The result is a beautifully sad collision of melody-drenched, aggressive art rock that retains plenty of the fast-paced intensity the band's perfected. [Oct 2016, p.90]

TBS still manage to drive home those angst-filled undertones fans have both embraced and expected since the band's inception. [Oct 2016, p.90]

Shape Shift With Me doesn’t offer a lot in the way of answers, but watching her fumble her way through the questions is a pleasure, regardless.

As adept as the band are at alternating between metalcore and pop-punk, McKinnon’s words are similarly nuanced and multifaceted here.

The sound on Stay Gold is what suits him best: heart-on-sleeve Americana that’s equal parts earnest and exuberant.

This is a band with no bullshit, no frills--just consistent, hardworking musicians putting out music that continues to push the boundaries of what the possibilities of punk can be.

If you’ve shied away from drone music because of its sonic inaction, here’s a good remedy.

Home Of The Strange adds back their debut’s indie charm, then catapults Sameer Gadhia’s sensational vocals to the front. Keeping those levels in check allows the band to effortlessly explore ambient electronics (“Amerika”), dance numbers (“Silvertongue”) and every other curiosity along the way.

An ambitious effort with story-shape influenced by the band's history while moving forward with increased sophistication and nuance. [Jun 2016, p.102]

There’s a hearty dose of nostalgia here, but in the end, it feels less like a retread and more like a continuation--and a celebration--of the good old days.

California sounds like what Blink-182 probably should sound like in 2016: upbeat, hooky and, above anything else, a total blast. Some will call the lack of truly progressive moments a regression while others will hail the album for being a breezy throwback. But Hoppus, Skiba and Barker have given Blink-182 momentum for future productivity and success.

There is so much more offered in this collection of 11 songs than we’ve seen of Whitechapel previously, making Mark Of The Blade an exciting milestone.

Aggressive is probably the most compelling statement you’re going to hear for the validity of heavy rock music in 2016.

Against The Current's most mature and polished release yet. [Jun 2016, p.99]

The Home Inside My Head cements Real Friends' place as new-school pop punk's lead dogs. [Jun 2016, p.102]

Ultimately, To Be Everywhere Is To Be Nowhere is a small triumph not just in its existence but also in its execution. Second chances don't normally sound this sweet.

Architects somehow increase the ferocity with hit-and-run instrumentation to highlight Sam Carter, the genre's strongest clean vocalist and screamer. [Jun 2016, p.100]

An LP of remarkable dynamic shifts, stop-on-a-dime time changes, tribal menace and sinister lyrics. [Jun 2016, p.102]

Besides a few corny riffs and dated moments, this is far and away the album Saosin's cheesy imitators have been attempting for the last 13 years. [Jun 2016, p.102]

While not everything is successful on Boxes--for example, the midtempo, electronic-burnished "Lucky One" tries too hard to sound modern--every song has seamless arrangements and a distinctive approach.

Misadventures is the stuff of time capsules, marvelously embodying everything important this musical subculture offers while enthusiastically transcending its limitations with authentic charms.

Romantic, modern, vintage, classic, spinning pop illusions while sublimely dancing with the dark arts--there’s a definite “vibe” throughout The Shadow Side and the mainstream would be better for it, should the world surrender themselves to Andy Black’s deceptive embrace.

While not much of a departure from 2013's Feast Of Love as it is a second helping of their best bits, for Pity sex, refining what works has never gone down smoother. [May 2016, p.80]

SMM proves that Jourgensen still breathes fire. But this time, he's incinerating you with a grin on his face. [May 2016, p.82]

While many of their contemporaries remain content with the particular style that brought them to the dance, Deftones never feared exploring new avenues to advance their sound; Gore represents their latest evolution.

While not everything works--as with most albums of the genre, Metal Resistance's musical textures and tropes can grow repetitive--Babymetal's aggressive enthusiasm and sincerity are impossible to resist. [May 2016, p.80]

Pussy's Dead is Autolux at their most intriguing--and was definitely worth the wait. [May 2016, p.80]

Worsnop may be gone, but the rage channeled into The Black has helped the group lift themselves back onto their feet, showing they are more than capable of carrying on without him.

All that really matters is that the White Album’s songs are great, and not just great for the 2016 version of Weezer. They stack up beside the band’s best work of the past 15 years.

