Rating: 5/5
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It’s a pleasure to say that we’ve finally got the definitive version of this album out for the world to hear. If the Tee Pee release made you happy, this one will bring new meaning to your life. So, in the words of the band from the original gatefold, “get high, crank it up, and listen with open ears and mind.”

Rating: 4/5
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Love them or hate them, Job For A Cowboy have always been a band with more potential than they let on, so it’s a damn pleasure to finally see them come into their own.

Ever have something literally fall through the cracks? I received the latest Spirit Animal album for review, and after spinning a few times, it somehow slipped into a nether region of my desk, nearly forgotten for weeks until the album’s edge creeped out from under the corner of a precarious pile. Fortunately, I had animalistic designs on some early 2012 EPs, to follow later in this post.

Hammering that Easter love home with ‘Vinlander’ and ‘Devour All You See’ …both small-scale releases of nonetheless devastating death metal!

Rating: 4/5
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It’s great to see Soulfly mutate once more—Max Cavalera has spent half of his 28 professional musical years nurturing this brainchild, after all. You must respect the dogged desire of this brazen Brazilian, who barely goes a year without releasing something new. For better or for worse, that is truly admirable artistry.

Rating: 4/5
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It’s puzzling; other post-rock records often have a clear sense of sound throughout an entire record. This makes it easier for the listener to be lulled into a trance, lost in the music. That never happens with Russian Circles—they won’t let you tune out.

You must choose at least one of these albums for your Best of 2012 list, or be deemed false in my eyes.

Rating: 4/5
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An ambitious endeavor, ‘Seven Bells’ sometimes gets swept up in its own majesty and falls flat on its face, but overall proves an album worth listening to. Secrets of the Moon has the ability to make entire 10-minute songs interesting without losing anything in terms of cohesion. Their approach echoes songwriting more than composition, making them a stand-out in the black metal landscape. While they have been around for quite some time, I have a feeling that their story is only in its early stages. This will certainly not be the last we hear of them.

Rating: 3.5/5
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The more approachable sound Psycroptic have created on ‘The Inherited Repression’ is the niche this band has been looking for since Matt Chalk’s exit. Not their best overall, but definitely the best of the Peppiatt era and a worthy addition to any technical death metal fan’s collection.

Rating: 4.5/5
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Beyond Creation hails from Montréal—the tech capital of North America—and as one might expect, brings forth an absolutely bludgeoning maelstrom of tech death that continues to floor me, even after six months of constant listening.