Rating: 5/5 …

I drooled at the mindboggling concept of a Mogwai concert album and film. This is one of the few bands that has made me physically lose my breath; it was during an apocalyptic rendition of their classic track “Mogwai Fear Satan” in the darkened club So What! in Oslo in the late nineties. So expectations were running quite high—to say the least—when I opened the package from the record store. Would my expectations for this album be fulfilled? Oh, yes.

Rating: 5/5

Iron Maiden are peaking just as high––if not higher––than they did in their heyday. Each album for the last ten years has been a cut above the last, a feat rarely achieved by a band of their age. “The Final Frontier” certainly doesn’t stop this trend and should remain a classic for years to come.

Rating: 5/5

I cannot gush enough over Riotgod’s debut: an absolute masterpiece, and quite possibly the best album of 2010!

Rating: 5/5

Interestingly, and thankfully enough, I discovered Consecration for myself shortly after learning ISIS was breaking up. As I prepare for their final show tonight at Club Soda in Montréal, I have hope that this Serbian quintet will pick up where that band left off, creating genre-bending atmospheres for our aural pleasure.

Rating: 5/5

This is the easiest 5/5 I could possibly imagine giving. I hope Ufomammut can gain the following they deserve, since “Eve” is worthy of being talked about for decades to come.

Rating : 5/5

Ensiferum’s second masterpiece is a commanding presence amongst their discography.

In the past, fusing jazz and metal has proven to be a melodic, complex form of technical death metal. Floridian acts like Cynic and Atheist really defined this movement. However, jazz and metal are two of the most diverse genres in the world, so it wasn’t going to be too long before other breeds were seen. Shining is offering one of the most interesting styles to come around yet.