For a band who ultimately decided to soldier on, the album can feel unbalanced, but still delivers all the belting feel-good choruses that made you fall in love with the Arizona crew back in 2009. [Mar 2016, p.100]

There's confidence in the slower tempos and meatier hooks that add as sense of foreboding to these 11 songs. [Apr 2016, p.99]

Thanks in part to Alan Moulder's always-nuanced mix, Hitch balances the band's bombast with restraint. [Apr 2016, p.102]

For new fans, We Disappear is a solid entry point into the Thermals' world; for longtime fans, the new, calmer side of the band emerging is fresh, but still packed with the same spirit and punch that has endured for a decade-and-a-half. [Apr 2016, p.100]

A fully developed, worthwhile offering of Killswitch Engage's monstrous metal. [Apr 2016, p.102]

His most accessible and easiest listen yet. [Apr 2016, p.98]

Limitless might not be the album their fans all completely agree on, but it does mark a maturing band. [Mar 2016, p.96]

It all comes together to create a perfect album for those sleepless nights when you need help to combat the loneliness. [Apr 2016, p.100]

They decided that they could completely renovate their brand and rely on their fanbase to follow; lucky for them, it’s working. It’s a new era, and the 1975 are taking you with them.

It’s hard to fault them for sticking to that template since it was what helped turn the band into superstars around the world. But as Simple Plan moves outside of their musical comfort zone, it would be great to hear them mess with the formula a little more.

Is The Is Are nails all of nostalgia's sonic signifiers, without any of the retrograde guilt. [Mar 2016, p.100]

Appealing on any level, this digs deeper than the studio albums to glimpse Smith's raw brilliance shining. [Mar 2016, p.99]

The mood can at times feel oppressive, but is always rescued by either a devilishly great synth hook or Puciato's baleful vocals and heated lyrics. [Mar 2016, p.102]

A bold, uncompromising debut. [Feb 2016, p.100]

If there's a downside to the rumbly growl emerging from the twisted minds of Chicago's Bloodiest, it's the sextet's unwillingness to push tempos beyond a snarling, hammer-slams-nail, mid-paced plod. However, when a gold-standard knuckle-dusting that’s part Swans churn, part Neurosis’ tribal stomp with Unsane’s propulsive groove is employed, does a lack of temporal variety matter? Probably not. [Feb 2016, p.102]

A little more focus in that department [including everyone's vocals in each song] would have gone a long way toward giving some ballast to this soupy, stormy effort. [Feb 2016, p.102]

Prepare to be blown away.... Emotional Mugger is an out-of-this-world psychedelic venture meant to be listened to--and listened to very loud. [Feb 2016, p.98]

That this open-ended philosophical query ["Is it human to adore life?"] has no easy answers makes Adore Life that much more intellectually dense and appealing. [Feb 2016, p.100]

For all of its precocious, borderline bratty moments, Death Of A Bachelor is a remarkably nuanced affair. [Feb 2016, p.95]

Just as Metallica introduced a generation to Misfits with their 1997 covers EP, Garage Days Re-Revisited, Danzig pays similarly enthusiastic homage to his influences on Skeletons. [Jan 2016, p.94]

Although there's no shortage of menace and mystery on her goth and dark wave-inspired full-length, these uneasy, creeped-out feelings seep into the unconsciousness only after repeated listens. [Jan 2016, p.95]

With its background ripped straight from ’80s video games and its foreground featuring rip-roaring guitar, Science And Magic bridges a gap between goofy nostalgia and a welcome adventure. [Jan 2016, p.95]

The allure is, as ever, the trio's use of the stereo field, and their ability to pump some breathing room into these otherwise sticky and humid tunes. [Dec 2015, p.106]

In short, Mythologiesis reverent to past creative innovations, while creating a few of its own. [Dec 2015, p.104]

Every moment on Dealer feels intentional, and as a result, gorgeous. [Nov 2015, p.96]

The hope was that Beach Slang would be the next great melodic punk band; with this album, that's no longer in question. [Nov 2015, p.96]

When compared to their debut, the maturity of Sounds Good is evident. [Nov 2015, p.95]

One of extreme music’s most adventurous bands continues blazing its own path. [Nov 2015, p.97

These 11 songs are decidedly more polished. [Oct 2015, p.100]

The group put enough spin on the source material to make these songs their own. [Nov 2015, p.97]

The Color Before The Sun manages to maintain momentum for its duration, proving Coheed have shown themselves a band skilled in evading the lines of genres. [Nov 2015, p.100]

The Florida foursome still manage to top themselves with each outing. [Nov 2015, p.96]

This is as good as emo gets in 2015, and one of the most consistently stunning records of any type this year. [Oct 2015, p.98]

Rickly pulls off rock-god histrionics and urbane cool, as the band shore him up with a melodic roar that should convince the world to finally stop caring about U2. [Oct 2015, p.97]

Although the lovable weirdness seems absent this time around, fans will be in for a solid and consistent rock album from start to finish.

