New Metal Releases: 11/12/2023-12/1/2023

Here are the new (and recent) metal releases for November 12th through December 1st. 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.

New Releases 11/12-11/18

Ceremonial Bloodbath — Genesis of Malignant Entropy | Sentient Ruin | Death Metal + Black Metal | Canada (Vancouver, BC)

Genesis of Malignant Entropy is a war metal album. I could go on about its venom-flicking tongue or its incendiary vision, but those are to be expected when you read the term “war metal.” Ceremonial Bloodbath slams, simply put; nothing else matters.

–Colin Dempsey

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Celeste — Epilogue(s) | Nuclear Blast | Black Metal + Sludge Metal | France (Lyon)

Celeste’s newest EP includes three bonus tracks that were excluded from last year’s excellent Assassine(s). If you missed that album then you have some catching up to do, as it showcased a seamless fusion of black metal and sludge metal that hit like a truck. Unsurprisingly, Epilogue(s) continues down that path.

–Colin Dempsey

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Maul — Desecration and Enchantment | 20 Buck Spin | Death Metal | United States (Fargo, ND)

Unabashedly old-school yet disgustingly and refreshingly maximalist, Maul’s death metal stomps and splorches its way through your brain leaving little recognizable intelligence in its wake.

–Ted Nubel

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Alchemy of Flesh — By Will Alone | Redefining Darkness Records | Death Metal | United States (Athens, GA)

From Ted Nubel’s track premiere of “Meteor Hammer”:

By Will Alone turns up the tempo and hones in on delivering razor-sharp riffs with a total lack of subtlety. Drums and guitar form up into a serrated hailstorm, noticeably absent of excess reverb or really anything that might soften the impact here. It hones in on the same sort of brutal simplicity that death metal strove for in the 1990s, relying on tight, gnarly rhythms and fully parseable growls. While the decades since have resulted in enormous creative leaps and interesting experiments, sometimes, as mentioned, one just needs to be hit in the head with riffs.

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The Dwarves — Concept Album | Greedy Media | Punk | United States (San Francisco, CA)

Yes, The Dwarves are back again, but this time with a slightly, dare we even say pop punk-influenced, touch. Not necessarily the typical Invisible Oranges fair, but Dwarves are a must-listen for any punk or metal fan and have had an epic influence on both genres, so definitely check this out.

–Addison Herron-Wheeler

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Altars of the Moon — The Colossus and the Widow | Disorder Recordings | Doom Metal + Black Metal | United States (Portland, OR)

The post-black metal/doom supergroup are back with their second record, and it does not disappoint. While this type of music might not necessarily be as trendy as death metal or hardcore, there is definitely still a need for slower and more moody metal in my opinion. Don’t sleep on this epic release.

–Addison Herron-Wheeler

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King — Fury and Death | Soulseller Records | Black Metal + Melodic Death Metal | Australia (Melbourne)

From Jon Rosenthal’s track premiere of “Perception Ignited”:

An absolute whirlwind of excess, melancholy, and intensity, Australia’s King return with their third full-length album. Following suit with their Very Melodic fusion of black and death metal, King’s Fury and Death looks to genre classics for inspiration, but turns the dial to 11 on the vigor scale, upping their music’s magnitude to a wall-shaking level.

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The Last Eon — Infernal Fractality | Soulseller Records | Black Metal + Industrial Metal | Norway

From Jon Rosenthal’s track premiere of “DMT – Infernal FractalIty”:

The Last Eon’s head-bobbing, incredibly hardened music is both black metal and blasting techno at the same time–an oddity to some, but those who remember The Last Eon’s sonic lineage know it is a mark of respect to those who came before him. This is energizing music, using kinetic movement to wake up its listeners as opposed to black metal’s static blasts of sound, and Ødemark’s rekindling of this underrated and mostly forgotten sound is refreshing

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Sadhus The Smoking Community — Illegal Sludge | Ouga Booga and the Mighty Oug Recordings | Doom Metal + Sludge Metal | Greece (Athens)

Sadhus The Smoking Community’s third album Illegal Sludge contains tracks with titles such as “Fuckin’ Apes” and “Fuck Off & Die,” so you’re to be forgiven if you expected them to sound like a joke. In reality, they’re pessimistic and pissed off. Musically, their riffs err closer to doom’s roots with the distortion cranked up, but their attitude takes no prisoners.

