This week's new heavy metal releases includes honestly too much good stuff. You're getting an epic deathcore debut, a lot of fun stuff, violin, glitchy experimentalism, and more!
You can also check out select new releases here on vinyl via Gimme Metal. Now, to the metals…
August Burns Red – Death Below
Genre: Metalcore
Origin: Lancaster, Pennsylvania
Label: SharpTone
Buy now via Gimme Metal
Album number ten from these shreddy metalcore lads sees them showcasing just so many notes and melodic bursts. They have a gaggle of pals with them as well. You're getting guest spots from Jesse Leach (Killswitch Engage), J.T. Cavey (Erra), Spencer Chamberlain (Underoath), and Jason Richardson (All That Remains).
Genre: Pop metal
Origin: Tokyo, Japan
Label: Self-released
Buy now on Amazon
It's been four years since Babymetal traversed the Metal Galaxy and now they're back with a concept album about parallel worlds. As expected this is catchy as hell and a lot of fun.
Exploring Birdsong – Dancing In The Face Of Danger
Genre: Progressive rock
Origin: Liverpool, England
Label: Long Brance Records
Buy now on Bandcamp
This EP is a brief but solid collections of songs that toe the line of symphonic metal while having a Riverside-ish prog sensibility. It's incredibly catchy, plus not a guitar in sight.
Ihsahn – Fascination Street Sessions
Genre: Progressive/black metal
Origin: Notodden, Norway
Label: Candleight
Stream and stuff here
Ihsahn has really gotten into EPs over the last handful of years. On his latest you're getting a trio of experimental and blackened prog tracks that are all pretty killer. But don't take my word for it. Jeff has a glowing review here.
Keep Of Kalessin – Katharsis
Genre: Melodic black/death metal
Origin: Trondheim, Norway
Label: Back On Black
Buy now from Season of Mist
Pairing rather well with Ihsahn is the latest from Keep of Kalessin. Their first album in eight years is an epic and intense ride of an album. They're also showing off their shiny new drummer Wanja Gröger from Àletrun, Voldt, and a million other bands because he's a metal drummer.
Floor Jansen – Paragon
Genre: Symphonic pop
Origin: Goirle, Netherlands
Label: Self-released
Buy now from Floor
While closer to Adele or the non-Broadway/Disney work of Idina Menzel than Nightwish, Floor Jansen's first solo album is still quite grand. She soars over a variety of musical beds that range from sweeping symphonies, to subtle atmospheric beats, to tracks that are a little twangy. Paragon is a diverse offering that may not appeal to metal fans, but it's a successful venture outside of a comfort zone.
Liturgy – 93696
Genre: Black metal/experimental
Origin: Brooklyn, New York
Label: Thrill Jockey
Buy now on Bandcamp
If you've kept up with Liturgy, you know that each release is often a different beast. Sometimes you're getting straight ahead black metal and other times glitchy, trap beat-infused experimental stuff. On 93696, you're getting all that and more. Haela Ravenna Hunt-Hendrix's ability to keep you guessing here is well worth a listen (or many).
Mork – Dypet
Genre: Black metal
Origin: Halden, Norway
Label: Peaceville
Buy now on Bandcamp
I was prepared to start writing about no bullshit black metal for the fans of all things grim, then a very sci-fi sounding synth hit in the song below. So I have to walk that back a little. At it's core the latest from Mork is grim and evil and all that, but there is a through line of spooky weirdness that makes it so compelling. Jillian's full review is here.
Ne Obliviscaris – Exul
Genre: Progressive black/extreme metal
Origin: Melbourne, Australia
Label: Season Of Mist
Buy now on Bandcamp
Golly there's a lot going on with this one. The band's first album in six years sees a new bassist (Martino Garattoni) who immediately is a stand out performer, and this is a sendoff for their longtime drummer Dan Presland who is no slouch himself. This feels like a focused and precise album that fans of Citadel will enjoy. Very happy to have these guys back. Jordan's full review is here.
Ov Sulfur – The Burden Ov Faith
Genre: Blackened deathcore
Origin: Las Vegas, Nevada
Label: Century Media
Buy now via Gimme Metal
Concluding this week with a heavy one. Ov Sulver's debut hits you hard with their unique take on epic deathcore. Blackened elements are paired crushing rhythms and immense symphonics. And then you know I love a guest list! This one has Alex Terrible (Slaughter to Prevail), Taylor Barber (Left to Suffer), Howard Jones (Light The Torch), Kyle Medina (Bodysnatcher), and Lindsay Schoolcraft (Antiqva).
