Upcoming Metal Releases: 2/9/20 -- 2/15/20

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Here are the new (and recent) metal releases for the week of February 9th to February 15th, 2020. Releases reflect proposed North American scheduling, if available. Expect to see most of these albums on shelves or distros on Fridays.

See something we missed or have any thoughts? Let us know in the comments. Plus, as always, feel free to post your own shopping lists. Happy digging.

Send us your promos (streaming links preferred) to: [email protected]. Do not send us promo material via social media.

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Surprise Releases + Things We Missed

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Leeched — To Dull the Blades of Your Abuse | Prosthetic Records | Hardcore | United Kingdom

Holy mother almighty, To Dull the Blades of Your Abuse relishes in maximum aggression and maximum noise. I missed this one a week or so ago, but I’m so glad one of the dudes from Tides Cult here in Chicago had an ear out for some killer hardcore and then let me on to it. Leeched’s ripper has been on repeat for two days now, and I swear, this is the sort of hardcore which makes deathcore seem like an ice cream sundae. What we have here is a masterfully heavy, endlessly thick, and utterly uncompromising hardcore album that doesn’t give two shits about anything except fucking your head up.

— Andrew Rothmund

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Phalanx — Golden Horde | Psycho Wolf Metal | United States (California)

So, first thing’s first: that album artwork. Yes, holy shit. It’s so striking and aggressive that it’s tough to look for long, but you can’t look away either. The same goes for Phalanx’s brand of crust-punk infused death: it’s extremely loud and abrasive on the senses, but addictive all the same. Great riffs, great energy, furious execution.

— Andrew Rothmund

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Upcoming Releases

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Ihsahn — Telemark EP | Candlelight Records | Progressive | Norway

The almighty Ihsahn returns, now with three bespoke new songs as well as two covers: Lenny Kravitz and Iron Maiden. I mean, clearly Ihsahn knows his shit, and the way this EP sounds proves that fact again. Has there ever been a bad Ihsahn release? Nope.

— Andrew Rothmund

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Anvil — Legal at Last | AFM Records | Heavy Metal | Canada

Anvil was probably the last band I expected to include a sample of a bong hit in a song, but it’s 2020 now, weed’s been legal for a couple years in Canada, and anything goes, especially for these thrash legends who are set to release their 18th studio album this week. Some of the riffs here feel stoner-ified, but for the most part it’s the same thrash-laden heavy metal they’ve been putting out for 40 years. It’s not for everyone, and it’s proud of that fact.

— Ted Nubel

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Kvelertak — Splid | Rise Records | Heavy Metal | Norway

Kvelertak is back and on the attack! The new tunage on Splid is exactly what you’d expect from these Norwegian masters of rocking out: burning riffs, gnarly vox, and a whole lot of power.

UPDATE: Read our album review

— Andrew Rothmund

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Angellore — Rien Ne Devait Mourir | The Vinyl Division | Doom | France

Grandiose, epic doom to die to.

— Andrew Rothmund

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Turia — Degen van Licht | Eisenwald + Haeresis Noviomagi | Atmospheric Black Metal | Netherlands

Albums like Turia’s Degen van Licht manage to balance a sense of clarity and extraordinary atmosphere on a razor’s edge. Though there is coherence here, Turia wields potency in songwriting and strength in discernment.

— Jon Rosenthal

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Rosetta — Terra Sola EP | Post-Metal | United States (Pennsylvania)

Gorgeous strokes of post-metal loveliness from none other than Rosetta. This beautiful EP comes after an extensive tour, and the band shows absolutely no sign of fatigue. These three songs flow and rush like liquid rather than feeling monolithic and unmovable like some post-metal; indeed, Rosetta’s music has always been that type of invigorating. The Terra Sola EP doesn’t need to be proof of this band’s raw talent, but it is.

UPDATE: As pointed out in the comments, this was already out digitally, but is getting a vinyl release this week.

— Andrew Rothmund

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Disastroid — Mortal Fools | Heavy Psych Sounds | Stoner + Sludge | United States (San Francisco)

San Francisco’s Disastroid is set to drop another slab of multi-faceted stoner rock on us that will leave a serious shockwave. Song topics like the annoyances of limited-time parking are rendered into heavy-as-hell bangers with a crunchy sonic topography that’s been carved by the forces of sludge, stoner and grunge, all through the capable hands of the group.

