That's Not Metal

We close out February with reviews of some of our boldest and sloppiest with Killswitch Engage, Bleeding Through, Winona Fighter, Pissgrave, Vacuous, & Gràb, Green Lung & Unto Others' recent Heathen Neverland trip across Europe, and yes, Sam finally reviews a Dream Theater album.

Killswitch Engage 40:37
Bleeding Through 1:06:01
Dream Theater 1:31:51
Winona Fighter 1:56:08
Pissgrave 2:10:38
Vacuous 2:31:42
Gràb 2:43:22

There's reports from High Vis and Tribulation both hitting headline tours around the UK, A Day to Remember bring news of their surprise album and its promised big ole volumes, and Parkway Drive stake a claim on the Sydney Opera House.

Releases:
Killswitch Engage - This Consequence
Silverstein - Antibloom
Anxious - Bambi
To Obey a Tyrant - Frigore Inferni
Wren - Black Rain Falls
Hirax - Faster Than Death
Morax - The Amulet
Pissgrave - Malignant Worthlessness
Gràb - Kremess
Abduction - Existentialismus
God Complex - He Watches In Silence
Spy - Seen Enough

letlive. finally break the seal on their UK return dates, Death Grips seem to disband again, and there's questions on the misconceptions that surround some of rock's most underrated, misunderstood bands.

Releases:
Bleeding Through - Nine
Lacuna Coil - Sleepless Empire
Love is Noise - To live in a different way
Winona Fighter - My Apologies to the Chef
The Nightmares - Fire In Heaven
Hangman’s Chair - Saddiction
Pothamus - Abur
Mantar - Post Apocalyptic Depression
Savage Lands - Army of the Trees
Fell Omen - Invaded by a Dark Spirit
Church Tongue - You’ll Know It Was Me
Final Resting Place - Bound by Affliction
Lacerated - Lacerated

A bumper edition of Hyperblasts sees Trivium & Bullet for My Valentine embark on the Poisoned Ascendancy tour, Cattle Decapitation & Shadow of Intent also co-headline, Gojira win a Grammy, Courtney LaPlante wins the Grammys, and oh yeah Black Sabbath?! Lot to cover in this one.

Releases:
Dream Theater - Parasomnia
Jinjer - Duel
Marko Hietala - Roses from the Deep
Majestica - Power Train
Obscura - A Sonication
Phrenelith - Ashen Womb
16 - Guides for the Misguided
Morast - Fentanyl
Saor - Amidst the Ruins
Ereb Altor - Hälsingemörker
Unreqvited - A Pathway to the Moon

Some of 2025's first heavy hitting singles arrive all at once from Deafheaven, Behemoth, Poison the Well, & also Bring Me the Horizon cover Wonderwall for some reason.

Releases:
Dax Riggs - 7 Songs for Spiders
Vukovi - My God Has Got a Gun
Century - Sign of the Storm
Avatarium - Between You, God, The Devil and the Dead
Negative 13 - Recover What You Can
Harakiri for the Sky - Scorched Earth
Sunrot - Passages
The Night Flight Orchestra - Give Us the Moon
Grief Ritual - Collapse
L.S. Dunes - Violet
Tayne - Love
Great American Ghost - Tragedy of the Commons
The Hellacopters - Overdriver
Pentagram - Lightning in a Bottle
Jonathan Hultén - Eyes of the Living Night
Revenge - Violation.Strife.Abominate
Scrüda - Fury Among Ruins

Our first TNM reviews of 2025 hit the runway with The Night Flight Orchestra, Wardruna, The Halo Effect, The Great Old Ones, Trauma Bond, & Grief Ritual, and we pay tribute to one of the greatest left-field artists and dreamers of all time David Lynch.

The Night Flight Orchestra 45:00
Wardruna 1:07:53
The Halo Effect 1:28:45
The Great Old Ones 1:44:48
Trauma Bond 2:00:34
Grief Ritual 2:10:30

Album Club returns to start 2024 after a few months away with a bumper episode, setting the record straight on Bring Me the Horizon's Post Human: Survival Horror, destroying orcs with 3 Inches of Blood's Advance and Vanquish, Joyce Manor's micro-classic Never Hungover Again, and Reign Supreme with #WhyNotDyingFetus

This episode was originally published January 2024 on patreon.com/thatsnotmetal.

Hints of a Nine Inch Nails world tour, uncertainty in the SeeYouSpaceCowboy camp, Exodus swap their old singers again, and SpiritWorld go full cowboy.

Releases:
Eidola - Mend
Grave Digger - Bone Collector
Tokyo Blade - Time is the Fire
Trauma Bond - Summer Ends. Some Are Long Gone.
Sarcator - Swarming Angels & Flies
Necrodeath - Arimortis
Necromaniac - Sciomancy, Malediction & Rites Abominable
Onirophagus - Revelations from the Void
Hierarchies - Hierarchies
Day By Day - Dust and Ashes
Dark Fortress - Anthems From Beyond the Grave - Live In Europe 2023

We're back for 2025 looking to our hopes and goals for the year ahead, announce our first 2025 special, get a first batch of promising to stupid new singles, and yet another reunion.

Releases:
Patriarkh - Prophet Ilja
Paleface Swiss - Cursed
Mutagenic Host - The Diseased Machine
Ethel Cain - Perverts
Stick to Your Guns - Keep Planting Flowers
Lambrini Girls - Who Let The Dogs Out
Tremonti - The End Will Show Us How
The Halo Effect - March of the Unheard
The Cimmerian - An Age Undreamed Of
Haunted Horses - Dweller
Ex Deo - Year of the Four Emperors
Jota - Haven

For our last show before Christmas we arrive at the TNM Awards for 2024, as we gather to end the year with the successes, stories, downfalls and villain arcs that defined the year in heavy:
Most Improved Band
Song of the Year
Worst Song of the Year
Hero of the Year
Villain of the Year
Best New Band
Biggest Disappointment
Gig of the Year
EP of the Year
Artwork of the Year
Movie of the Year
Comeback of the Year
Surprise of the Year
Outstanding Achievement
Worst Band of the Year
Unsung Heroes
Story of the Year
Band of the Year