–Colin Dempsey

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Harmagedon — Dystopian Dreams | Svart Records | Stoner Metal | Sweden (Stockholm)

Dystopian Dreams at times sounds closer to 70s hard rock than it does stoner metal. It also sounds more like crust punk than it does stoner metal, depending on the track, which is a testament to how much diversity and character the Swedish trio can ring out of their instruments.

–Colin Dempsey

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Litha — Litha | Tartarus Records | Black Metal | United States (Portland, OR)

Andrew Black’s debut album as Litha is his first solo project outside the ambient music realm. He gained prominence for his work alongside Mizmor, and if you’re at all familiar with that project’s bleakness, you’ll recognize that Litha follows a similarly somber path. It feels belittling to describe the album as depressing, but that’s the truth and its strongest facet. Litha’s black metal is a rebellion against his earlier introverted work, an outpouring of frustration aimed at a faceless rogue, and delivered as a necessary omen.

–Colin Dempsey

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Robots of the Ancient World — 3737 | Small Stone Records | Stoner Rock + Doom Metal | United States (Portland, OR)

3737‘s warm, thick stoner rock wraps itself around the listener like the coziest of blankets, although I’m having trouble fitting their occasional turn into double-bass uptempo riffing into this simile. Nonetheless, the first few notes of lead track “Hindu Kush” instantly brought me back to when I first got into stoner rock–while the genre has its fair share of pentatonic drudgery, Robots of the Ancient World have crafted another charmingly authentic slice of the good shit here.

–Ted Nubel

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Terromania — Nyctophobic | Ripple Music | Groove Metal + Rock | Finland

For the most part I feel like I have Ripple Music figured out, but sometimes they put out some pretty unusual stuff – that’s the case here, as Terromania is probably more in line with Lordi or, perhaps, The 69 Eyes than the stoner rock disciplines Ripple usually pursues. It’s over the top, anthemic, and maybe a little ridiculous at points, but ultimately it’s catchy enough to make up for the absurdity. If the lead singles weren’t your thing, try “Ceremonial Graveyard” or “Demon in the Rain” from the middle of the record.

–Ted Nubel

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New Releases 11/19-11/25

Cruciamentum — Obsidian Reflections | Profound Lore Records | Death Metal | United Kingdom + United States

The cavernous death metal band are out with a new record that’s even heavier than their previous stuff. This record is a good continuation of the legacy based both on how heavy and powerful it is and the way the music has morphed into a more mature form. We can’t stop spinning this one.

–Addison Herron-Wheeler

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Midnight Odyssey — Biolume Part 3: A Fullmoon Madness | I, Voidhanger Records | Atmospheric Black Metal | Australia

Dis Pater wraps up his grandiloquent Biolume trilogy with a typically bombastic finale full of triumphant celestial moods and lavish gothic melodrama, romancing majestic dark-wave synths and frantic, yet unfussy riffing, his vocals alternating between a space banshee’s shriek and wistful Brendan Perry-like croon. Snaring more cosmic dazzle than the Hubble working overtime, Midnight Odyssey’s lunar tunes also crush with the weight of planets colliding.

–Spencer Grady

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High Spirits — Safe on the Other Side | High Roller Records | Hard Rock + Heavy Metal | United States (Chicago, IL)

Some things are impermanent and momentary, but not High Spirits. High Spirits is forever, a hopefully eternal wellspring of badass songs about nights, cities, etc., and in this case a purveyor of a stellar Europe cover. The sun’s going down early these days, so it’s a great time to listen to more High Spirits.

–Ted Nubel

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Helga — Wrapped in Mist | Season of Mist | Heavy Metal + Folk | Sweden

The debut album from this band breaks new ground in the tradition of bands like Myrkur, relying on femme-forward and gorgeous vocal stylings but in a way that completely transcends any tropes bands like that currently have in metal. It is beautiful and strange, and sets a really cool trajectory for this band that we are definitely going to be following.

–Addison Herron-Wheeler

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Ophanim — Tämpelskläng | Eisenwald | Atmospheric Black Metal | Switzerland (Zürich)

From Jon Rosenthal’s full album premiere:

Tämpelskläng‘s dense atmospheres and unique riffing slightly recall other acts, but there is an element of mysticism and Antiquity which pervades this album’s melodic sense, no doubt a result of Meister Tekel’s own Tanakh studies. Yes, Judeo-Christianity plays a part in this album, but not in a religious fashion. Meister Tekel’s personal interest in spirituality plays a large role in Tämpelskläng, but not as a belief system and more a vessel for his own spirituality.

