(Still recovering from recent festival experiences but still carrying on, Daniel Barkasi brings us reviews of six strongly recommended albums released in May 2025.)

Yeah, I know, this column is late – very late. My review(s) and photos (Day 1 and Day 2) of Fortress Festival took my full attention since returning, and coupled with a lot of day job and farm stuff, because we basically have a farm at this point, have gone hand-in-hand with catching up on May releases. I need to actually absorb an album and fully grasp the nitty gritty details to come to a fair conclusion, so this also wasn’t going to be rushed. I go full bore into everything, or else I’m not going to do it. Most who routinely immerse themselves into this sort of music aren’t the casual types, and I don’t think I’ve been casual about a whole lot in my existence.

Therefore, here we are, and my feet are screaming; thanks, plantar fasciitis and metal festivals. We’d do it all again, of course. Continue reading »