As elements of dark pop fuse seamlessly with dance beats, Every Open Eye will convert even the staunchest non-believers. [Oct 2015, p.98]

Ambitious, grand, emotional and complex, it’s a record that demands the band be seen in a new light.

With some new explorations entwined, Act IV exhibits all facets of the band's alluring brand (extensive instrumentation, orchestral theatrics and experimental whimsy) in impressive form.

This collection of songs finds the band both maturing nicely, and as close to flawless [as] they've ever been. [Oct 2015, p.94]

23 Live Sex Acts is the perfect culmination of where this band sit today: at the top of their songwriting and live-performance game. [Oct 2015, p.96]

La Di Da Di urges you to dance and then challenges you to keep up with every bob, weave and time signature shift. [Oct 2015, p.98]

It's truly an incredible piece of work that excavates the very core of human existence. [Sep 2015, p.95]

The songs don’t have the immediate impact of the band’s heavier work, but it’s nice to see The Sword break from their mold.

Attention Citizens of Warped: Life's Not Out To Get You is the album you've been craving. [Sep 2015, p.96]

Everybody's Coming Down is a spacey rock record with noisy guitars and plenty of dynamics, with all of the endearing alcoholic romanticism that we have grown to love. [Sep 2015, p.97]

The technical skill of BFMV has never been in question, even if there's an ultra-safe formula still being adhered to. Venom is no different, offering up more thrash than ever on one of the most solid offerings in the Bullet catalog. [Sep 2015, p.100]

This go-around, it reads vulnerable, and while we’ll never know how autobiographical the record may be, its universal appeal is undeniable.

The shift toward less discord and more opportunity for a listener to sing along may initially throw off a seasoned HEALTH fan, but it is sure to introduce new ears to one of the most accessible noise bands of the last decade. [Sep 2015, p.98]

It's not a "clever" record in any sense, but who needs to think when the music is this much raucous fun? [Sep 2015, p.98]

The album demands a lot from our short-attention-span culture, but it's not time you'll feel like you've wasted. [Sep 2015, p.98]

Re-examining a broken heart is tough business, but Turner and producer Butch Walker do the work on this dozen-song effort. [Sep 2015, p.97]

Heaping handfuls of sound are shaped into a dizzying array, landing somewhere between a heavy Queen, even heavier '70s British prog and a more interesting Dream Theater. [Jul 2015, p.96]

The Heart Is A Monster is not only a stark reminder of why the band have been so influential, but it also underscores their status as modern trailblazers. [Jul 2015, p.97]

Building on the intelligent, melodically inventive sounds showcased on 2013's Rescue & Restore, the quintet further distinguish themselves from the metalcore pack in a manner that seems effortless. [Jul 2015, p.96]

A well-rounded album that might be mewithoutYou’s best.

Whether it's moving, restrained numbers or jarring, chilling bursts of intensity, it's a hellish journey with heavenly execution. [Jul 2015, p.97]

Cemetery Highrise Slum provides 41 minutes of unsettled bliss. [Jul 2015, p.97]

Van Etten cements herself as the auteur of the symphonically sad.

This cause-minded screamo-ish collective is older and more grounded, but are no less committed to inciting change that sticks. [Jul 2015, p.98]

Grand Romantic is proof-positive more Nate Ruess is always a good thing. [Jul 2015, p.100]

At least as good as their first full-length, Connector hits everything we’d want (and a little more).

Exuberant and energetic.

Four Year Strong is catchy, polished and displays lyrical depths. [Jul 2015, p.96]

At times, it lacks focus, but this is still a perfect soundtrack for lonely nights at home with your demons. [Jun 2015, p.98]

These 14 songs find the band raging as hard as they ever have. [Jun 2015, p.97]

Twenty One Pilots ramped up everything, from new influences to the number of producers (four) to the metric ton of uncertainties and fears multiplying in frontman/songwriter Tyler Joseph’s cranium. And it’s wonderful.

The proof [of the band's maturity] is in each one of the songs: Every member is playing with a richness and depth that can only come from spending all this time in the studio and onstage together. [Jun 2015, p.95]

The [concept album] format doesn't overshadow the songwriting. [Jun 2015, p.100]

Through every shift in tone and style, Fernow keeps his focus, connecting these songs with small bits of spoken word that conjure up dark visions of people desperately searching for meaning in an increasingly dismal world.