Antagonist - World In Decline (Prosthetic)
Antagonist have good energy and excellent production, but this brand of metalcore has been done often, and without an extra spark of creativity and originality, it's hard to find something to latch onto. This album slides in one ear and out the other without leaving behind anything memorable. Oh well.
Capsule - Capsule (Tape + Demo + Tour + More) (Robotic Empire)
Capsule play minute-long blasts of complex, chaotic noise, occasionally interspersing them with longer, simpler, more melodic tracks. The chaos is impressive, if sometimes confusing, but the haunting melodies are what stick with you. This album collects everything they released prior to their 2008 LP Blue. You need it.
The Other - New Blood (Steamhammer)
Blazing metal a la Mercyful Fate. Sounds awesome, right? But in a post-irony age it's hard not to feel like you're being tricked somehow. More problematic is the super-clean production--all the cheesy elements of this record need some grit to balance them out. Too goofy to endorse.