Despite a continued abundance of albums, most of the releases at the end of May left me underwhelmed. As such this last part of Metal in May focusses on albums that didn’t make it into previous part.
Darkthrone – Old Star
Starting off with the only release from this selection that actually came out at the end of May. Second wave masters Darkthrone are back with Old Star. Describing the album as “like the 80s never left” and “RIFFS and more METAL than ever”, Old Star continues down the road paved by Arctic Thunder with a dash of Ravishing Grimness. It’s no Underground Resistance but fans of Darkthone’s modern day output will enjoy this nonetheless.
Visigoth – Bells of Awakening
America’s best heavy metal export of this decade makes a quick return after their sophomore album Conqueror’s Oath from 2018. This new EP is titled Bells of Awakening and features two new songs themed after the highly successful Dark Souls game series. With Fireseeker and Abysswalker, Visigoth show the high potential of combining the tragic heroics of Dark Souls with epic heavy metal as they deliver some of the best material of their career.
Twisted Tower Dire – Wars in the Unkown
I just called Visigoth america’s best heavy metal export but they should stay on their toes because the rest of the scene is not sleeping. After eight years of silence, Twisted Tower Dire come out with an unbelievably fun heavy metal album and lay a strong claim for a spot in the best albums of this year. Wars in the Unkown is packed tight with high-energy songwriting, badass lyrics and choruses that will inspire every metalhead to sing along. Absolutely don’t miss this one.