First album in four years, Mammoth Grinder’s fourth LP overall succeeds its two predecessors for Philly metal fortress Relapse with deathcore gusto. Drum source behind thrash regenerators Power Trip, Houston-reared local Chris Ulsh leads Iron Reaganites Mark Bronzino and Ryan Parrish in an all-out graveyard assault, “Blazing Burst” and “Molotov” both exploding at a sprint. As mastered by Joel Grind (Toxic Holocaust), multi-speed hacksaws led by “Human Is Obsolete” roar like the undead, literally gut-wrenching.

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This article appears in February 2 • 2018.

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San Francisco native Raoul Hernandez crossed the border into Texas on July 2, 1992, and began writing about music for the Chronicle that fall, debuting with an album review of Keith Richards’ Main Offender. By virtue of local show previews – first “Recommendeds,” now calendar picks – his writing’s appeared in almost every issue since 1993.