga with Shadow Of A Fallen Star Pt.1 and they have returned to conclude their tale with Shadow Of A Fallen Star Pt.2.
Though shorter in runtime than in part one, it is not short in energy and spectacle. The slow fade in at the start of “Astral Prophecies” sets the tone very well for what feels like the second act of a movie. The album and the story conclude nicely with the twenty minute ballad “Andromeda Descending (A Fallen Star Rises)” which is a nice nod to the part one track “Andromeda Rising.” Being no strangers to high octane storytelling, Seven Sisters have managed to carve their own spot amongst the British scene.
Rating: 3.5
(Dalton Husher)
Sicksense – Cross Me Twice (Earache)
Nu-metal’s recent resurgence has spawned a boost in popularity for both the genre’s established stars and perennial B-Teamers, but also allowed newer acts to elbow their way into the pit. Sicksense’s full-length debut album Cross Me Twice offers a heavier and more diverse take on the style. “We bring the noise/Bring the pain/We are on a mission to entertain,” the band boasts on hard-hitting opener “Sellout.” It’s an energetic affair, and at the forefront are wife and husband, co-vocalists Vicky Psarakis (ex-The Agonist) and Robby J. Fonts (Stuck Mojo), who have a tangible chemistry as they feed off one another amidst the melange of rapping, screaming, guttural growls and clean singing.
Flickers of metalcore and prog-metal rear their head; see the Jinjer-esque “In This Carousel.” Meanwhile, ambient touches add further color. Hefty grooves aside, a record of this ilk will largely live and die by the quality of the vocal hooks, and the versatile Psarakis delivers on the choruses of “On Repeat,” “Wildfires” and hip-hop-infused “Throwback.” There are some cheesy moments, and others rooted so firmly in the genre’s heyday they ought to arrive with an accompanying wallet chain. That will suit devotees of all things nu just fine though, and the more aggressive tack may win over some sceptics.
Rating: 3.5
(Brendan Crabb)
Telepathy – Transmissions (Pelagic)
Imagine unearthing photographs from a family memory box that evoke a distant, velvety past, resonate with the emotions, tensions, and moods of the present, and guide you to a future that is not yet clear. It is at this soul-stirring moment that Transmissions, the new album by post-metal band Telepathy, was conceived. It is a pure work that demonstrates the band’s excellence in creating instrumental yet highly lyrical work.
Five years ago, the acclaimed album Burn Embrace, which listening to is a prerequisite for a better musical understanding of the new album, changed the game for Telepathy and their audience. Now, Transmissions presents a soul-tripping, carefully crafted, highly narrative, and impressively theatrical dramatic expanse. It’s a journey into a museum of human emotions and memories, a landmark work of the progressive-fused atmospheric post-metal genre. In this musical narrative, the absence of lyrics becomes a powerful tool, enhancing the emotional connection between the music and the listener.
Rating: 4.5
(Arash Khosronejad)
Vulvarine – Fast Lane (Napalm)
The Austrian hard rock group Vulvarine emerged in 2020. Five years later they have signed with Napalm Records to release their sophomore album Fast Lane. The quartet of Suzy Q (vocals), Sandy Dee (guitar), Robin Redbreast (bass) and Bea Heartbeat (drums) describe their sound as “vulvarock,” blending rock, metal and blues with influences of punk and blues.
They write songs that are straightforward with big hooks and singalong choruses. They have a variety of influences, from the ’70s rock of bands like The Runaways to the early ’00s swagger of The Donnas to more modern outfits like The Pretty Reckless and Thundermother. Their cover of Modern Talking’s “Cheri Cheri Lady” includes a guitar solo from Thundermother’s Filippa Nassil. Vulvarine bring raucous songs like “Heads Held High” and “Equal, Not The Same” to the table along with more introspective tracks such as “She’ll Come Around.” Fast Lane doesn’t reinvent the wheel, but is a fun listen.
Rating: 3
(Chad Bowar)
