FANGE - Purulences (2025)

With Purulences I feel it's the first time the French band from Brittany FANGE release an album so similar to the previous one. It seems they have completed their evolution, in a direction at the same time more industrial and more melodic. Stabilisation before a new evolution? Maybe, time will tell... Anyway, their Godflesh meets Paradise Lost, Morbid Angel and beatdown hardcore thing is really their own and is excellent, so I don't mind a repeat, really. Purulences is an awesome album, with songs that are bound to become classics in their live set and is highly recommended for people who enjoyed their previous albums and also a great entry point for discovering the band. 

 

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Test - Disco Normal (2023)

Grindcore, like most musical genres, is often quite standardised. Test, the grind duo from Brazil is definitely not. We could call their music "noise stoner latin grind" or maybe just free grind. Probably John Zorn would totally approve. I enjoyed their four albums (Disco Normal being the latest) and splits, but seeing them play live the other day (supported by Apoptose a new and very promising mince/gore grind duo from Besançon, with drummer and guitarist from Proudhon) exceeded my expectations, a truly unique experience! Both guys are inspired and very talented musicians, the drumming especially is a masterclass from another world. Absolutely recommended! and if you have the occasion to see go to one of their gig, don't miss it! 

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Bambara - Birthmarks (2025)

If you're into bands like Algiers, Ice Age, or, if we go back in time The Cure or Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds (I know all are still active, but the classics from the latter ones are not their recent albums), then Bambara should be also one of your favourite bands, and their new album, Birthmarks should be among your favourite 2025 albums. In the same vein as their excellent previous albums, the trio from New York managed to vary the pleasures with some female vocals on a couple of songs, some sax parts, new beats, etc., making each song a memorable one. And the vocalist has once again done a tremendous job. Highly recommended!

 

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Vitriol - Suffer & Become (2024)

I remember enjoying Vitriol's first album extreme grimness and violence, but I think the new one is even better, less one dimensional. Suffer & Become will probably establish the trio from Portland among the extreme metal bands that really matters. Their ferocious black/death metal is relentless, intense and epic, with both excellent songwriting and quite technical musicianship, extreme aggression (the new drummer is doing a tremendous job) combined with good melodic lead guitars and a subtle use of synth to deepen the atmospheres. Could evoke bands like Hideous Divinity, but with a more "war metal" feel, or Behemoth (but not their slower and less inspired recent stuff...), but also Anaal Nathrakh's over the top intensity level. Highly recommended!

 

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Al Cisneros vs The Bug - Rosin (2022)

From this unexpected collaboration (resulting from a tour Om did with Kevin Martin's King Midas Sound) between Al Cisneros (who was the drummer in Sleep and then Om) and The Bug aka Kevin Martin we have a near perfect instrumental dub album (4 tracks, around 20 minutes). Especially recommended if you like it with a slightly dark feel. 

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Cytotoxin - Biographyte (2025)

Biographyte is the fifth album from German death-metal band Cytotoxin, and another excellent one. On Biographyte their technical death-metal find a good balance between melodies (especialy the guitar leads) and brutality. Maybe a tad generic, but at a so high level of musicianship and songwriting skill that it's still a very strong album nevertheless.

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Coilguns - Odd Love (2024)

Coilguns is a band from Switzerland, playing a noise/post-metal/emo kind of hardcore, sounding a bit like a collide of At The Drive-in and Neurosis. I discovered them with their new album Odd Love and it's an awesome one with great songwriting, a gripping atmosphere, memorable melodies and emotional vocals. And I went to see them live, and I definitely wasn't disappointed, they delivered. Highly recommended band and album !

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