There are more bands creating and recording music now then ever before. With this smorgasbord of music available it’s impossible to listen to every worthwhile record that comes out and we end up missing out on some great albums. Here’s a mere five of the thousands of albums released in 2017 that you may not heard of, but are definitely worth your time.

Code Orange – Forever:

Code Orange has never been afraid to mix in different musical ingredients into their hardcore flavoured soup but ‘Forever’ kicks things up another notch. If there’s one thing for certain about this album it’s that it will surprise you. Opener and album namesake “Forever” could be mistaken for a Gojira song while “Ugly” has traces of Nine Inch Nails and “Bleeding the Blur”wouldn’t sound completely out of place on the radio.Songs stop and start and spiral into completely unexpected directions but somehow work well enough together to create a brilliant, abrasive album that never let’s go.

Dyscarnate – With All Their Might:

The departure of founding member Henry Bates in 2015 had me fearing the worst for their next release. I’m happy to say my fears were unfounded, ‘With All Their Might’ retains the pummelling, groove filled sound of previous albums while tentatively exploring new ideas. Album closer “Nothing Seems Right” is especially interesting with its more progressive, melodic songwriting but if you just want some powerful, modern death metal then you can’t go wrong with tracks such as “Backbreaker” or “Iron Strengthens Iron”.

Hundred Suns – The Prestalis:

Hundred Suns are a supergroup formed by Cory Brandan (Norma Jean), Chris LeMasters (Dead & Divine) and Ryan Leger (Every Time I Die), so naturally you’d expect another frantic hardcore inspired album with plenty of vicious riffing and screamed vocals. Instead, we get an album that’s much more interested in taking it’s time to build an oppressive, almost ethereal atmosphere that shares more similarities with bands such as Deftones or Karnivool than their main projects. This isn’t an album that’s going to blow you away with technicality but despite sticking closely to the stand rock song template ‘The Prestalis” is worth checking out for its blend of catchy riffs and haunting, quieter moments.

Amenra – Mass VI:

Amenra are no newcomers, they’ve been around since 1999 and have built up a small but fervent fan base. With it’s brooding, sludgy pace and shrieking vocals‘Mass VI’ is certainly not as easy to digest as the other albums on this list but if you manage to pierce its intimidating shell there’s an eerie beauty to the album that no other band has captured in quite the same way. “Solitary Rain” is particularly heart wrenching with it’s slow build up surrounding a great central riff and evocative clean vocals from Colin H. van Eeckhout.

Harlott – Extinction:

‘Extinction’ is the third album from the Melbourne based thrashers and it’s their best work yet. Harlott display their influences proudly, with Slayer, Kreator and Exodus having the most obvious effect on their sound, but this isn’t a problem when the songs live up to their inspiration. They manage to combine breakneck speed and incredible tightness with memorable melodies and even throw in some impressive progressive songwriting in the 7 minutes 38 seconds long epic “And Darkness Brings the Light”.