This week’s best albums
– The latest from experimental metal band Vaura — consisting of members of Dysrhythmia, Gorguts, and Kayo Dot — combines black metal, mid-tempo gothic haziness, blast-beat shoegaze, and darkwave.
– Now on its second LP for Relapse, Chicago’s Weekend Nachos continues to hate everyone, hold grudges, and write furious, furious music.
– A collection of B-sides and remixes from its acclaimed Shields album, Grizzly Bear’s Shields: B-Sides offers a refreshing but reverential take on the band’s signature sound.
– Exivious might have members of Cynic and Pestilence, but its new album has more in common with Bill Bruford than progressive death metal.
– On a split release that features entirely different tracks depending on LP/CD format, Brutal Truth and Bastard Noise walk the line between quiet and disorientation, each in their own way redefining our notions of noise.
Honorable mentions
Audiences: Roam
Gems: Medusa EP
James Plotkin & Paal Nilssen-Love: Death Rattle (Rune Grammofon)
Majeure: Romance Language EP (Temporary Residence)
Mount Eerie: Pre-Human Ideas
Obliteration: Black Death Horizon (Relapse)
Pestilence: Obsideo (Candlelight)
Matt Pryor: Wrist Slitter (Equal Vision)
The Thing: Boot!