1. Johnny Booth – Get Well SoonAfter releasing my favorite album of 2023, Johnny Booth returned with one of my favorite songs in 2025. Mixing chaos with an experimental jazz interlude sees them teetering on the edge, but as long as they don’t fall too far into the deep end, Read more
PecksMetalPicks’ Top 100 Albums of 2025 As 2025 draws to a close, it’s time to finally reveal my favorite albums of the year. A few notes before we get to that though. First, I didn’t have a clear front-runner this year. I almost switched my number 1 and 2 at Read more
Quick playlist highlights: The playlist has 157 new songs. I put a lot of my favorites at the front, but this is a great summary of the last two months of music. I add new songs to the playlist each weekend (even though I’m not doing weekly newsletters right now) Read more
This is a welcome return. Like many other listeners, I discovered Shadow of Intent when they released ‘Reclaimer’ in 2017. The Halo-inspired lyrics were a big draw, and Ben Duerr’s vocals turned him into a deathcore sensation overnight. It’s difficult to describe the subtle shift on their 2019 album, ‘Melancholy,’ Read more
FEATURED ALBUM Shadow of Intent // Imperium DeliriumReleased: June 27, 2025 This is a welcome return. Like many other listeners, I discovered Shadow of Intent when they released ‘Reclaimer’ in 2017. The Halo-inspired lyrics were a big draw, and Ben Duerr’s vocals turned him into a deathcore sensation overnight. It’s Read more
Quick playlist highlights: This is the third week that I’m using the new playlist format. From now on, instead of making a new playlist each week, I’m going to have one single playlist that is continuously updated. I’ll keep the 100 most recently added songs on the playlist (so if Read more
NOTE: I originally wrote this review in 2021 when ‘Infinite Granite’ came out, but I never posted it. Since we’re on the topic of Deafheaven, and I reference ‘Infinite Granite’ in the main review, I figured this is as good a time as any to finally get this review out Read more
Deafheaven is an artistic masterpiece. Their combination of black metal, shoegaze, post-rock, and lush soundscapes is haunting. Their music shattered the glass ceiling that typically constrains metal artists, helping them transcend barriers to the point of being invited into mainstream culture. Much like Lorna Shore catching fire on TikTok, Knocked Read more
FEATURED ALBUM Deafheaven // Lonely People With PowerReleased: March 28, 2025 Deafheaven is an artistic masterpiece. Their combination of black metal, shoegaze, post-rock, and lush soundscapes is haunting. Their music shattered the glass ceiling that typically constrains metal artists, helping them transcend barriers to the point of being invited into Read more
Quick playlist highlights: This is the second week that I’m using the new playlist format. From now on, instead of making a new playlist each week, I’m going to have one single playlist that is continuously updated. I’ll keep the 100 most recently added songs on the playlist (so if Read more