Exclaim!'s Top 10 Metal and Hardcore Albums

Sleep’s *The Sciences* begins with a three-minute warm-up of the same name. As though revving a long-dormant engine of feedback and distortion, it’s a fitting start to the legendary doom trio’s first album in almost two decades (released on 4/20, no less). Unlike their hour-plus stoner meditation, *Dopesmoker*, *The Sciences* is divided into six colossal tracks, anchored by the comforting familiarity of sludgy riffs and rumbling percussion. Throughout, you’ll find some of their greatest guitar solos (“Marijuanaut’s Theme”) and lyrics (“Giza Butler,” an homage to Black Sabbath’s Geezer Butler), while stunning, reflective closer “The Botanist” is among the best songs in their genre-defining career.

Forget everything you think you know about Rivers of Nihil. The Reading, PA quintet announced themselves as one of the most promising and forward-thinking metal bands in the world today with their first two releases, The Conscious Seed of Light (2013) and Monarchy (2015). But on March 16th, 2018, they will shatter all expectations with their third full-length, Where Owls Know My Name. Whereas Seed and Monarchy were thematically centered around spring and summer, respectively, Where Owls Know My Name represents the fall. And although that season is usually associated with death, for Rivers of Nihil, the autumn serves as a rebirth. Formed in 2009 by guitarist Brody Uttley, bassist/lyricist Adam Biggs, and vocalist Jake Dieffenbach, Rivers of Nihil quickly made a name for themselves in the death metal scene, attracting the attention of legendary DM titan Erik Rutan. Rutan, revered for his work as both a musician (Hate Eternal, Morbid Angel) and producer (Cannibal Corpse, Goatwhore), insisted on recording The Conscious Seed of Light. The results were, unsurprisingly, spectacular, with Heavy Blog Is Heavy going so far as to assert that the debut "rivals even the most legendary work of some of [Rivers of Nihil's] peers and influences." They continued along this trajectory with Monarchy, which Metal Injection praised as an "incredibly striking" demonstration of how "Rivers of Nihil have evolved into a monster." The group further cemented their reputation as a young band to watch by annihilating audiences with their live show, which Metal Wani called "a mind numbing force of modern death metal with a vivid darkness in the sound." To date, Rivers of Nihil have toured with such heavy hitters as Whitechapel, Obituary, Darkest Hour, Misery Index, and Cryptopsy. But Where Owls Know My Name represents a massive evolutionary leap for Rivers of Nihil, as different from its predecessors as Homo sapiens are from amoeba. The band - now rounded out by guitarist Jon Topore and drummer Jared Klein - has delivered an album which is often just as punishing as its predecessors while assimilating ingredients from musical genres as varied as electronica, jazz, alternative, folk, and the golden age of Shrapnel Records. The resulting music is indescribably progressive, a multifaceted soundscape that goes beyond the wildest dreams of even the group's most ardent admirers. All bets are off; listeners are simply not prepared for the magnum opus that is Where Owls Know My Name. Says Brody Uttley of the offering: "This record is Rivers of Nihil being exactly who we want to be. Many bands get stuck in a comfortable routine of releasing the same album over and over again. Constantly relying on the same familiar formula may work for some bands, but it does not work for us. Music is art, and art is ever-changing. Without change, there is no progress. Without progress, the very fire that powers art and expression will die. This record is the sound of where we come from, where we are, and where we are going." Adds Adam Biggs: "This time around, the lyrics feel a little more personal than on previous albums. The story picks up several millennia after the events of 'Monarchy', where one person still remains alive, chosen by the planet to be the sole intelligent witness of its ultimate fate. But 'Where Owls Know My Name' is less about overarching narrative than our previous albums. The scenario is just a backdrop for the more emotional material we tried to put forth this time around. Ultimately, this is an album about loss, getting older, and reaching a point where death becomes a much more present part of your life." Where Owls Know My Name reunites Rivers of Nihil with Monarchy producer Carson Slovak, known for his work with a diverse array of bands, ranging from August Burns Red to The Last Ten Seconds of Life to Candlebox. It was recorded in 2017 at Pennsylvania's Atrium Audio, the studio Slovak co-founded with Grant McFarland (Texas in July, Everclear) a decade ago. Also reuniting with Rivers of Nihil once again is Dan Seagrave, the storied artist behind such celebrated album covers as Entombed's Left Hand Path and Suffocation's Effigy of the Forgotten. For Where Owls Know My Name, Seagrave has provided a characteristically stunning illustration. Painted entirely in rich earth tones, the cover anthropomorphizes our planet as a morose old man forever intertwined with a desolate landscape and imposing sky, the line between humanity and its home forever blurred. The existential angst of Seagrave's piece once again serves as a perfect mirror for Rivers of Nihil's music. Where Owls Know My Name is Rivers of Nihil's most visceral, accomplished, and satisfying offering to-date. Few metal bands will ever create anything with such scope and ambition. Circle the date on your calendar: on March 16, Where Owls Know My Name becomes your new obsession.

