Diversity, some real technical ability and creativity with the ability to build a track to a crescendo, this band evidently know each other well, but I think this will only grow and develop in the future. – By Jody Dunstan

Entheos are already shaping up to be an impressive addition to the Quebec black metal scene. Their future looks incredibly bright (or should that be dark?). – By Grayson Hale

As interesting and unique as Calf attempts to be, there is honestly no substance or reason behind its supposed random nature. – Keith Joshua Ham

A debut that makes a remarkable opening statement, one rich in rigid, viscous sludge riffs, with post-metal like dreamscapes caught up in their chillingly drafty sound. – By Phil Weller

With The Goat Ritual, High Fighter attempts to breathe a little life in the stoner/doom subgenre as best as they can without bringing it too far from modern expectations. – By Keith Joshua Ham

Built for Speed is amongst some of the best I’ve heard this year and is among some of the best speed metal releases I’ve heard in recent years. – By Berns von Bernington

Russian shoegazer Roman Kalitkin teams up with Ummagma for his debut release as Sounds Sputnik, an album with two core songs at its heart. By Kevin Scott

It’s a lightening-fast, raw twenty-three minutes that is well crafted. ‘Start Our Revenge’ is absolutely worth checking out if you’re a grind or powerviolence fan. – By Christopher Luedtke

If you’ve been looking for something punk, rough and straight from the sewers go get Dehumanizer. This is the true raging guttural sound. – By Christopher Luedtke

Dead Waters is a bombarding death metal experience. An album that is miles above its peers, which deserves recognition. – By Christopher Luedtke

The Shrouded Grove really is a great and well done piece of cinematic and atmospheric black metal. – By Daniel Chavez

Transmutation is a refreshing borderless and experimental vein in music that hasn’t been punctured yet. Leeming is onto something here and this taster only brings a lot of promise for future releases. – By Richard Owens

AlithiA is an important addition to the broadening tapestry that is Australian progressive rock. – By Gilbert Potts

With their third album, Kiev’s Endless Melancholy have created a neoclassical ambiance that while not pushing any boundaries feels effortlessly comfortable and is a joy to listen to. By Kevin Scott

An impressive step forward that manages to incorporates new ideas without sacrificing their base sound. By Andrew Rawlinson

Sterilizer’s dehumanised vision marries martial programmed rhythms to jagged shards of distortion. In the year 2014 AD… get yourself Sterilized! – By Ross Mckendrick

While we all know British heavy metal is nothing new, these guys have nailed the new genre quite well. – By Melissa Maudite

Distinctive, inventive and masterfully performed; this is a sci-fi sequel on the level of Aliens. By expanding beyond the scope of Enigma, Ephemera showcases the overflow of talent within Aeon Zen – who have developed from being a band full of potential to one of tech metal’s finest acts. If you think that six strings belong on a bass guitar, you need this album. – By Nicholas Cleeve

Whore of Bethlehem is the epitome of the death metal genre, but also have a little fun at their own expense. If you like death metal; if you like to bang your head, or if you like to blast the most brutal metal in your car and scare your neighbors, this band and album is for you. – By Daniel Chavez

I recommend this album to all folk metallers. Although it starts off slow, it grows stronger with each track. The production sounds fantastic, the songs have excellently written arrangements and to top it all, it has a man who is a tree on the front cover! – By Tristan Lathey

This album deserves to be screamed by the horizon as you crest a hill. And to be carried by the wind to soothe your descent. Take it everywhere with you. Make your life spectacular. By Phil Makepeace