Shrinebuilder: To hell with Them Crooked Vultures. This is the supergroup I’ve been waiting for. Wino (Obsessed, Saint Vitus, Spirit Caravan), Dale Crover (The Melvins), Scott Kelly (Neurosis), and Al Cisneros (Sleep, OM). Very heavy, very groovy, moody, trippy, atmospheric, and just damn stellar.

Saviours — Accelerated Living: One of the best American heavy bands I’ve heard in a long while. I was lucky enough to see them open for Saint Vitus in Brooklyn and they stormed the place. Amazing live attack, great songs stewed in classic NWOBHM. Kind of like Iron Maiden if it were played by Slayer.

Immortal — All Shall Fall: Hands down, the mightiest Black Metal band on the planet. As one would expect, All Shall Fall is epic. It’s great to have Abbath and crew back with a new slab of ultra-heavy Norwegian darkness.

Dismember — Like an Everflowing Stream: Still one of my all-time favorite Swedish death metal albums. This album is a textbook case for what made early 90s Swedish death metal so amazing. It speaks for itself. If you haven’t heard it, just listen to the opener, “Override of the Overture.” You’ll be hooked. Like Slayer’s Reign in Blood, there is no letup on this one.