slegest

Upcoming Metal Releases 11/11/2018-11/17/2018

slegest

Hey friends, now is a time for change. I am handing the reins off to another for the Upcoming Metal Releases column. That’s right, my co-conspirator and best bud Andrew Rothmund will be the Master of Upcoming Releases in this transitioning period. Thanks to Andrew, now I will be able to focus on things I actually like (yes, I will still be around — I’m an editor here, after all!). Don’t get me wrong, I will miss doing this to a degree, but there is something to be said about listening to every release ever and trying to have an opinion about it, at least over the course of three-and-a-half years. Who knows, maybe I won’t be as grumpy.

Just kidding.

Best,
Jon Rosenthal

Here are the new metal releases for the week of November 11th – November 17th, 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.

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 us 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 us your promos to: [email protected]. Do not send us promo material via social media.

ANTICIPATED RELEASES

Slegest — Introvert | Dark Essence Records | Black Metal, Heavy Rock | Norway

Sometimes black metal should move you instead of, say, transporting your head to otherworldly spaces via dense atmospherics and unending blast beats. As a shining example of what black metal sounds like filtered through another genre’s lens, Introvert sees Slegest maturely having a shit-ton of fun without spoiling the album’s pervasive darkness. Groove is absolutely key to Slegest’s magic, and the blackened influences don’t at all combat the music’s sense of movement — in fact, it’s those harsh, gritty vocals and how they swell and recede with the music’s intensity. And the riffs are classic, of course, great for holding your lighter in the air or cruising down the highway, paced just perfectly to keep your blood rushing without destroying your head’s clarity.

Sigh — Heir to Despair | Candlelight Records | Experimental | Japan

I love and hate Sigh. Much like Weezer, it seems as if the band was destroyed in an awful calamity and replaced by evil robots hell-bent on destroying what was an incredible discography (leading up to but not including Gallows Gallery/em>). Even with the help of the incredibly talented Kadenzza mastermind You Oshima, Sigh has crossed the Pale into pure video game circusry. Yes, they’ve always been weird, generally to their benefit, but lately… no. It’s impossible, impenetrable stuff. Stuff I just don’t have the patience for anymore. Instead of listening to this, go ahead and check out everything from Scorn Defeat through Imaginary Sonicscape.

— Jon Rosenthal

Portrayal of Guilt — Let Pain Be Your Guide | Gilead Media | Screamo, Hardcore | United States (Texas)

Let Pain Be Your Guide is an impassioned, heartfelt, devastating, and too-short album from these Texas hardcore rockers. With progressive, mathcore-like threads woven throughout, the album has all the necessary dynamics to offset its near-hilarious level of sinister brutality — certainly, there’s plenty to keep your attention hooked throughout these tracks’ brief runtimes. Personally, it’s not often that I’m drawn to this particular arena in the heavy music spectrum, but Portrayal of Guilt brought me right there, and I like what I hear.

ancst

OF NOTE

Ancst — Abolitionist EP | Lifeforce Records | Black Metal | Germany

Crusty, groovy, blackened goodness from Germany — Ancst hooked me with a few of their past full-lengths, but this new EP sees the project as visceral as ever. Expect copious blasting, metalcore-adjacent vocals, and pick-me-up riffing. Additionally, atmospherics seem to be a moderate consideration here, with a light headspace achieved by undulating chords and drumming. Ancst hits more in that straightforward sort-of way, instead, departing slightly from the traditional tools of black metal for something slightly more modern and refreshing.

FOR THE ADVENTUROUS

Baring Teeth — Transitive Savagery | Translation Loss Records | Death Metal | United States (Texas)

Churning, crushing death metal, if a little messy. Sometimes not being perfectly “ship-shape” instrumentation-wise adds to a band’s character, especially when it comes to chaotic music. Here, it works well. Baring Teeth nail the parts they have to nail — the entire mix, though, feels like it’s on the edge of falling apart, but just barely held together with the grit and wit of the artists. This lends a tension to this brand of death metal which plays well with its dark content. Expect discordant and atonal moments throughout, interspersed with aggressive, right-handed riffing to keep the intensity cranked. (Also, yet another solid band from Texas.)

Sacrificium Carmen — Hermetica | Saturnal Records | Black Metal | Finland

Comprised of classic black metal twists and turns, plus a shit-ton of speed, Hermetica lands solidly in the “blood-pumping” category. Blasting its way through riff after riff of tremolo-heavy fuzziness (the drumming, here, really helps keep things together), Sacrificium Carmen maintain a healthy layer of melody to keep things always hummable. This being their second full-length, it represents a strong sophomore effort where a lot of bands try but fail to write interesting throwbacks. Hermetica feels classic and familiar, but also like it’s reaching out for something more.

OTHER RELEASES

Karg — Dornenvögel | Art of Propaganda | Black Metal, Post-Rock | Austria
From Ivan Belcic’s premiere of “Heimat bist du tiefster Winter”:

As the song cascades into its first mournful double-kick driven verse, Alex commences the proceedings while the video’s protagonist writes a letter to an unseen recipient. J.J.’s bleak howls lend shape to our heroine’s solitary existence as she emerges from her remote cabin to traverse a vast, verdant field. The next scene jumps abruptly back to her home, the writer seated amidst discarded pages as the song swells, soon reaching a state of full-blown black metal furor. The viewer’s catharsis at this moment — tremolo wails unleashing the rising tension built over prior minutes — is a far cry from the misery of the video’s sole character. From here, similar peaks and valleys unfold until J.J. finally steers the track towards its restful, contemplative conclusion.

Support Invisible Oranges on Patreon.