Many, many years ago, I was a professional video game critic. I was on staff at a video game magazine and I was paid, among other things, to play video games and share my opinions of them. An untold number of years later, I'm once again playing the critic role (although no one is paying me for my opinions at the moment!), and I am reminded of the differences of consuming media as a fan and as a critic. There is indeed a difference - critics are expected to have a wider breadth of knowledge about the art form they write about, and once you start shifting into critic mode, it's difficult to turn it off for recreational consumption. One of the duties of the critic, of course, is to spend time with art that might not be a perfect match to their individual tastes. Sometimes that means spending time with art that you genuinely dislike. Sometimes, that means discovering something you enjoy that you might not have otherwise. Such is the case with me and Vorara, the debut album by Chicago's Become Death. 

Today is a little bit lighter on the new release front, but I've noticed that tends to happen before a really big new release week. And guess what? Next Friday is a big one. There may not be a single massing album coming next week, but there are a few very significant ones, and a ton of smaller, interesting albums. It looks like I will have four or five album reviews for you next week. In the meantime, I've got a selection of solid albums and interesting singles for you below. 

I don't do a lot of straight up news posts, but I'll make an exception for my favorite band of all time. In a not-very-surprising update, Neurosis have announced a bunch of new tour dates in support of their most recent album, An Undying Love for a Burning World. More live announcements are coming, but Neurosis have never been a band that hit every market in the world, so keep that in mind when making your ticket purchasing decisions. Full list of announced dates below. 

Occasional guest posts aside, Both Kinds of Heavy is a one-man operation. As such, there are limits to both what I'm able to cover, and what I'm willing to cover. I'm always going to favor advance reviews, because I want to help people learn about exciting upcoming music. And if it's a smaller band that doesn't have a huge marketing push, even better. Sometimes, however, I'll chose to cover an already-released album, as long as it interests me and could use a little more awareness. Additional bonus points awarded to bands that are, like this site, a one-person operation. All apply to the new Breaths album, Descent, which released digitally on August 7. 

Editor's note: My good friend Josh Burke travels to far more festivals than I do, and he contributed his review of Post Festival in Indianapolis in early August. More recently, he traveled to the UK to attend the ArcTanGent festival, and he was once again kind enough to share his thoughts on his experience. This is actually Josh's second trip to ATG and his second time sharing his thoughts on the festival. You can read his recap of last year's festival here. 

Read his take on it below on this year's ATG below!

Sometimes, you want a record that makes you feel like you need a shower afterwards. Just me? No, if you're on this site you're likely interested in music that's fast, fuzzy, and grimy. Then I've got an album for you: Libertine by Brooklyn's Foreign Body. In just a half-hour, Libertine will transport you into a world that feels a lot like 1970s New York City, where trash litters the streets and the people you encounter are all up to something shady. 

I wasn't originally planning on attending last night's Slayer Reign in Blood anniversary show, but I had an unexpected free night and access to a cheap ticket, so I joined my friends and headed down to the new Mystic Lake Amphitheater in Shakopee, Minnesota. Once I decided to go, I figured I'd write up a full recap of the show, but that didn't go according to my original plans, either - a day of family fun takes precedence over writing. That said, I've got some fun photos of Slayer, Down, Suicidal Tendencies, and Hatebreed in a gallery below. Enjoy! 

It's a big week here at Both Kinds of Heavy. I was able to review one of my most anticipated albums of the year and another release that clicked with me much more than I was expecting. Throw in a third album review and a column, and it was a jam-packed few days. But wait, we're not done yet! I've got several more exciting releases to recommend today, including a live EP that I'm incredibly hot on, a new album from a band I recently decided that I love, some good prog rock, and much more. You know what to do. 

I'll admit that in a pretty short time, I've found myself in a fortunate place with Both Kinds of Heavy - I'm getting more advance albums for review than I will probably be able to cover. At the same time, since this is strictly a hobby site and I don't have to to worry about silly little things like making money, I can prioritize covering the albums that excite me. You won't see me covering, say, a Ghost album in order to drive more eyeballs to my embedded ad banners. I'd much rather cover a new band like Shrineburner because, to put it simply, I'd much rather listen to a new band like Shrineburner. 

No one can listen to every single band in the world. There's only so much time in the day, and some of those hours need to be spent without headphones on (go away, meetings. No one likes you). That's my way of saying that I had never listened to Devil Master before the release of their new album, Bloody Dreams. Which, it turns out, was a pretty big oversight on my part.