Upcoming Metal Releases

Upcoming Metal Releases: 7/21/19 -- 7/27/19

Upcoming Metal Releases

Here are the new (and recent) metal releases for the week of July 21st to July 27th, 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

Rebel WizardHark! Hark! Hark! | Prosthetic | Heavy Negative Wizard Metal | Australia

We’ve covered Rebel Wizard before, and it’s definitely worth checking out. For this EP, though, we’ll let the Rebel Wizard speak for himself: “God came down and spoke to me about this EP and he said it was total shit and to stop acting like a baby. He said all music is shit and we’re all a bunch of babies and we’re about to be destroyed anyway. I pointed my broken wizard fingers with heavy negative metal wizard self righteousness and told the arrogant buffoon, ‘shut your dumb face.’ He did, because negative wizard metal trumps God, and now the EP has been released with all its absence of symbolism and triumphant chants that Hark! Hark! Hark!”

— Andrew Rothmund

Upcoming Releases

The Negative BiasNarcissus Rising | ATMF | Black Metal | Austria

Here’s a two-track black metal behemoth from The Negative Bias, their second full-length since the project’s inception four years ago. Championing dynamics and long-form narrative (including plenty of ambient) over blatant aggression, this black metal is for sinking deep into reflection or introspection, not charging down the highway at insane speeds. That said, though, Narcissus Rising contains its own climaxes, highly potent and furiously fast — they’re just embedded and worked into a grander framework which helps put them into a storyline-like context. Listening to two 20+ minute tracks might not seem to be a huge feat, but The Negative Bias aim to both make it a challenge and worth your time.

— Andrew Rothmund

ThiefMap of Lost Keys | Prophecy Productions | Electronic | United States (California)

From my premiere of “With Love, From Nihil”:

The metal spirit can be found everywhere, even anywhere. While there’s a slew of non-metal which, by whatever form it happens to take, still retains strong appeal to the yearning metal spirit within us. Of course, our minds as a whole typically desire and explore a variety of genres; the raw and ethereal impetus, though, to indulge in metal’s extremity is what some non-metal music is really adept at tapping into. It’s a nifty approach, really, scratching the metal scratch but without the usual razor-sharp steel claw. This isn’t to say that any of this non-metal-but-still-sorta-metal was intended to be as such; it’s more of a phenomenon of how we select music based on mood, desire, and other factors, many of which drive us to listen to, well, heavy metal with or without its usual trappings.

“Green metal” project Botanist is a strong name indeed, especially for what we’re talking about here — Dylan Neal, a dulcimer player for Botanist, is the brainchild for dark electronic project Thief. This might immediately bring to mind one thing, but rest assured, it’ll be something much different indeed. Thief is set to release their sophomore full-length Map of Lost Keys later this month, an 11-track doozy of blended atmospherics, slow and somber melodies, and so much more.

— Andrew Rothmund

Clouds CollideThey Don’t Sleep Anymore | War Crime Recordings | Post-Metal + Shoegaze | United States (Pennsylvania)

Stay tuned later this week for a special Clouds Collide treat. For now, enjoy the two singles so far from this five-song third installment from a four-part seasonal album series. This project blends the atmosphere and surging power of shoegaze with the technical and aesthetic dynamics of modern post-metal. The combination is indeed “soft,” especially compared to the slew of harder but still shoegazey bands influenced more by black metal, and this is exactly where They Don’t Sleep Anymore succeeds. These tunes are somber, gentle, oddly relaxing, and above all else, written from the heart and mind, not just one or the other.

— Andrew Rothmund

Curse of DenialComing For Your Soul | Redefining Darkness | Blackened Death Metal | United States (Ohio)

Springing back into action two years after their criminally overlooked debut record The 13th Sign, extreme metal cadre Curse of Denial are now following up their first outing with Coming For Your Soul, a grotesque utterance even more grim and vile than its predecessor. Born from the abysmal rusty shackles of Cleveland, Curse of Denial take an especially pummeling approach to their unique blend of grinding death and black metal, combining the most savage, voracious elements from each into a razor-sharp vortex of hyper-calculated brutality. Equipped with an edge of deft technicality, they embellish the primordial, often simplistic character of blackened death metal with a healthy dose of cerebral musicianship.

— Thomas Hinds

Shades of Deep WaterDeath’s Threshold | Dunkelheit Productions | Funeral Doom | Finland

The latest dirge from this long-standing funeral doom outfit is only their second full-length, but it’s a monster. A real monster. Lilting and decaying and spinning endlessly through a vacuum of entropy, the purpose of Death’s Threshold is to evacuate your mind of all consciousnesses (much like death itself) over its runtime. As slow-moving as you’d expect, of course, this funeral doom echoes the drawn-out process death sometimes invites; not that you’re going to be bored though, because this album is painful and devastating in its beauty, capturing your attention while at the same time destroying it.

— Andrew Rothmund

CableTake the Stairs to Hell | Translation Loss Records | Sludge + Hard Rock | United States (Connecticut)

Serving up their first new slab of grizzly riffs ‘n’ fuzz since 2009’s The Failed Convict, Connecticut sludge masters Cable have finally returned with their seventh full-length Take the Stairs to Hell. After establishing themselves as a more hardcore-oriented outfit in the early 1990s, Cable slowly transitioned toward the atmospheric approach to sludge that earned more widespread recognition in the 2000s. With its earthy, anguished crunch, Take the Stairs to Hell continues on this sonic exploration with just enough twisting and turning to provide a newfound perspective on their ever-evolving aesthetic. Featuring guest appearances from members of Palms, Isis, and Tombs (among others), this one stands as an unmissable entry into the noisy annals of sludge.

— Thomas Hinds

NevelLeven | Babylon Doom Cult Records | Black Metal | Netherlands

One single 44-minute track comprising Nevel’s latest release Leven — this is a monumental black metal release which I wish you could hear right now, but there currently aren’t any streams/excerpts from this release yet (as of the time of this post). At once soothing and eviscerating, Leven relies on actual riffs and actual songwriting to create actual aural chaos… and of course there are wonderful climaxes and contrasting moments of despair. Highest recommendations here.

— Andrew Rothmund

Support Invisible Oranges on Patreon and check out our merch.