Upcoming Metal Releases: 10/10/2021-10/16/2021
Here are the new (and recent) metal releases for the week of October 10th, 2021 to October 16th, 2021. Releases 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.
Things We Missed
Kite — Currents | Majestic Mountain Records | Hardcore + Sludge | Norway
Kite render sludge and hardcore as a cinematic journey on Currents, crafting more than just riffs with their finely-calibrated noise: check out that hypnotic intro track, for instance. Across the rest of the album, explosive sludge and pensive rock play equal roles in telling the story, beset by hoarse screams and, occasionally, some nifty synth textures.
–Ted Nubel
…
Upcoming Releases
Melvins — Five Legged Dog | Ipecac Records | Acoustic + Sludge Metal | United States (Washington)
Melvins continue their legacy of doing whatever the hell they please with a two-and-a-half-hour, 36-track, double LP comprised solely of acoustic reinterpretations of their back catalog and various covers. It amounts to Melvins sounding as authentically grunge as possible in 2021 while maintaining their trademark oddities.
–Colin Dempsey
…
Hate — Rugia | Metal Blade Records | Blackened Death Metal | Poland
This is blackened death metal that cranks every aspect to its logical conclusion. The vocals are muscular, the solos are unhinged spirals, and there’s particular darkness that comes from undivided anger.
–Colin Dempsey
…
Alcatrazz — V | Silver Lining Music | Heavy Metal + Rock | United States (Los Angeles, CA)
Doogie White (Michael Schenker Group, Cornerstone) replaces long-term vocalist Graham Bonnet on this fifth album just a year after their comeback with Bonnet—little bit strange of a situation, I think, but White does great here. Despite the name and album art feeling like the last gasps of a vanity project long past its prime, V is actually pretty good. Maybe I’m just jonesing for good guitar/organ heavy metal, but the swirly organ textures and fun shredding does it for me here.
–Ted Nubel
…
Necromantia — To the Depths We Descend… | The Circle Records | Black Metal | Greece
The long-running Hellenic black metal band returns after 14 years to issue their apparently final record; it’s definitely serviceable but doesn’t sonically have all that much in common with the band’s lauded early work.
–Ted Nubel
…
Noltem — Illusions in the Wake | Transcending Obscurity Records | Atmospheric Black Metal | United States
From Jon Rosenthal’s full album premiere:
Though some might refer to Illusions in the Wake as a “progressive metal” album and others imbue Noltem with the “atmospheric black metal” tag, both these genre operators feel incomplete given this album’s special character. The calm and introspective “neofolk metal” which defined Hymn of the Wood and Mannaz which preceded it might make appearances throughout, but Noltem’s singular take on a more generally defined atmospheric metal proves the content is more important than its classification.
…
Deviant Process — Nurture | Season of Mist | Progressive Death Metal | Canada (Quebec City, Quebec)
Melodic and driving basslines add another layer of intrigue to the thoughtful progressive technicality at work here; the band is exceptionally skilled at creating different textures within their sound and making the most of every element, not just jamming angular riffs down listeners’ throats.
–Ted Nubel
…
Destinity — In Continuum | Crimson Productions | Black + Death Metal | France
Rich and vibrant, In Continuum comes after a nine year gap for the band and shows their genre allegiance shifting again into melodic black metal with slight hints of death metal scattered within.
–Ted Nubel
…
Sol Sistere — Sol Sistere | Cult of Parthenope | Atmospheric Black Metal | Chile
Resplendent in all its atmospheric, multi-layered black metal beauty, Sol Sistere also holds a plunging darkness within it that takes some peering through the gilded façade to really appreciate.
–Ted Nubel
…
Superstatic — Glimmering Veil | Solitude Productions | Black Metal + Ambient | Ireland (Dublin)
This bridges a gap I wasn’t aware of, connecting black metal to industrial, ambient synth-enhanced misery. Black/ambient is a thing, of course, but the non-black-metal moments retain an incessant rhythmic aspect that’s unusual and keeps it all connected. Tackling themes like Morrowind (still the best Elder Scrolls game), System Shock II, and literary sci-fi, it’s a spooky ride through black metal, nostalgia, and horror alike.
–Ted Nubel
…
Crystal Coffin — The Starway Eternal | Independent | Black Metal | Canada
How often does black metal crossover with sci-fi? Crystal Coffin balance both with melodic black metal hallmarks atop progressive synths and tasteful acoustics, a surprising combination for an album about interdimensional travel and the Chernobyl meltdown.
–Colin Dempsey
…
NŪR — Negative Transfer | Suicide Records | Sludge/Post-Metal | Israel
NŪR’s take on the sludge/post-metal hybrid balances gargantuan riffs and full-throated shouts with periods of embryonic introspection. Neither component overtakes the other, meaning the momentum never dips nor does the tension ever ease up.
–Colin Dempsey
…
Gravesend — From the Gutter / To the Grave | Decibel | Death Metal/ Black Metal/Grindcore | United States (New York)
Gravesend began the year by dropping one of 2021’s filthiest releases, and are following that up with this two-track Decibel Flexi Series exclusive EP. Expect to feel like you’re getting ran over by a New York subway again, much like you did when you listened to January’s Methods of Human Disposal.
No public stream yet, but it will come with the November issue of Decibel.
–Colin Dempsey
…
Shi – 死 — Basement Wizard | Independent | Doom + Stoner Metal | United States (Kentucky)
This is stoner metal that’s as southern-fried as buttermilk chicken, but you’ll only catch 死’s Kentucky roots in the way they peel their riffs. The vocals are akin to a goblin after a fat bong hit, and of course, 死 include some Sabbath-worship as a finishing garnish.
–Colin Dempsey
…
