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Upcoming Metal Releases 10/7/2018-10/13/2018

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I’ve been very busy, so expect these columns to be shorter for the next, I don’t know, forever?

Here are the new metal releases for the weeks of October 7 – October 13, 2018. Release dates are formatted according to proposed North American scheduling, if available. Expect to see the bulk of these records on shelves or distros on the coming Fridays unless otherwise noted or if labels and artists get impatient. Blurbs and designations are based on whether or not I have a lot to say about it.

See something we missed? Goofs? Let us know in the comments. Plus, as always, feel free to post your own shopping lists. Happy digging.

As a little bit of a challenge, include your own opinion about anything you want to add. Make me want to listen to it!

Please note: this is a review column and is not speculative. Any announced albums without preview material will not be covered. Additionally, any surprise releases which are uploaded or released after this column is published will be excluded.

send Jon your promos at [email protected]. Do not bother him on social media.

ANTICIPATED RELEASES

Aeternus – Heathen | Dark Essence | Black/Death Metal | Norway
If there is one thing Aeternus mastermind Ares is, it is knowledgeable. Having performed with some of Norway’s most legendary names, this man “cut his teeth” with the best, and his long-running Aeternus project taks what he’s learned to a wholly new level. Progressive, heavy, menacing, Heathen‘s dark magic pulls the listener to a subterranean pit of despair and horror.

Outer Heaven – Realms Of Eternal Decay | Relapse Records | Death/Doom Metal/Hardcore | United States
From Langdon’s premiere of “”What Lies Beneath”:

Outer Heaven will make you feel like a teenager again, flipping through death metal album art as the horrific riffs and demonic howls whipped around you, conjuring images of a permanent night time world and deathly decaying fantasy. What’s more, with the elements they display, Outer Heaven don’t pen themselves in for a follow up; one could imagine them branching off to more elaborate death metal just as easily as releasing a fierce D-beat beatdown.

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OF NOTE

Pa Vesh En – Church of Bones | Iron Bonehead | Black Metal | Belarus
From my premiere of “The Wilderness of Cursed Souls”:

Hidden beneath its deathly murk is music which goes far beyond competence. In tandem with its atmosphere, the anonymous Belarusian’s creations ooze the quintessences of horror and terror. This musical ossuary shambles and reeks of the must of aged, dessicated bone. It is a truly immersive piece, but also difficult. Much like any harsh experimental album, Pa Vesh En deserves deeper listening (high volume is recommended) to fully understand its horror and duality. Enter the bone church at your own risk.

Deadbird – III: The Forest Within The Tree | 20 Buck Spin | Sludge/Doom Metal | United States
At first listen, yes, Deadbird is another one of those “we fused sludge and sad traditional doom metal” bands, but god damn if this new album isn’t overwhelming. I swear, listening through this is a trial, but in a good way. It’s difficult to make music so oppressive.

Eosphoros – Eosphoros | Iron Bonehead | Black Metal | United States
From my premiere of “Dross”:

This is a band meant to play live — a power trio who takes no prisoners when it comes to ferocity. There is volume added to the bass because it is just as important an element as everything else, filling the cracks with its oozing velvet. What results is pure isolationism, a misanthrope meditating on hatred far and away from mankind. In the Pacific Northwest, this could very well be in a forest somewhere, but that is merely where one can be alone. Make no mistake: Eosphoros do not worship nature like their local peers — this reverence is different. The forest is where one can be away from god, away from people — where one can, according to old lore, live within the devil’s own kingdom.

Akitsa – Credo | Profound Lore Records | Black Metal | Canada
The kings of Quebecois black metal return with another triumphant exercise in nostalgia old ways.

OTHER RELEASES

Vanhelgd – Deimos Sanktuarium | Pulverised Records | Death/Doom Metal | Sweden
Crushing death/doom metal, lost somewhere between the classic Peaceville sound and early ’90s Floridian crawling putridity. It’s a nice balance, this “romantic cannibalism” or whatever you’d call it.

Skálmöld – Sorgir | Napalm Records | Viking/Folk Metal | Iceland
From Jenna’s art feature:

For almost a decade, Iceland’s Skálmöld has transcended traditional Viking metal through an important lesson in simplicity. With a name translating to “Age of Swords” and “lawlessness,” the troop conveys primal brutality through relentlessly pulsing beats. The upcoming sixth installment in their book of lore Sorgir is an example of a battle cry that doesn’t read too one dimensionally. A colorful use of oboe, traditional Icelandic music, and inspiration from the metal greats provides the energy to plow through forest and field. Hearty without becoming overblown, the album becomes the perfect backdrop for Skálmöld’s tradition of storytelling.

Allelic – The Smoke of Atavistic Fires | Green Man Records | Atmospheric Folk/Black Metal | Canada
Tons of atmosphere in this one, but what really makes me happy about Allelic is the way it jangles. For such a pessimistic album, there are parts which near ’90s alternative rock in the best way possible. It seems silly to read that, I guess, but it fills me with warmth.

Terrorizer – Caustic Attack | The End Records | Death Metal/Grindcore | United States
How Terrorizer manages to continue without Jesse Pintado totally goes over my head.

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