For those who listen to a lot of metal, Satanic shtick is commonplace, but rarely does such a theme pack as big a wallop as it does on Restored to One.

As the album grows significantly colder, it is evident that Rimfrost are able to maintain a distinct black metal sound that isn’t too cliché. Their sound infiltrates each ear because of its varied elements and sub-genre qualities that intertwine with each other.

Fans of the hardcore spectrum yet consistently pegged as metalcore, Parkway Drive have never been considered an outright metal band. However, with latest endeavour Deep Blue, they just might be responsible for blurring that thin, thin line to an incredibly indiscernible extent.

My first listen to this record had me tagging it as a possibility for my album of the year, my second listen had me not too sure about it, but my third, fourth and fifth brought me right back around to my original opinion. Strings To A Web may well be Rage’s finest.

Sure, it’ll be a frosty day in Danzig’s nether lair before you’ll ever see a reunion of the band’s classic lineup – but until Lodi finally freezes over, you can certainly find solace in Deth Red Sabaoth, which goes a long, long way to recapturing that classic Danzig sound.

On Taste the Sin, Black Tusk inject more howling punk à la Kylesa than instru-prog à la Baroness and Mastodon, and the result is a disc that has the potential to incite fist pumping, moshing and a little John Baizley fan-boy love.

I’m just going to come right out and say it: 12 Gauge is a great album.

Oh, what a strange race Buzz Osborne and The Melvins have run.