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Uzÿivatel

Upcoming Metal Releases 8/5/2018-8/11/2018

Uzÿivatel

I had some real sad stuff happen this week and had to duck out, so please enjoy an installment mostly handled by my editorial cohorts, Andrew and Ian.

Here are the new metal releases for the weeks of July 29, 2018 – August 4, 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

Ill Omen – The Grande Usurper | Iron Bonehead Productions | Black Metal | Australia
Infinite darkness — black as pitch metal with glorious, grandiose riffage hidden deep within its chasms. Mitchell “IV” Keepin is the master of his craft, and the ever-sharpening depth of Ill Omen is his crowning achievement.

The Spirit – Sounds From The Vortex | Nuclear Blast Records | Melodic Black/Death Metal | Germany
Wouldn’t it be great if it was still the 1990s? The Spirit must ask that every morning when they wake up to their Sacramentum alarm clock. In all seriousness, this is some incredible stuff and just what the doctor ordered. In short: “Do you like melodic riffs? Cool. Do you like Dissection? Even better.”

Unanimated – Annihilation | Century Media Records | Melodic Black/Death Metal | Sweden
Much like The Spirit, Unanimated revels in that gloriously melodic, dark 1990s sound. To their credit, they’ve been at it a very long time. Started in 1988 and active until 1996, Unanimated’s revived self offers a master class in that special, “early” sound. For all the new music out there, sometimes you just need something like this.

NO STREAMING TRACKS YET

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OF NOTE

Gloam/Obscure EvilSplit | Blood Harvest Records | Black/Doom Metal / Black/Thrash Metal | United States/Peru
Two filthy bands, two filthy tracks. Fans of Gloam and Obscure Evil will find themselves in familiar territory, here: blackened, thrashy, death-fueled grit. Gloam takes the straightforward route, songwriting-wise — Obscure Evil descend deeper into madness with numerous roundabouts and switchbacks. Both experiences are fluid despite the nastiness of their objects, though, and the pair melds with aplomb (a one-two slap). Too bad it isn’t longer.

— Andrew Rothmund

FROM THE GRAVE

p a n d o – Hiraeth | Aesthetic Death | Psychedelic Doom Metal | United States
Embrace the bizarre and listen to this noisy, psychedelic, strange mixture of kraut, metal, and musique concrete. Sure, it sounds insurmountable on paper, but p a n d o’s sun-baked musicscapes are nothing short of glorious on an increasingly hot day.

OTHER RELEASES

Divine Ecstasy – Strange Passions | Iron Bonehead Productions | Black Metal | United States
I’ll admit that I’m not too clued into the world of scuzzy underground black metal, but I was pleasantly surprised by Divine Ecstasy’s ability to infuse a hint of rock and roll swagger into their take on the genre. I wouldn’t call much on this record adventurous, but the way the bassist slides through chord progressions recalls some of punk rock’s “devil-may-care” attitude. That’s enough to elevate songs like “Eternally Scarred” and “Sands Of Time,” but most of the record suffers due to the rest of the band’s lack of personality. A track like “Prophets of Madness” is a great launching pad for more evocative guitar playing even within the old school black metal paradigm, but the band never take the leap.
-Ian Cory
Van Canto – Trust in Rust | Napalm Records | A Capella Power Metal | Germany
“RAKATAKA RAKATAKA RAKATAKA RAKATAKA RAKATAKA RAKATAKA!”

-Van Canto’s “rhythm section”

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