Also dropping today…
- Acid King – Beyond Vision (Blues Funeral) – Stoner – Full review
- Angerot – The Profound Recreant (Redefining Darkness Records) – Death metal
- Aphotic – Abyssgazer (Sentient Ruin) – Doom/atmospheric death metal
- Asylum Pyre – Call Me Inhuman (The Sun – The Fight – Part 5) (Ellie Publishing) – Progressive/power metal
- Atomic Trip – Strike #3 (Tentacles Industries) – Stoner/doom
- Basil's Kite – Shooting Tsars (Dark Trail Records) – Mathcore
- Blind Oath – Blind Oath (Horton Records) – Heavy metal
- Bouncing Souls – Ten Stories High (Pure Noise) – Punk
- Catacomb – When The Stars Are Right (Xtreem Music) – Death metal
- Category VI – Firecry (Moribund Records) – Heavy metal
- Cruachan – The Living And The Dead (Despotz) – Folk metal
- Dawn Ray'd – To Know The Light (Prosthetic) – Black metal
- Eisenkult – Vulgäre, deutsche Hassmusik (Purity Through Fire) – Black metal
- Endless, Nameless – Living Without (Silent Pendulum Records) – Progressive metal/mathcore
- Excalion – Once Upon A Time (Scarlet Records) – Power metal
- Fake Names – Expendables (Epitaph) – Post-hardcore
- Fall Out Boy – So Much (For) Stardust (Fueled By Ramen/Elektra) – Pop punk/rock
- Fatso Jetson/Dali's Llama – Legends of the Desert Vol. 3 (Desert Records) – Desert rock
- Firmament – We Don't Rise We Just Fall (Dying Victims Productions) – Heavy metal/hard rock
- Forcefed Horsehead – Monoceros (Owlripper Recordings) – Death metal/hardcore
- Gabestok – Med Freden Kommer Hadet (Strange Aeons Records) – Black metal
- Gatekeeper – From Western Shores (Cruz Del Sur Music) – Heavy metal
- Grande Royale – Welcome to Grime Town (The Sign records) – Hard rock
- Grisly – Tomb King (VIC Records) Death metal
- Hatesphere – Hatred Reborn (Scarlet) – Thrash
- Hellcrash – Demonic Assassination (Dying Victims Productions) – Black/speed metal
- The HIRS Collective – We're Still Here (Get Better Records) – Grindcore
- Kärbholz – Kapitel (Metalville Records) – Punk
- Kings Of Thrash – Best Of The West…Live At The Whisky A Go Go (Cleopatra Records) – Thrash
- Kuoleman Galleria – Pedon Synty (Inverse Records) – Black 'n' roll
- Marianas Rest – Auer (Napalm) – Melodic death metal/doom
- Maze Of Sothoth – Extirpated Light (Everlasting Spew Records) – Technical death metal
- Metasphæra – Metasphæra (Self-released) – Progressive metal
- Mono – Heaven, Vol. I (Pelagic Records) – Post-rock/metal
- Morass Of Molasses – End All We Know (Ripple Music) – Stoner
- Ottto – Life Is A Game (Org) – Hard rock/heavy metal – Full review
- Project 86 – OMNI, Part 1 (OMNI Records) – Death metal/doom
- Purveyor Of Chaos – Purveyor Of Chaos (Wormholedeath) – Power metal/hard rock
- A Road To Damascus – Darker Places (Prime Collective) – Hard rock
- Saxon – More Inspirations (Silver Lining) – Heavy metal
- Seven Spires – Live At ProgPower USA XXI (Frontiers) – Symphonic metal
- Shore Of Null – The Loss Of Beauty (Spikerot Records) – Melodic death metal
- Spectral Lore – 11 Days (Self-released) – Atmospheric/ambient black metal
- Subway To Sally – Himmelfahrt (Napalm) – Folk metal
- Tragedian – Master Of Illusions (Pride & Joy Music) – Power/speed metal
- The Turin Horse – Unsavory Impurities (Reptilian Records) – Noise rock
- Whore Of Bethlehem – Ritual Of Homicide (Comatose Music) – Brutal death/black metal
- Woe Unto Me – Along The Meandering Ordeals, Reshape The Pivot Of Harmony (M-Theory) – Funeral doom
- Xalpen – The Curse Of Kwányep (Sound Pollution/Black Lodge) – Black metal
- Xysma – No Place Like Alone (Svart) – Thrash
