Back catalogue: Metal

Review: Swedish progressive groove metal legends and djent pioneers Meshuggah have always been in competition with themselves, nearly eclipsing all prior output with 2022's ninth full-length Immutable; a near 70-minute beastly display of ludicrously technical, poly rhythmic mayhem that served as both their lengthiest work to date as well as one of their most critically acclaimed, combining the unhinged aggression of 2008's ObZen with the post-prog hypnotism of their 2002 fan-favourite Nothing. The Indelible Edition offers a unique sonic enhancement and total remaster, redefining the album's depth and clarity, while including three bonus live tracks captured over the course of their 2023/2024 world tours. A very on-brand reissue from a collective known for their painstakingly detailed commitment to their vision and craft, whether you prefer the term "indelible" or "definitive", this is the version of Immutable the band finally appear content with sharing with their fanbase almost three years after initial release, almost like the Kanye West of progressive metal but without all of the antisemitism. Complete with updated artwork and gold foil intricacies for the aesthetically minded fanbase.

Review: The brainchild of Olli-Pekka Laine (Amorphis, Barren Earth, Mannhai), Beyond The Aeons marks the debut full-length from psych-death-prog entity Octoploid. Rounding out the line-up with several long-time collaborators including vocalist Mikko Kotamaki (Swallow The Sun) and keyboardist Kim Rantala (formerly of Amorphis), the collective live up to their namesake by pulling from several eras of rock simultaneously with a sonic bedrock built upon 70s prog and psychedelia, 90s death and black metal, as well as the myriad Venn Diagram-like intersections where these styles have crossed paths over the decades. Equal parts King Crimson, Pink Floyd and Opeth, on their debut statement Octoploid deliver a fuzzy, bombastic ode to all things heaving, hypnotising, hefty and hallucinogenic.

Review: Marking their first album in five years and follow up to 2019's criminally overlooked In Cauda Venenum, Swedish progressive death metal legends Opeth return with their fourteenth full-length The Last Will & Testament. Marking the return of vocalist/guitarist/primary songwriter Mikael Akerfeldt's signature death growls; the first project to feature the inhumane bellows since 2008's Watershed, the work is the band's first concept album since 1999's Still Life, with the narrative based around a wealthy, mysterious patriarch in the post-World War I era whose death leads his family to congregate at his estate to learn horrific secrets as his last will and testament is unveiled. Whilst retracing some of their gloomier, more macabre sonics, musically the compositions continue to embrace the 70's psychedelia of Heritage and Sorceress yet with a notable rediscovery of their harrowing, frosted death metal origins. Pressed on limited marbled 'rough seas' vinyl 2xLP..