Romantic, modern, vintage, classic, spinning pop illusions while sublimely dancing with the dark arts--there’s a definite “vibe” throughout The Shadow Side and the mainstream would be better for it, should the world surrender themselves to Andy Black’s deceptive embrace.

While not much of a departure from 2013's Feast Of Love as it is a second helping of their best bits, for Pity sex, refining what works has never gone down smoother. [May 2016, p.80]

SMM proves that Jourgensen still breathes fire. But this time, he's incinerating you with a grin on his face. [May 2016, p.82]

While many of their contemporaries remain content with the particular style that brought them to the dance, Deftones never feared exploring new avenues to advance their sound; Gore represents their latest evolution.

While not everything works--as with most albums of the genre, Metal Resistance's musical textures and tropes can grow repetitive--Babymetal's aggressive enthusiasm and sincerity are impossible to resist. [May 2016, p.80]

Pussy's Dead is Autolux at their most intriguing--and was definitely worth the wait. [May 2016, p.80]

Worsnop may be gone, but the rage channeled into The Black has helped the group lift themselves back onto their feet, showing they are more than capable of carrying on without him.

All that really matters is that the White Album’s songs are great, and not just great for the 2016 version of Weezer. They stack up beside the band’s best work of the past 15 years.

For a band who ultimately decided to soldier on, the album can feel unbalanced, but still delivers all the belting feel-good choruses that made you fall in love with the Arizona crew back in 2009. [Mar 2016, p.100]

There's confidence in the slower tempos and meatier hooks that add as sense of foreboding to these 11 songs. [Apr 2016, p.99]

Thanks in part to Alan Moulder's always-nuanced mix, Hitch balances the band's bombast with restraint. [Apr 2016, p.102]

For new fans, We Disappear is a solid entry point into the Thermals' world; for longtime fans, the new, calmer side of the band emerging is fresh, but still packed with the same spirit and punch that has endured for a decade-and-a-half. [Apr 2016, p.100]

A fully developed, worthwhile offering of Killswitch Engage's monstrous metal. [Apr 2016, p.102]

His most accessible and easiest listen yet. [Apr 2016, p.98]

Limitless might not be the album their fans all completely agree on, but it does mark a maturing band. [Mar 2016, p.96]

It all comes together to create a perfect album for those sleepless nights when you need help to combat the loneliness. [Apr 2016, p.100]

They decided that they could completely renovate their brand and rely on their fanbase to follow; lucky for them, it’s working. It’s a new era, and the 1975 are taking you with them.

It’s hard to fault them for sticking to that template since it was what helped turn the band into superstars around the world. But as Simple Plan moves outside of their musical comfort zone, it would be great to hear them mess with the formula a little more.

Is The Is Are nails all of nostalgia's sonic signifiers, without any of the retrograde guilt. [Mar 2016, p.100]

Appealing on any level, this digs deeper than the studio albums to glimpse Smith's raw brilliance shining. [Mar 2016, p.99]

The mood can at times feel oppressive, but is always rescued by either a devilishly great synth hook or Puciato's baleful vocals and heated lyrics. [Mar 2016, p.102]

A bold, uncompromising debut. [Feb 2016, p.100]

If there's a downside to the rumbly growl emerging from the twisted minds of Chicago's Bloodiest, it's the sextet's unwillingness to push tempos beyond a snarling, hammer-slams-nail, mid-paced plod. However, when a gold-standard knuckle-dusting that’s part Swans churn, part Neurosis’ tribal stomp with Unsane’s propulsive groove is employed, does a lack of temporal variety matter? Probably not. [Feb 2016, p.102]

A little more focus in that department [including everyone's vocals in each song] would have gone a long way toward giving some ballast to this soupy, stormy effort. [Feb 2016, p.102]

Prepare to be blown away.... Emotional Mugger is an out-of-this-world psychedelic venture meant to be listened to--and listened to very loud. [Feb 2016, p.98]

That this open-ended philosophical query ["Is it human to adore life?"] has no easy answers makes Adore Life that much more intellectually dense and appealing. [Feb 2016, p.100]

For all of its precocious, borderline bratty moments, Death Of A Bachelor is a remarkably nuanced affair. [Feb 2016, p.95]

Just as Metallica introduced a generation to Misfits with their 1997 covers EP, Garage Days Re-Revisited, Danzig pays similarly enthusiastic homage to his influences on Skeletons. [Jan 2016, p.94]