mount crushmore

Upcoming Metal Releases: 3/10/19 -- 3/16/19

mount crushmore

Here are the new (and recent) metal releases for the week of March 10th – March 16th, 2019. Release reflect proposed North American scheduling, if available. Expect to see the bulk of these records on shelves or distros on Fridays unless otherwise noted.

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 to: [email protected]. Do not send us promo material via social media.

Oozing WoundHigh Anxiety | Thrill Jockey | Thrash, Rock | United States (Illinois)

Chicago’s undeniably righteous thrashing crust punks Oozing Wound are back after three years with seven fresh new tracks (as fresh as something this utterly pungent can be, that is) of their irreverent, barbed-wire aggression entitled High Anxiety. Although it operates on many of the same mechanisms as their previous material, this third full-length from the group is more so a testament to their insatiable consistency than a mere repetition of past concepts. Rife with d-beats, sludgy breakdowns, and noxious, glorious 1980s style gang shouts, High Anxiety will infect every listener with its rowdy hardcore punk attitude and timelessly heavy sound, a sound that is sure to inspire gleefully violent circle pits worldwide.

— Thomas Hinds

Bonus: Check out our interview with Zack Weil.

Drawn Into DescentThe Endless Endeavour | Avantgarde Music | Atmospheric Black Metal | Belgium

A strong sophomore release by this Belgian quartet — dynamic in its undulations, but never overbearing or excessively forthright. Atmosphere is the name of the game here, and lots of it, strewn upon a rigorous black metal framework with plenty of doomy and even shoegazing asides. Releases like The Endless Endeavour help showcase the true breadth/range of black metal without subscribing to each and every tenet.

FallujahUndying Light | Nuclear Blast | Death Metal | United States (California)

After building a solid reputation as one of atmospheric tech-death’s leading pioneers with their first three albums, Fallujah has chosen to steer their sound in a markedly different direction on their new full-length Undying Light. Replacing the group’s longtime frontman Alex Hoffman, new vocalist Antonio Palermo takes on both harsh and melodic vocals on the record, introducing a more shrill, punk-oriented vocal sound which is matched by a melodic mid-tempo instrumental approach. Many of Fallujah’s most technical and progressive elements have been downsized, with some tracks even incorporating plodding, melancholic doom metal ambience; this loss of compositional density can be largely attributed to the loss of rhythm guitarist Brian James, who departed the band shortly before the album’s composition. Overall, Undying Light presents the same core brand of atmospheric, introspective progressive metal as Fallujah’s previous work, but old fans will likely find this new album either watered-down or regrettably uninvolved when drawing comparisons between the two.

— Thomas Hinds

Asthma CastleMount Crushmore | Hellmistress Records | Metal, Sludge | United States (Maryland)

Galloping forth with absolutely pummeling goliath riffs, sludge-stoners Asthma Castle have re-joined their mighty forces to finally present their debut album Mount Crushmore. Featuring members of Pig Destroyer and Misery Index, this Baltimore-based group is a side project of bizarre and epic proportions, showcasing a deliciously heavy brand of sludge interpreted through the minds of deathgrind legends. With a notably tongue-in-cheek attitude, the group infuses beefy, old-school, mammoth instrumental tone and thunderous percussion with a healthy dose of sinister tonality and full-body screams from vocalist Zach Westphal (ex-J. Roddy Walston and the Business), marking Mount Crushmore as one of the heaviest, hard-hitting, and most effective stoner-oriented releases yet this year.

— Thomas Hinds

Venom PrisonSamsara | Prosthetic Records | Death Metal, Hardcore | United Kingdom

Calling it now: this sophomore effort by Venom Prison will make 2019 year-end lists. The band’s brand of hardcore-infused death metal has taken gigawatts of electric shock on Samsara — not only is it heavy as fucking fuck, it jolts about unpredictably with chaotically technical riffs, sudden tempo changes, and the harsh onslaught of vocalist Larissa Stupar’s barks and howls. I haven’t seen Venom Prison live, but I imagine they’d stir one hell of a pit.

Bonus: Stay tuned later this week for an interview with founding guitarist Ash Gray.

Triste TerreGrand Oeuvre | Les Acteurs de l’Ombre | Black Metal | France

After three EPs between 2016 and 2017, this French black metal outfit has finally released a fully featured full-length. Steeped in both swampy, thick textures and sharply clear ascendant highs, Grand Oeuvre punches low into the earth with one arm and reaches high into the skies with another. This album is one which demands moderate patience, but full attention — getting lost in its thick sonic narrative (the best approach to make the most of Grand Oeuvre‘s dark ferocity) is a closed-eye journey indeed.

ContrarianTheir Worm Never Dies | Willowtip | Progressive Death Metal | United States (New York)

Featuring members of Nile and Goemagot, death metal super-collab Contrarian has been whisking audiences away to fantastical and unhallowed lands since the release of their debut EP Predestined in 2014. Combining timeless elements of progressive, technical, and even classic death metal into a wickedly sharp and immaculately performed amalgamation, Contrarian’s mission statement is to “create death metal that is authentically new while having a natural memory and understanding of the old; rooted in early 1990s progressive death metal, but with an unrelenting forward-thinking approach.” On the group’s third full-length Their Worm Never Dies, Contrarian maintains their characteristically airtight sense of professionality and refined musicianship with seven tracks of brutal, otherworldly death metal mastery.

— Thomas Hinds

NoisemCeaese to Exist | 20 Buck Spin | Grind, Death Metal | United States (Maryland)

Hailing from Baltimore, the mangy, feral animal that is Noisem has returned yet again with another grizzly offering of blackened, grinding death metal that is sure to inspire severe neck cramps and tenderized triceps (pit fiends will understand). Gaining some serious momentum after the release of their previous album Blossoming Decay, the group participated in 2015’s Decibel tour with Carcass, Gorguts, and The Black Dahlia Murder, only to disappear from the public eye for almost three years. The end of 2018, however, saw a triumphant return for Noisem with the announcement of their third full-length Cease to Exist. Leaner, meaner, yet as punishing as ever, the new album is defined by “grinding blastbeats, unceasing Death-thrash riffs and an acidic vocal snarl to rival prime Jeff Walker,” quelling any notion that Noisem would ease up with time.

— Thomas Hinds

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