God Dethroned
Passiondale
Metal Blade
Street: 04.28
God Dethroned = Behemoth + Dark Tranquillity (pre-The Mind’s I) + Blood Red Throne
So what can one expect from Netherlands-based and Metal Blade Records-iconic death-metal crew God Dethroned on their eighth full-length studio album? Since their debut, the band has been progressing from raw death metal with hints of black-metal bitterness to a tightened, less raw, melodic-styled death metal and realms of pristine production. The band’s last album, The Toxic Touch, has razor-sharp production and unfortunately, they weren’t able to capture said clean-yet-pummeling heavy sound on Passiondale, though it’s still well produced. My only complaint concerns the album’s over-triggered, sterile drum sound. The guitars actually have a more raw, albeit old-school edge to them on this offering. Fans of modern death metal should take heed and crank the shit out of this epic, well-performed and well-written album from God Dethroned. The old-school fiends may find discomfort in the newer progressions, but as always, it’s up to personal taste. Mine made friends with Passiondale upon first listen. –Bryer Wharton

Hatesphere
To the Nines
Napalm Records
Street: 04.07
Hatesphere = The Haunted + The Crown + Dew-Scented
It’s a good thing To the Nines is only a little over a half an hour long or I’d be really peeved. How this Denmark-based melodic death/trash metal band has released six albums and kept on trucking is beyond me. Every record I’ve heard that they’ve released has been rehashed, one thrash-type riff after another. To the Nines is nothing new or all that exciting; this album was decent when The Haunted released it as The Haunted Made Me Do It. Maybe because Tue Madsen, producer of said album, produced this album, is why this album sounds like a rip-off of said Haunted album, though you can’t really blame an album producer for lame and redundant songs. For what it is, the album isn’t terrible; the band has to have a fanbase or audience to keep it going, right? It really wouldn’t be that insufferable if the album had any real power behind it, but Hatesphere are just going through the motions on this album, offering nothing in the realm of excitement or raw energy. –Bryer Wharton

Heavyweight Dub Champion
Rise of the Champion Nation
Champion Nation Recordings
Street: 05.05
Buju Banton + Kotton Mouth Kings
Heavyweight Dub Champion, a trio of fellas from Colorado, lay some serious beats with their third release. An infused version of dubtronica by way of live instrumentation and MPCs, HDC’s signature sound is on point once again. Not that I enjoy this, though. KRS-One and several other MCs add some hip-hop and reggae flair, but unfortunately bring nothing but mediocre lyricism to the table. With about a pound of that tweed and maybe nine additional substances, I could see this being awesome, especially in a live setting with about 1,000+ other fools just as geeked out as me, but for now, I will put this in my blue bin and try to recycle all the paper wasted for this damn album cover. –JRapp