Getting right down to it because it’s Lair of the Minotaur week ‘round these parts. I could go on and on here about how excellent this album is and how it truly is their best and heaviest but trust me when I say that you must experience it for yourself. And at least once in the gym. Do all of that. Then, we follow that with the next heaviest band in rotation which obviously is -(16)- with a round of satisfying covers, then we have a glorious heavy metal offering from Spell and in case you forgot, they rule so there’s that. There it is, the top three this week are on freakin’ point. Read on for the rest, dear readers.

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Lair of The Minotaur – I Hail I (The Grind‑House Records) – death / doom

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-(16)- – Forgeries Vol 1, 1972–1984 (Heavy Psych Sounds) – sludge

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Spell – Wretched Heart (Bad Omen / Metal Blade) – heavy metal

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Also on tap:

35 Tapes – Veil On Life (Apollon Records Prog) – prog

AntiHuman Industries – Accelerated Death Impulse (W.T.C. Productions) – extreme

Antirope – Bring Me To Zero (Eclipse Records) – alt‑metal

Ashen Horde – The Harvest (Self) – black metal

Atronos – Gram (Purity Through Fire) – black metal

Black Cilice – Votive Fire (Iron Bonehead) – black metal

Brüle – Beltane (Self) – doom

Burnt Lodge / Veytik – Anchors Plunged Off Helluland (Fiadh Productions) – melodic black metal

Cage Fight – Exuvia (Spinefarm) – metalcore

Candarian – Trepanación (Memento Mori / Me Saco Un Ojo) – death metal

Cognizance – In Light, No Shape (Willowtip Records) – progressive death metal

Come Back From The Dead – Ad Nauseum (Coffin Entrails Sound / Taûme Records) – death metal

Detach The Islands – Concrete Jungle (Tomb Tree Tapes) – all the core

Devenial Verdict – Old Blood – Fresh Wounds (Transcending Obscurity Records) – death metal

Dún – Dealú (Self) – industrial metal

Eveale – Enter The Woodland Realm (Hypaethral / Fiadh) – black metal

Firmament – Reveries of a Forgotten Spirit (Naturmacht Productions) – black metal

Fyrdsman – The Free Man (Self) – black metal

Grond – The Temple (Xtreem Music) – death metal

Hajduk – The Flying Band (Amor Fati) – melodic black metal

Haste The Day – Dissenter (Solid State) – rock

Hrob – Brána Chladu (Memento Mori / Night Terrors) – death / doom

In Malice’s Wake – The Profound Darkness (Self) – thrash

Malhkebre – B.A.M.N. (LADLO) – black metal

Modern Woman – Johnny’s Dreamworld (One Little Independent Records) – art‑rock

Oldowan Gash – 1000 Dreams of War (Amor Fati / Feral Heart) – metal

Savage Master / Mystic Storm – The Power / Wandering Time (Shadow Kingdom Records) – heavy metal

Sconfitta – Essere Nessuno (Self) – punk / metal

Sevendust – One (Napalm) – rock / metal

Steve Austin – Marked Cards and Loaded Dice (SuperNova Records) – country / bluegrass BW of TitD

The Great Observer – Loss of Transcendence (BlackSeed) – black metal

Vansind – Hævnen (Mighty Music) – melodic folk metal

VCTMS – Pain Processing II, EP (Self) – rock

Venom – Into Oblivion (Noise / BMG) – metal

— Josh