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Kvelgeyst — Blut, Milch und Thränen | Eisenwald | Black Metal | Switzerland (Zürich)

As a member of the Helvetic Underground Committee, you can expect Kvelgeyst’s black metal to promenade off the beaten path. Blut, Milch und Thränen was conceived as two large tracks that were later divided into smaller movements. As such, the record has phenomenal synergy, tying together Kvelgeyst’s basic but satisfying black metal riffs and their batty excursions in the vocals department. It’s weird black metal at the end of the day, but also some of the most immediate black metal released this month.

–Colin Dempsey

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Strange New Dawn — New Nights of Euphoria | Svart Records | Progressive Rock + Doom Metal | Norway (Kristiansand)

Containing former members from both Green Carnation and In the Woods…, Strange New Dawn’s third album draws from epic streams of progressive rock and doom metal. At times unabashedly nerdy, especially the gloriously overdone “Seek It,” New Nights of Euphoria‘s appeal lays in its earnestness. There’s no pretension here, just pure charm.

–Colin Dempsey

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Temple of Scorn — Funeral Altar Epiphanies | Transcending Obscurity | Death Metal | Denmark (Aarhus)

When I say that Temple of Scorn’s debut album is well-put together, that’s not to imply that it’s squeaky clean. Far from it, in fact. Funeral Altar Epiphanies is a butcher of an record–it’s bloody and wields barbaric tools, but also effortless in its execution, as if every slice has been practiced to maintain as much structural integrity as possible.

–Colin Dempsey

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Slôdder — A Mind Designed to Destroy Beautiful Things | Majestic Mountain Records | Sludge + Doom Metal | Sweden

From Ted Nubel’s full album premiere:

Energetic and alive, this sophomore album hums with jam-honed cohesion that heavily contributes to the listenability and dials up the electrifying sleaze. Whenever a riff throws its weight around, it comes with crashing accompaniment and leaves a mark. In longer jams like “Warpaint” and “Still no Friends,” the band ventures into exploratory soundscape-crafting, turning churning riffs into a vehicle for hypnotic coercion, but most of the time we’re getting cymbal-wash-packed rock stomps and a few d-beats thrown in to really get the pot boiling.

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King in Yellow — King in Yellow | Independent | Stoner Rock + Metal | Mexico

Fuzzy and sinister stoner rock — not a super uncommon combination, but the stellar guitar playing here does set it apart.

–Ted Nubel

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Everson Poe — The Tower | Trepanation Recordings | Post-Black + Doom + Sludge | United States (Chicago, IL)

It’s hard to stop listening to this once you start. Emotionally powerful and at times tough to process, The Tower explores a fictional trans woman’s story through a mix of piercing yet murky extreme metal and audio clips taken from very real, very depressing government proceedings and protests. Fury, grief, fear, and above all a sense of urgency interlock within these two massive tracks.

–Ted Nubel

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Almost Honest — The Hex of Penn’s Woods | Argonauta Records | Stoner Rock + Metal | United States (Pennsylvania)

Almost Honest uses this new record to dive into and expand upon the lore of Pennsylvania — and their weird, proggy stoner rock is an excellent medium for eccentric storytelling. Stories are truly at the heart of this, and the band plays the part of both charismatic entertainers and cryptic lorekeepers.

–Ted Nubel

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Mêlée des Aurores — Aube cannibale | Sepulchral Productions | Black Metal | Canada

From Jon Rosenthal’s full album premiere:

Using “piano, contrabass, violins, keyboards and other mutilated instruments,” this Quebecois duo’s points of comparison are obvious, but the execution found here is suffocating and less focused on technicality, instead opting for big atmospheres via slow-moving chord progressions and vast, horrific harmonies.

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Lilyum — We Are Disobedience | Broken Bones Promotions | Black Metal | Italy

A shoestring budget, drums that sound like garbage cans, and bitter riffs are all indicative of Lilyum’s lo-fi black metal status. However, November feels like the time of year for such metal as the temperatures drop without snowfall and days condense to mere hours sandwiched between blackness. Luckily, Lilyum aren’t overly reliant on their production to substitute for quality music. They’d likely sound just as malicious were they to record in a proper studio.

