I'd probably be more fussed about Benediction if Dave Ingram still sang for them. Dave Hunt is cool and all but I didn't like the last two anywhere near as much as Grind Bastard and the three that preceeded it.
Here are some of my favourites from this year so far:
Fen - Epoch
Mogwai - Hardcore Will Never Die, But You Will
Woods Of Desolation - Torn Beyond Reason
Jesu - Ascension
Fen & De Arma - Towards Shores of End
Pale Sketcher - Seventh Heaven
Naisian - Mammalian
40 Watt sun - The Inside Room
Explosions In The Sky - Take Care, Take Care, Take Care
Burzum - Valen
Radiohead - King of Limbs
Wormrot - Dirge
Altar of Plagues - Mammal
Lock Up - Necropolis Transparent
1) Havok - Time is Up. Album of the year.
2) Blackguard - Firefight - reminds me of old Children of Bodom
3) Obscura - Omnivium
4) Autopsy - Macabre Eternal
5) Jungle Rot - Kill on Command. Going to see them in October.
6) Amon Amarth -Surtur Rising. Going to see them on September 1.
7) Destruction - Days of Reckoning
8) Sepultura - Kairos. Another impressive effort sans the Cavalera brothers.
9) Cavalera Conspiracy - Blunt Force Trauma -I like this album more than I expected.
10) Toxic Holocaust - Conjure and Command
Biggest Dissapointment: Children of Bodom - Relentless, Reckless Forever
Of course, forgot about that! Mad considering that I'm listening to Ho Krll right now Yeah, Deconstruction comes second. neuroma and Evile tie for third.
Just an EP now. We'll be recording album two in December though due to it being pushed back. We're all getting along again... but just won't be working together in Groan together. Well I have no idea when I say that. We have a new drummer, vocalist we have no idea. We have a new vocalist (who is amazing by the way), or we have Mazz still, which I obviously cannot complain about. I'll know soon.
But that line-up is gonna have an EP out pretty soonish and early 2012 you'll get your album two. The Divine Right of Kings