Top pick
Lokust – Infidel (proggish groove thrash)
It can be hard to discern what's worth listening to when trawling through the Heavy Blog inbox. From bands allegedly "unleashing" all sorts of unlikely things to "highly-anticipated" debut albums from tiny underground bands no-one has ever heard of. Artists and promoters try all sorts of attention-grabbing strategies, when the truth is that the best way of catching our ear is to clearly state the name of the band and album along with a semi-detailed genre description and/or the names of a few other artists the band sound similar to or whose fans would probably enjoy their music. Which is to say that when the promo for Lokust's Infidel came through with the simple tag of "FFO Lamb of God, Sylosis, Gojira, etc..." I couldn't press play quickly enough.
Of course, it also helps when bands can actually back such lofty comparisons up, which Lokust certainly do here. While it's the specificity of Sylosis that had me genuinely intrigued, it's the oft-bandied-about labels of Lamb of God and Gojira that best describe the sound of the fresh-faced UK outfit. Tracks like "Parasitic" (below) sound about as close to a genuine cross between those two modern metal titans as you could possibly get outside of a genuine collaboration and, while Lokust might not score highly on originality, that they can hold their own against such a lofty benchmark is a worthy feat on its own. If I had to add a third point of reference, I'd go with NWOAHM champions Chimaira, whose bulldozing rhythmic style can be heard all over this album. Moreover, either Anders Fridén shows up on "Guiltless" or vocalist Alex da Costa is every bit as good at imitating the In Flames frontman as he is at laying down the Duplantier-esque echoes he duets with, although there are a few other Jonathan Davis-sounding sections that crop up here and there as well, so who know. Tracks like "War of Opposites" and "Jinn" also reminds me a lot of Meshiaak at their best, for what it's worth.
At times the comparisons can sit a little too close for comfort, but if Infidel came from any of the bands listed above it would likely be praised as one of the best and most vital records of their career. It'll be interesting to see if Lokust can carve out more of an individual identity on future releases, but sometimes it's enough just to hear the things you love pulled off with the degree of quality and enthusiasm that made you fall for them in the first place.