— Ted Nubel

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Godthrymm — Reflections | Profound Lore Records | Doom Metal | England

Mighty doom metal from the minds who brought you some of the genre’s most celebrated albums (My Dying Bride’s The Dreadful Hours and Anathema’s Alternative IV). With such a huge swagger and large gait, it’s easy to lose track of this kind of music, but Godthrymm maintains a steady pace and gripping atmosphere.

— Jon Rosenthal

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Brian Posehn — Grandpa Metal | Megaforce Records | Grandpa Metal | United States (California)

The prune juice of metal albums; but alas, the burning embers of my heart! How could you not love this?

— Andrew Rothmund

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Dzö-nga — Thunder in the Mountains | Avantgarde Music | Atmospheric Black Metal | United States (Massachusetts)

As anthemic and powerful and mythical as ever, Dzö-nga is back with a third full-length. This time, the project’s atmospheric black metal is given a serious uptick in songwriting and composure — these six songs are a total atmospheric delight (if “light” in the sense of not choking you to death). This sort of black metal blossoms and evolves instead of succumbing to entropy and claustrophobia, and that’s a great thing when you’re a little burnt out on being over-saturated with black metal cacophony.

— Andrew Rothmund

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Shadow Witch — Under the Shadow of a Witch | Heavy Psych Sounds | Doom/Stoner Metal | USA (New York)

To Shadow Witch’s credit, they waited until their third full-length to spin their band name into an album title. Also to their credit, this next effort is a imposing offering that encompasses heavy metal and stoner rock, ensorcelling the lot with an occult flair. Expect things to get heavier than you might first predict: there’s a surprising amount of bottom-end chug packed into the guitars, straying into more extreme territory, and some of these riffs let their razor-sharp teeth show just long enough to take advantage of the brutalizing tones.

— Ted Nubel

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Suicide Silence — Become the Hunter | Nuclear Blast | Deathcore | United States (California)

If it’s good deathcore you seek, check out my series on the topic, aptly titled “Deathcore That Doesn’t Suck.” This album, however, will never ever appear there.

— Andrew Rothmund

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Hällas — Conundrum | Napalm Records | Rock | Sweden

If you heard Hällas’ last album Excerpts from a Future Past then you’re no doubt ready for another dose of the imaginative and fantastic rock the band produces. At times heavily progressive, at other times straight-up rock, it simply feels good to listen to — with Conundrum, you’re transported to another time and place where roomy drums, classic harmonies, and outlandish electronics impart an air of mysticism to some already-powerful compositions.

— Ted Nubel

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Apokryphon — Subterra | Avantgarde Music | Black Metal | Austria

From Jon Rosenthal’s premiere of “The Naasene Psalm”:

Now in the spotlight instead of lurking in the background, Ophis’s multi-instrumental talents can truly unfurl. While rooted in black metal’s might and shadowy gait, there is a creativity which hides beneath Subterra‘s dark existence. Carefully imbuing her music with Eastern melodies and layering proper cultural instruments within the blackened miasma, Ophis’s composition lends itself to a more respectful school of folk-music-inspired metal: one which is not cartoonish nor brash, rather, one which reveres the music from which it draws inspiration. Though this is far from Ophis’s work in Darkspace’s deep space revelry, Apokryphon’s roots draw from a similar pool: one of awe and acclaim for its source material.

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Izthmi — The Arrows of Our Ways | Within the Mind Records | Black Metal | United States (Washington)

Razor-sharp black metal from the Pacific Northwest. A notable instrumental proficiency bleeds through the nocturne of these eight rippers — Izthmi keep composure, though, and don’t allow The Arrows of Our Ways to sink too far into obvious-riff territory or anything. New black metal in this vein might get lost in the saturated mire of the genre, but this one stands out a bit as a solid listen and great journey.

— Andrew Rothmund

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Psychotic Waltz — The God-Shaped Void | InsideOut Music | Progressive | United States (California)

Many surprises come to those who have serious patience.

— Andrew Rothmund

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