Upcoming Metal Releases

Upcoming Metal Releases: 7/14/19 -- 7/20/19

Upcoming Metal Releases

Here are the new (and recent) metal releases for the week of July 14th to July 20th, 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.

Upcoming Releases

Falls of RaurosPatterns in Mythology | Gilead Media | Black Metal | United States (Maine)

From my premiere of “Memory at Night” and interview with Aaron, one of the project’s founding members:

At it for nearly 15 years, Maine’s black metal gem Falls of Rauros do not flaunt their pedigree or tenure. In fact, all five of their releases, including the upcoming Patterns in Mythology, shimmer in a contemporary yet somehow timeless brilliance, not beholden to any supposed pattern in black metal, but not outright rejecting any trend either. Falls of Rauros has always just been, purveyors of extreme noise from unimaginable depths, and deliverers of something artistically authentic, without succumbing to creating music in a vacuum or simply reassembling parts from a proverbial black metal toolkit. This state of being — and counting the wisdom from nearly two decades in the scene — has allowed Falls of Rauros to solidify themselves as “staple black metal” without the degradation of hype-based popularity or the shallowness of empty listens by the half-interested. And with Patterns of Mythology, there should be no doubting the band’s self-determination when it comes to creating some of the most moving black metal of our era.

WormedMetaportal EP | Season of Mist | Technical Death Metal | Spain

The mighty Wormed has returned with their first new noise since 2016’s acclaimed full-length Krighsu. Even though this newest EP is pithy, it’s powerful… actually, very powerful. Listeners get the same maddeningly complex riffage and hilariously humongous grind moments, but with an even denser, more cacophonous packaging. The Metaportal EP sees Wormed not slowing down, but speeding up, an incredible achievement for a band who can already tear spacetime apart. Also, definitely stay tuned later this week for a special Wormed treat.

Tomb MoldPlanetary Clairvoyance | 20 Buck Spin | Death Metal | Canada

What’s there left to say in praise of Toronto death alchemists Tomb Mold that has not already been uttered? As the creators of one of 2018’s most celebrated OSDM records, the group continues to maintain an incredibly prolific track record with the announcement of their cosmic third full-length Planetary Clairvoyance. Deserving of its rank as one of this summer’s most hotly anticipated releases, Tomb Mold’s second outing goes above and beyond expectations with sprawling song structures and inconceivably pummeling riffs even more wicked and technical than its predecessor. Taking us from one claustrophobic hellscape to the next, Planetary Clairvoyance explores the frigid depths of outer space with appropriately otherworldly ambience and deliciously cavernous tone from each member of the band.

— Thomas Hinds

Wreck and ReferenceAbsolute Still Life | The Flenser | Electronic + Experimental | United States (California)

Genre-defying duo Wreck and Reference are back with their fourth album Absolute Still Life, and it sees them toning down the heaviness just a little (though it still has its fair share of harsh screams), but not toning down the weirdness at all. It touches on everything from goth to noise to IDM to industrial to metal and beyond, and as always, Wreck and Reference tie all these sounds together with expertise.

— Andrew Sacher

Lingua IgnotaCaligula | Profound Lore | Noise + Experimental | United States

Caligula, the latest utterance from violently experimental solo outfit Lingua Ignota, is a truly unique beast. The product of classically trained, Rhode Island-based musician Kristin Hayter, the record marks her third full-length under this moniker, and contains her most catastrophic, psychologically scathing material to date. Combining bizarre, seemingly miscellaneous elements such as symphonic, gothic dirges, and bouts of crushing distortion overlaid by harsh blackened vocals, Caligula marries stirring melodic beauty with chaos and brutality to create an utterly soul-wrenching effect throughout its 11 anguished tracks.

— Thomas Hinds

Rogga JohanssonEntrance to the Otherwhere | Transcending Obscurity | Death Metal | Sweden

Representing the essential but oft-neglected style that is melodic death metal, Swedish multi-instrumentalist and Scandinavian scene veteran Rogga Johansson has now unleashed his eponymous solo project’s second full-length Entrance to the Otherwise, the blistering follow-up to 2017’s Garpedans. Impressively, Johansson himself provides all instrumental and vocal tracking for the record (with the exception of session drumming by Brynjar Helgetun); the compelling and lightning-fast material on Entrance to the Otherwise thus demonstrates his cohesive sense of aesthetic and compositional unity. Striking a healthy balance between melody and brutality, the record digs into guttural death metal savagery while simultaneously showcasing virtuosic, neoclassical soloing and grand orchestral passages. Rounded out by crisp, punchy production an upbeat demeanor, this new album provides a stark alternative to the slime-ridden dungeon aesthetic that’s been growing increasingly popular in the contemporary death metal scene.

— Thomas Hinds

CancerBallcutter EP | Peaceville Records | Death Metal | United Kingdom

These purveyors of gruesome death are back with a special EP after last year’s full-length Shadow Gripped. There’s not much to unpackage here, unless you want to read more deeply into what the song “Ballcutter” from last year’s album means — it appears on this EP now with a guest appearance by Anders Nyström of Bloodbath. The EP also includes two unreleased track as well as some early demos, rounding out Ballcutter EP as somewhat essential for hardcore fans, and delightful nonetheless for everyone else.

HalshugDrøm | Southern Lord | Crust + Punk | Denmark

Formed only two years ago in Copenhagen, hardcore/crust punk crossover outfit Halshug have already arrived at the release of their third studio album Drøm. This latest record sees the group exploring a more dynamic range of tempos and textures, resulting in new suggestions of industrial, darkwave, and post-punk within their compositions. Shifting between passages of snarling mid-tempo d-beat and more adrenaline infused, crossover-thrash oriented riffs, Halshug’s new record sees their sound expanding into a more diverse yet still decidedly crust-centric realm of aggression.

— Thomas Hinds

EnforcedAt the Walls | WAR Records | Thrash | United States (Virginia)

Richmond crossover thrashers Enforced’s new album At the Walls comes out this week on Strife’s label WAR Records, and if you dig anything from crossover vets Leeway to newer torchbearers Iron Reagan (with both of whom Enforced toured earlier this year), you’re gonna wanna hear this. The album features guest vocals by Integrity’s Dwid Hellion (who also designed the album artwork), and it was mixed and mastered by Arthur Rizk (who also works with likeminded thrashers Power Trip), and fans of their work will dig Enforced too. At The Walls honors the classics while still sounding fresh, and there’s an evil rawness to it that separates it from your average crossover revivalists.

— Andrew Sacher

Stream “Reckoning Force” via BrooklynVegan.

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