–Colin Dempsey

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New Releases 11/26-12/1

Underdark — Managed Decline | Church Road Records | Post-Black Metal | United Kingdom

Underdark’s ability to find a middle ground between captivating melody and arresting desolation continues to impress; Managed Decline has plenty of incredibly sad moments that also, well, go hard.

–Ted Nubel

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Panopticon — The Rime of Memory | Bindrune Recordings | Black Metal + Folk | United States (Ely, Minnesota)

Another solid release from Panopticon, this is the perfect record to usher in the colder season. As usual, if you’re looking for something folky and layered with some of the trappings of metal, but a lot more folk than metal, this is a solid pick, pushing the artist’s sound even further.

–Addison Herron-Wheeler

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Walking Corpse — Our Hands, Your Throat | Transcending Obscurity | Grindcore + Death Metal | Sweden (Gothenburg)

Time to dial up some hyper-kinetic death-grind with the second album from this full-of-beans Swedish trio, filching their name from an old Brutal Truth tune and perpetrating the peppiest case of undead fever this side of the Mr. Vampire franchise. But it’s not all paint-peeling harum-scarum, Walking Corpse fuse their high-speed ruckus with bludgeoning breakdowns and boggy-bottomed sludge-trawls, exhibiting an acute case of Cotard’s for the zombie generation.

–Spencer Grady

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Extortionist — Devoid | Unique Leader Records | Metalcore | United States (Idaho)

The latest from Extortionist truly lives up to their name with the way the band bend the laws of physics, and music, to create this latest release. There are definitely moments that are predictable, but what it lacks in originality, it makes up for in musical creativity.

–Addison Herron-Wheeler

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Gilded Form — Gilded Form | Burning World Records | Drone Metal | International (United States + Netherlands)

As an instrumental song that stretches across 40 minutes, “Gilded Form” is in no rush to arrive at its destination. That is, if it even has one. It’s a drone metal album through and through (yes, the entire album is a single track) but with Southern-fried guitars, giving it a brighter sheen when compared to other drone metal acts.

–Colin Dempsey

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Культура Курения — П​о​л​н​о​ч​ь в Н​о​в​о​с​и​б​и​р​с​к​е | Independent | Black Metal + Post-Punk | Russia (Novosibirsk)

Культура Курения crossed over into DSBM on their underrated debut Н​е​к​р​о​ф​и​л​и​я, but that was because it sounded like their guitarist and rhythm section played post-punk while their vocalist decided black metal vocals best fit the mood. They only released a single album, a few EPs, and a couple of splits before disbanding, though they’ve now returned with П​о​л​н​о​ч​ь в Н​о​в​о​с​и​б​и​р​с​к​. There are no streams available yet, but if you want a portion of black metal in your post-punk rather than the other way around, you should keep Культура Курения on your radar.

–Colin Dempsey

N/A

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Ni — Fol Na​ï​s | Dur & Doux | Avant-Garde Metal | France (Bourg En Bresse)

The Dillinger Escape Plan’s Ire Works was a formative album for me, so my brain is hard-wired to appreciate anything faintly resembling it. Ni’s Fol Na​ï​s comes close, though it swaps metalcore for math and progressive rock. They write some seriously sticky riffs and aren’t afraid to get wild with their time signatures, both of which get to shine since Ni are largely an instrumental project.

–Colin Dempsey

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Helfró — Tálgröf | Season of Mist | Black Metal + Death Metal | Iceland (Reykjavík)

Helfró’s sophomore album boasts riffs so cold they’ve crystallized, plus vacuum-sealed tightness in the songwriting department. On it, they dive into the minds of mass murderers to understand how they function. Rather than coming off as gory, it’s detached and surgical, which suits the thematic content well

–Colin Dempsey

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Prosperity Gospel — Society of the Spectral | Comfort Monk | Black Metal + Shoegaze + Hardcore Punk | United States (Columbia, South Carolina)

The best way to describe Prosperity Gospel is that they’re an American black metal band. This is not a statement about their patriotism but how American acts both in and outside of black metal strongly influence their riffs, vocals, and track structures. Shoegaze and hardcore punk are front and center here, occasionally superseding the black metal components. The result is a decidedly 2020s-sounding album.

–Colin Dempsey

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