Upcoming Metal Releases

Upcoming Metal Releases: 4/28/19 -- 5/4/19

Upcoming Metal Releases

Here are the new (and recent) metal releases for the week of April 28th to May 4th, 2019. Release 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.

Surprise Releases + Things We Missed

BasilicaWeight EP | Shirley Road Records | Death Metal + Metalcore | United States (North Carolina)

Never underestimate the power of galloping riffage and chunky-but-not-overly-detuned chugs. Even though the Weight EP from Basilica is only four tracks (barely exceeding ten minutes overall), the package is as dense as humanly possible. The outfit’s blend of death metal, hardcore, and metalcore represents each of those subgenres in equal measure, especially as song cadence becomes just as important as the riff content or vocals. “Everything” especially moves with fury and aggression, but doesn’t overblow it by any measure.

MurgSträvan | Nordvis | Black Metal | Sweden

Strävan is this Swedish duo’s third full-length, and first in nearly four years. Bathed in liquid nitrogen and adorned with deadly icicles, Murg are basically a deep-freezer for your heart and mind. The album’s atmospherics are especially bleak (some raw-ish production values help in this regard), but nothing compares to the void generated by Vargher’s visceral vocals. This band specializes also in excellent pacing with their black metal: a lot of bands shoot for total maximums, whereas Murg understands the importance of taking their time to weave the thin threads of transcendence.

AvandraDescender | Blood Music | Progressive Metal | Puerto Rico

From the balmy Caribbean land of Puerto Rico comes the and delicious melodic and proggy tones of Avandra, a relatively unknown group formed in 2011. Having honed their sound for six years before releasing any material to the public, the group will now see the release of their second full-length record Descender, a tour-de-force of triumphant clean vocals, gloriously intricate rhythms, and fascinating textures brought to life by analog synthesizers, ambient choirs, and ultra-crisp tones across the sonic spectrum. Despite their underground status, Avandra has successfully created a musically outstanding and highly professional record that is as compelling as it is creative. Also, famed label Blood Music announced on their Facebook that this band would be their last new signing.

— Thomas Hinds

Upcoming Releases

RingwormDeath Becomes My Voice | Relapse | Hardcore + Thrash | United States (Ohio)

Ever since emerging from the Cleveland underground scene nearly 30 years ago, thrash/hardcore crossover group Ringworm have captivated the attention of fans from both sides of the punk/metal spectrum, crafting scathing, blistering compositions pushing the limits of their respective subgenres. With countless splits, EPs, demos, and albums under their belts, Ringworm will now release their eighth full-length record Death Becomes My Voice. With its harrowing vocals, relentless d-beats, and raw, almost blackened riffing style, the album represents yet another stellar and surprisingly contemporary release from Ringworm, a record that matches the group’s righteous old-school origins with a gnarled and rotting spirit of timeless evil that still reigns true to this day.

— Thomas Hinds

OsiahKingdom of Lies | Unique Leader | Technical Deathcore | United Kingdom

Osiah’s Kingdom of Lies lands within the “technical deathcore” realm, a place where ridiculously heavy breakdowns merge with tech-death technicality for a hyper-aggressive package. We’ve seen releases from Unique Leader like this before, and the technical deathcore concept is nowhere near new, but Osiah’s execution here is noteworthy. While many may prefer straight-up tech-death (or straight-up deathcore) to this sort of blend, the two mesh together sensationally well under this band’s approach.

Stellar Master EliteHologram Temple | Unholy Conspiracy Deathwork | Black Metal | Germany

Germany’s Stellar Master Elite are back with their fourth full-length in nearly a decade of existence. Hologram Temple relishes in its sensational density, almighty climaxes, and machine-like production: this is an album for tearing apart your mind and reconstructing it into a cyborgian central processing unit. Expect songs like “Apocalypsis” to surge and bulge with double-bass, hyper-fast chord progressions, and the caustic vocal premonitions of screamer E.K.

Sol SistereExtinguished Cold Light | Hammerheart Records | Black Metal | Chile

Sol Sistere help represent Chile’s underappreciated black metal scene, and their debut full-length from 2016 Unfading Incorporeal Vision helped make that the case. Now, the quintet have returned with their sophomore effort Extinguished Cold Light which sees the band as darkly polished as ever. Their brand of black metal is attuned for soaring high on waves of tremolo riffing and blast beats, but also sinking down into the moments of retreat that Sol Sistere pepper throughout this opus. The band excels at creating a nuanced symphony from what would otherwise be an instrumental overload.

The Howling VoidBleak and Everlasting | Avantgarde | Dooom Metal | United States (Texas)

If Bleak and Everlasting says anything as an album title, is that The Howling Void want to send you into the deepest parts of your mind, disconnecting you from reality as you know it where time seems to control every aspect of life and being. Deep inside, once this album finds its resonant frequency, you’ll be presented with auras, colors, and emotions both poignant and terrifying under the timeless umbrella of suffering. This is doom for death, this is doom for heartache and pain, this is doom for the infinite void which destroys not space-time but mind-time.

ArchivistTriumvirate | Blackgaze | Austria + United Kingdom + Germany

It’s hard not to use Deafheaven as a rubric for Archivist’s blend of atmospheric black metal, though the differences are still profound. Deafheaven ended up taking a wildly different direction over the last year or so; however, their initial trajectory would have led them somewhere near Archivist’s Triumvirate had the band not fully embraced their softer, post-rock and shoegaze leanings. All good, too, because both bands have their merit for sure. As for Archivist, these eight songs dig deep and pull up all sorts of emotional weeds with pained vocals, sullen lows, and almighty climaxes alike.

ElegiacThirst for Vengeance | Sacrifical Sounds | Black Metal | United States (California)

West Coast black metal with blackgaze sensibilities and short-format song structures — Thirst for Vengeance hits both hard and soft as Elegiac seeks to transport you into otherworldly headspaces. Clean vocals add some much-appreciated dynamism to the mix, but they also allow the instrumentation to take a temporary back seat as Thirst for Vengeance slowly builds its upliftingly aware but otherwise depressive mood. A more traditional drumming performance (as far as black metal goes) helps ground this album in familiarity, though Elegiac remains artistic and idiosyncratic in how the overall execution comes together, all pieces considered.

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