Born Of Osiris was never the easiest thing to "get". But this album really shows a band on top of its game.
If you ever needed a good reason to check out Born Of Osiris, here it is!

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Thryce Doc Godin, jupitreas, White Winter Sun, Ag Fox, Mr. Doctor

Arabian death metallers Nervecell have returned to attack our senses with this, their second full length album entitled 'Psychogenocide'.

Brutal, thrashy & progressive yet refined, this album is a natural progression from 2008's 'Preaching Venom' and stands out as one of the best death metal releases of 2011 so far.

Featuring traditional arabic instruments such as the 'Oud', arabic & english lyrics (a rarity in extreme metal), fantastic guitar work and a guest appearance by none other than Karl Sanders from Nile, this is an album that all death metal fans should check out and is a nice example of what talent there is to be found in the Arabian metal scene.

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Nefarious Troy Gallant, wormdrink414

In two weeks, the legendary Uriah Heep will release Into The Wild, their 22nd studio album. Wake The Sleeper is the band's last effort from 2008, which itself was their first in a decade, and is an amazing hard rock album that can be compared to their greats from the 70's. You'll be doing yourself a great injustice by not checking them out.

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Baz Anderson Fat & Sassy!

Founded by a couple of girls obsessed with numbers, Forty-Two Tits might just be one of the craziest new bands of the last decade. This precisely calculated piece of music, filled with allusions to famous mathematicians and maths problems, as well as the question how much boob is enough boob, is a masterpiece in its own right.

Their music is definitely not playing by numbers, actually stating that they squared their originality is an understatement. Mixing their brilliance with an equal amount of sexuality and computations approaching infinity, this is the must-hear album of the year!

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Bas !J.O.O.E.!, Dane Train, Darkside Momo, BloodTears, Angelique, BitterCOld, White Winter Sun, Fat & Sassy!, Troy Gallant, Mr. Doctor, Nefarious, Introspekrieg, Ag Fox

Horrible music for horrible people... "At A Loss" is raw, visceral, angry, throbbing, raging sludge. The most pleasant thing about this album are the moribund movie clips that signal the start of virtually every song on this album. The music is a harsh blend of the energy of hard core punk with the misanthropy of black metal and the overall vibe of doom. The worst of all worlds. Have some fun and blare their cover of "Don't Bring Me Down" for the ELO fan in your life... it will bring them down, down, down, down, down... ooh-oh-hooo.

And be sure to catch these guys pitch a Whiskey Fit at Hellfest this year.

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BitterCOld Marcel Hubregtse

If you have been paying any attention at all, you know that 40 Watt Sun is the reincarnation of the now-defunct Warning (and if you don't even know who Warning is, gtfo). Let me tell you, Patrick Walker once again delivers: the atmosphere is, well, you'll just have to experience for yourself. The mandatory stuff for every self-loathing doom fan.

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Thryce Jοe, BitterCOld, Dane Train, White Winter Sun, Marcel Hubregtse, Nefarious, Mr. Doctor, wormdrink414

Here's an album that we all missed when it was first released back in 2009. This is probably because the band only released it on vinyl and as an mp3 bundle on their website. Well, it's a real shame that no real promotion was done for Kiss The Lie because it is a superb little hidden gem, filled to the brim with complex riffs, unorthodox song structures, innovative instrumental virtuosity and some of the best melodies Candiria ever composed.

Note: The version floating around on iTunes is not endorsed by the band since it is unfinished. You need to go to http://risingpulse.com/ to get the real thing.

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jupitreas BloodTears

Continuing the annual trend of finding (or in this case re-visiting, more or less, ignored) records that should have found their way onto "Best Of" lists the year after their release Zoroaster, a band I'm largely unfamiliar with, are one of the first objects of retrospective desire. Supposedly denizens of the sludge genre this little beauty seems largely devoid of most of the characteristics that adorn that musical subset, the bludgeoning force still present but wrapped in a veil of a stoned-out, mind melting maelstrom, the closing title track being a particularly delicious exercise in Skullflower-driven dronery. And yes, dronery is a word.

So yeah, don't be a toaster, go grab Zoroaster.

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!J.O.O.E.! Troy Gallant, BitterCOld, Marcel Hubregtse, Doc Godin, Promonex, Ag Fox, White Winter Sun

The French psychopaths make their long-awaited return after three and a half years since the band's last opus of groovy, grinding brutal death. Asylum Cave is Benighted just the way we've grown to love them, magnified by a whole lot more of everything.

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Baz Anderson White Winter Sun, Troy Gallant, Nefarious, Marcel Hubregtse, Mr. Doctor, wormdrink414, Darkside Momo

Here's an album title that really speaks for itself... Ulcerate is one of those rare bands with a peculiar monumental sound: there's room for both punishing br00tality and dissonant darkness. A must check out album that will rip yer face off.

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Thryce Troy Gallant, Marcel Hubregtse, !J.O.O.E.!, jupitreas, White Winter Sun, Nefarious, Ag Fox, Mr. Doctor, wormdrink414

Wait wait wait! Did you just say progressive _pagan_ metal?! Yessir, that's what I said. Instead of reiterating the same formula (as it seems to be common practice in the pagan metal scene) after their 2007 masterpiece "Leben und Lebenswille", Bergthron pull a Theatre Of Tragedy and do exactly what none of their fans wanted them to do: abandoning the epic OoooOOOooOhhh parts altogether and becoming modern, fresh, progressive and, yes, perhaps even experimental and avantgarde, while song titles like "84°03'N 174°51'W (Asgard)" reflect their attempt to deliver a modern interpretation of the myths of yore. Highly recommendable for Enslaved worshippers and pagan metal fans who want to listen to something different for a change.

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Promonex

More sludge for y'all - the heavy-as-fuck, filthy and abrasive kind, with female vocals this time.

Another overlooked gem of 2010? Well that, or you're just not looking hard enough, silly.

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Thryce Marcel Hubregtse, Mr. Doctor

After their excellent full-length debut, this UK post/black metal outfit does not disappoint. While it may not be as extreme as the previous effort, there is more of a loose structure to the songs this time around. There is the classic rawness of black metal production paired with beautiful post-rock segues, with neither style becoming too oppressive in the mix. The contrast blends in these flavors and ends up with a nice organic feeling overall. The little things really add up, as you'll be noticing some great ideas throughout repeat listens (the keyboard atmospheres add a surprising, subtle touch). Of note is the passion that seeps through when listening to the songwriting, very moving. Fans of Agalloch, Alcest, Drudkh, and In The Woods... should not miss this.

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Introspekrieg Ag Fox, !J.O.O.E.!, BitterCOld, Marcel Hubregtse, Mr. Doctor

Enjoy these grooves, melodies, and damn solid songwriting. November-7 is all about high quality and Season 3 has the production and mix, songwriting, and performance that puts them well on par with their more famous counterparts... but with the added bonus of breathing some fiery new life to the genre.

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Lyrinan Ag Fox

There's a new Deeds Of Flesh coming up and nobody cared to inform the MS News department? Thanks for nothing, you pricks. Hope your ears explode when it's out.

Anyway, the band will start recording Portal to Canaan in May/June, with a late 2011 release through Unique Leader Records. There. In the meantime, please enjoy this monster of an album.

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Thryce Troy Gallant, Ag Fox