Upcoming Metal Releases: 5/26/19 -- 6/1/19

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Here are the new (and recent) metal releases for the week of May 26th to June 1st, 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.

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Darkthrone — Old Star | Peaceville Records | Black Metal | Norway

Norwegian black metal mainstays Darkthrone return with their 17th studio album Old Star, their first release since 2016’s Arctic Thunder. With their more recent material, Darkthrone has made the genre-defying transition from traditional second-wave black metal to a more eclectic, classic (yet still blackened) heavy metal sound incorporating doom-laden riffs, extreme metal licks, and even grimy crust punk sensibilities. Their newest record promises to deliver more material in this same stylistic vein, with founding member Fenriz stating that Old Star will be Darkthrone’s “most 1980s album so far and most metal one to date, with drum sound typical for the 1980s USA/German market and damned lyrics, which are all written by me.”

— Thomas Hinds

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Pound — •• | Silent Pendulum Records | Experimental Death Metal | United States (Washington)

Truly experimental, featuring a million-string guitar player and one drummer hammering two separate drum kits. As its unpronounceable name implies, •• is formless and structureless, a place where only mad (sometimes mind-stabbing) riffs and bombastic drum beats interplay for an instrumental upheaval. Pound isn’t for everyone, but for those who don’t mind their death metal a little dispersed and deconstructed, it’s as close as you might get to an ideal sound from beyond the tropes and traditions of the genre.

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Deorc Absis — The Nothingness Transfiguration | Redefining Darkness Records | Blackened Death Metal | Italy

Delivering a crushing, unforgiving brand of atmospheric blackened death metal in the tradition of Portal or Deathspell Omega, Italian outfit Deorc Absis have made a daring debut in the form of, their debut Nothingness Transformation EP. Formed in 2016, the group have quickly and effectively honed their sound to the ideal mix of chaos and technicality, creating chaotic and disorienting aural hellscapes punctuated by crisp, harrowing vocals and texturally lush synthesizers. Balancing raw, primal ferocity and cerebral meticulousness, Deorc Absis have issued a profoundly existential entry into the realm of blackened death metal that will likely be lauded as one of the year’s breakout releases within the genre.

— Thomas Hinds

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Krypts — Cadaver Circulation | Dark Descent Records | Death Metal | Finland

The third full-length by Finnish devastators Krypts remains powerfully mid-tempo (with notable exceptions, like the blasts near the midpoint of “Sinking Transient Waters”) — a strong suit indeed considering the hyperspeed aspirations of so many other death metal bands. Sometimes it’s nice to be pummeled into oblivion by sheer weight and density rather than eviscerated by death metal lightning strikes. Cadaver Circulation churns and chews apart its enemies, and would actually be fitting music for the gates of hell (or Satan’s doorbell for that matter).

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Adrift — Pure | Temple of Torturous | Progressive Doom | Spain

Ready for some post-metal/doom infusion with a touch of sludge thrown in for good measure? We’re coming at you later this week with a full stream; in the meantime, let these two tracks (“Pure” and “Ember”) melt you away into oblivion. Aside from jamming like pros, this Spanish outfit really dig into the moody, ethereal side of proggy everything-inspired doom: its on vocal-free, balladic choruses that this band comes into its own powerful light. But when the going gets serious, and the harsh vocals come in, Pure feels exactly that: pure.

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Kaleidobolt — Bitter | Svart Records | Psych-Rock | Finland

And now for something entirely different. Or, well, maybe just throwback. These Finnish rockers know how to achieve the “psych” tag without resorting to I-smoke-weed thematics or other annoyingly easy hooks; instead, they fucking tear your psyche apart with surf-rock-inspired beats, peircingly clean vocals, and good ol’ heavy rock-‘n’-roll. Oh, and guitar solos from outer space (not to mention the very precise and effective use of synth). The production here deserves mention, subtly baked into the background but ever-penetrating in the foreground. This really, really jams hard but maintains its lofty senses and psych vibes, something not easy to accomplish without resorting to too many tropes.

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Vortex of End — Ardens Fvror | Osmose Proudctions | Blackened Death Metal | France

Ardens Fvror rips much harder than I expected: from its fuzzing guitar distortion to its heavy layering, this third full-length from French outfit Vortex of End packs a wallop but in a pithy format. There’s nothing particularly groundbreaking here, other than that this is the best Vortex of End release to date — where this album shines is in its blend of devastation and digestibility. Jammed alone or with friends, Ardens Fvror offers dark delight as background music or the primary focus of attention.

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