The first part of a planned trilogy, ‘Projections I’ promises us a portrait of our fractured world painted in psychedelic doom hues. What it delivers is a some pretty solid, pretty vicious doom – and little else.

This album proves that you don’t need a guitar to play decent heavy music; there’s no mistaking that this is a great album. – By Matt Butler

Gavin Brown went to Birmingham to see Yob, Black Cobra and Opium Lord. “All three bands in the bill tonight gave their all and everyone here left the venue having witnessed a very special gig.”

Iron Witch are not short on displaying attack or skill, but there’s a lack of real flair to elevate this into ‘must hear’ territory. – By Chris Ball

Our metal editor Sander van den Driesche gives you his preview for this year’s Damnation Festival in Leeds.

“The sound of Jupiterian is black as the depths of the cosmos and solid like a thick slab of meteorite hitting you in the face.” Guido Segers caught up with V. from the Brazilian heavy band Jupiterian.

Album of the Year. There. I said it. I wasn’t expecting to be affected emotionally when I started ‘Rheia’, but I can’t stop listening to or thinking about it. I hear this music when I wake up, I hear it all day, and I hear it when I lie down for sleep. I’m exhausted, drained, dizzy, and euphoric. – By Dawson Clawson

For me, there are no clear-cut winners on this split because it’s a solid tie for first place. Broken Limbs Recordings was also responsible for my favorite split of the year featuring Fister and Teeth, so it comes as no surprise that they follow it up with a split featuring two of the most original-sounding bands in heavy music. – By Al Necro

Andy Little saw Canadian sludge powerhouse Dopethrone in London, with support from Gurt, Limb and Wizard Fight. “My ears were happily bleeding, all senses crushed by sheer brutal musical power.”

What a corker of an album. It’s bleak, relentless, black and evil, while still being musical and well thought out. Highly, highly recommended. – By Nick Dodds

Slomatics have created a heavy album that is so admirably edited and executed in concept, it’s probably my favorite release this year. – By Glory Gene

This is bloody great, if you like your music scary, abrasive and bleak. And loud of course. – By Matt Butler

Inter Arma have written, arranged, and mixed a crushing album that conjures a myriad of images and emotions – while pushing the boundaries of conformity. It is dark. It is bleak. It is beautiful. This is exactly what I expect from a metal album. – By Dawson Clawson

If post-rock or post-metal or anything in that arena floats your proverbial boat, I strongly suggest you pick this record up. – By Andy Price

Jamie Jones went to the second instalment of Cardiff’s Red Sun festival. “I finished the weekend utterly spent, having been riffed senseless for 3 days, with my liver feeling battered and my brain feeling bruised.”

This album has bags of character, mischievous glee and balls the size of planets. This must be ludicrously fun live! – By Ed Sprake

They said it couldn’t happen again. In this case ‘they’ were the promoters themselves – despite a successful first year bringing 3 days of gloriously gnarly rock and metal to Cardiff’s Womanby Street the Red Sun team said they simply couldn’t repeat the trick this year. Then, just as it seemed all was lost, they pulled a surprise 180 and announced Red Sun II, set to take place this very weekend. By Jamie Jones

Before a note is heard, you know what to expect from the name of the band, the album title, and the great misty, murky grey cover image, a mysterious lurking figure trudging half-submerged through the grey marshes. Yep: swampy, witchy, stinking psychotropic sludge promised and delivered. – By Owen Coggins