After March was an extremely strong month, things came back to earth in April. This month's top five are all good releases, but there wasn't much depth and several CDs that I thought would make the list turned out to be disappointments. Their last CD wasn't very well-received, but 1349 bounces back strong and tops this month's list. The rest of the list ranges from the very commercial Bullet For My Valentine to the more underground Coffinworm. Here are April's best heavy metal CDs.
1. 1349 - 'Demonoir' (Prosthetic)
Prosthetic Records
Demonoir pairs the interesting things 1349 tried on their last album with their militia-precision assault and other surprises. The result is an audacious and chaotic album that nullifies any criticism 1349 took after last year’s unexpected detour.
The band must have heard the rumblings of their long-time fans because they play with a sense of urgency missing on most contemporary black metal. “Atomic Chapel,” channels the primal ferocity of their early album Liberation, and Ravn gives the vocal performance we were expecting on the last album. Frost may have been held back on Revelations, but is seemingly playing with multiple limbs here; his performance on “When I Was Flesh,” requiring an almost inhuman level of speed.
2. Bleeding Through - 'Bleeding Through' (Rise)
Rise Records
Beyond reproach in its unadulterated sonic brutality and musical proficiency, Bleeding Through is a reinvention of sorts for the quintet, displaying a band confident in their songwriting and fully capable of leading the charge for other bands of their ilk to follow suit.
For no longer does Bleeding Through feel the need to rely on simplistic breakdowns or knot-headed riff exercises to get their musical rocks off. No, each song on Bleeding Through follows through on their murderous intentions to rip faces and boil blood via an aesthetic depth which works on every level.
3. Coffinworm - 'When All Became None' (Profound Lore)
Profound Lore Records
For these filthy, unwashed masses, Indianapolis, Indiana’s Coffinworm are practically a godsend, and their Profound Lore debut, When All Became None, the new gospel. Believe it, this enigmatic quintet—a group of shadowy figures who refer to themselves only by first initial—unleash some righteous hell and fury here on this six song effort, engineered by Minsk’s own Sanford Parker.
Though six songs may seem like an EP length blip on the radar, Coffinworm craft epic dirges; Bataan death marches which trudge their way through flesh-filled walls, lined with oxidized razors and the howling voices of the damned. In other words: When All Became None kinda rules.
4. Bullet For My Valentine - 'Fever' (Jive)
Jive Records
2010 sees modern metal act Bullet For My Valentine performing more of a stylistic balancing act on Fever, the quartet’s third LP. Said tightrope act deals with the adjustment Scream Aim Fire’s delightfully over-the-top approach to songwriting—indeed, the album was viciously pissed ‘n massively melodic in all the right places—with a delivery more reminiscent of Bullet’s more commercial-sounding origins.
Fever doesn’t fail, fall or trip over itself, however; instead stressing upon how well the band works as a unit, composing songs which simply deliver their message with anthemic, memorable gusto, and a heritage-minded, traditional heavy metal sensibility.
5. Ratt - 'Infestation' (Roadrunner)
Roadrunner Records
Infestation hearkens back to the band's glory days, with songs that match up with the best of their '80s canon. “Eat Me Up Alive” kicks things off with big hooks, a catchy chorus and sleazy riffs. “Best Of Me” continues the momentum and is also very memorable. New guitarist Carlos Cavazo fits in perfectly, and has the chops to keep up with original axeman Warren DeMartini.
The whole album is packed with Ratt's patented musical style and Pearcy's distinctive vocals. He may have lost a little range over the years, but his raspy vocals are still strong, and make Ratt instantly identifiable. He's most comfortable on the fast songs like “Lost Weekend” and “Garden Of Eden,” but is also able to pull off ballads like “Take Me Home.”