Conjured in the backwoods of Pennsylvania, Death Metal newcomers OUTER HEAVEN spew forth their long-awaited debut album Realms of Eternal Decay. Across 10 tracks and 30+ minutes of grotesque, groove-laden old-school Death Metal, OUTER HEAVEN immediately raise the bar for the new generation of extreme bands. Realms of Eternal Decay was produced by Kevin Bernsten (Skeletonwitch, Full of Hell, Integrity) at Developing Nations Studios mixed and mastered by Arthur Rizk (Cavalera Conspiracy, Inquisition, Pissgrave). Features sickening cover artwork by Matthew Stikker (Power Trip).

On their fourth album, metallic hardcore heavyweights Harms Way deliver a vitriolic screed on the dangers of technological obsession, overpopulation, and the cosmic insignificance of the human race. Led by the raw-throated roar of frontman James Pligge, the Chicago five-piece pepper their bellicose blasts with industrial interludes, beefy drum breaks, and squealing whammy bar dive-bombs on \"Last Man,\" \"Call My Name,\" and \"Human Carrying Capacity.\" The rumbling bass riptide of \"Temptation\" and dissonant guitar refrain of \"Dissect Me\" only compound their capacity for sonic terror.

Cult Leader is a chaotic band from Salt Lake City, Utah. “A Patient Man” was recorded and engineered by Kurt Ballou at God City Studios (Converge, Nails, High On Fire). From the first hits of opener “I Am Healed” Cult Leader take listeners on a sonic rollercoaster ride. Much of the album follows this blueprint. Songs like “Curse of Satisfaction”, “Craft of Mourning”, and “Share My Pain” are driven by a weave work of unorthodox metallic riffing and fueled by hyper-aggressive percussion. While the tech- nical proficiency is impressive, it’s in their use of dynamics where they truly shine. The album contains four beautifully brooding epics; “To: Achlys”, “A World of Joy”, title track “A Patient Man”, and “The Broken Right Hand of God”. Each one of them carries a maturation and sense of melody that few “extreme” bands have within their arsenal. Proving that aggressive music still has much to offer the world in terms of originality, creativity, and emotion.

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New York's nebulous avant-garde metal outfit Imperial Triumphant redefine sonic darkness on their ambitious new album, "Vile Luxury". A turbulent, frenetic take on experimental noise and progressive black metal, Imperial Triumphant embody the most austere side of the New York underground. Chaos, menagerie, and the perils of the city clash with its reputation for majesty and extravagance. The band aim to portray the juxtaposition between high society and urban decay. 'Vile Luxury' combines the various musical elements that follow well within the tradition of music in New York, a monolith of the Western world, of constant experimentation and appropriation of all things that enter it, never leaving the same as it came.

On their second album, young hardcore heroes Turnstile slice, dice, and defy genres at every turn. Leadoff ripper \"Real Thing\" cranks a turbocharged riff against melodic backing vocals and a loungey piano outro, while \"Generator\" spins a Helmet-esque groove into a psych-grunge bridge and hyper-metallic guitar solo. Bassist Franz Lyons takes over for frontman Brendan Yates on the soaring staccato groove of \"Moon\" (which also features subtle backups from Sheer Mag\'s Tina Halladay) and \"Right to Be,\" which boasts spacey production from Diplo.