Review by Tara on August 14, 2016.

Creepsylvania splatter thrash maniacs Ghoul are back with a bloody vengeance on Dungeon Bastards, the band's first full length venture in five years. I've been regularly following Ghoul since receiving copies of their demo tape in 2001 and first full-length We Came For The Dead way back in 2002. Since then, our Creepsylvanian death thrash darlings have released an impressive slab of full lengths, EPs,and splits. Chances are, if you're into the more underground metal and are clueless when it comes to Ghoul, you've probably been living under a rock. A really boring rock at that. But, I digress.

Much like previous releases, Dungeon Bastards is a lot of fun. The silly and gore themed lyrics, catchy riffs, gang shouts;there's quite a bit to love. Those listening to Ghoul for the first time and possibly expecting something a bit more serious and full of anger and angst will be disappointed. Long time fans will be quite pleased. This is the Ghoul album we've been waiting on for awhile and is easily my favorite along side 2003's Maniaxe.

Dungeon Bastards is out now on Tankcrimes Records. And if this review wasn't enough to spark your interest, here's another cool thing to note: copies of Dungeon Bastards come with a swanky board game. The object of the game follows the story of the album, where you as a member of Ghoul must race to Svatopunk Square to blow up the Omicron Bomb. The winner dies. Fun, right?

Grab your copy today from the good people at Tankcrimes and thank me later. If you enjoy metal that is fun as well as excellently executed, Ghoul and Dungeon Bastards are right up your alley.

Stand out tracks: Shred The Dead, Ghoulunatics, Word Is Law

Rating: 9 out of 10

Review by Adam M on July 25, 2016.

Black Crown Initiate brings a lot aggression and melody to the mix again on their new platter, Selves We Cannot Forgive. There is also an undeniable progressive touch that makes these songs forward thinking in the Tool manner as well.

The overall some of the parts is an interesting mix of influences that makes their new work rise over the mostly melodic material from last time around. The passages are riff filled excursions that are both heavy and intelligent in equal measure. The melodic death metal portion of the band similar to Dark Tranquility is still present and the music is likewise fairly easy to get into. However, the thoughtfulness is what makes this new album worthwhile. Passages get distorted into something more elevated and work the mind quite well. The variety found on the album is thus sufficient and put to excellent use to create something that is constantly changing and enthralling around every corner. From the quiet sounds of the title track to the intelligent approach of Matriarch, there is something that is worthwhile around at most moments on this listen. The vocals again alternate between gruff death metal types that take up most of the listening time and thrilling clean vocals that fit into the band’s vision of variation. The guitar sounds tech, but is really smooth as well. The overall sound of the band is witty, yet harmonious in nature. The bleak moments are appropriately dark and well done to the utmost extent, however. The moments that are more melodic complement these moments in the best of fashions as well. This is demonstrated nicely in the track Again which features a variety of different styles present. This song is one of many moments that features the constantly changing stylistic choices.

The consistent pushing forward of the progressive side of things is what makes this a distinctive new album that separates itself from the past. Selves We Cannot Forgive is overall a solid album that could be slightly improved with more cohesion of ideas.

Rating: 8 out of 10