Upcoming Metal Releases: 11/14/2021-11/20/2021
Here are the new (and recent) metal releases for the week of November 14th, 2021 to November 20th, 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.
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Upcoming Releases
Plebeian Grandstand — Rien ne suffit | Debemur Morti | Avant Garde + Black Metal + Metalcore | France
Plebeian Grandstand play as if they’re rejecting music’s basic notions, prioritizing noise and raw evocation. It’s similar to hearing metal’s foundations slink away from your consciousness. All that remains in their absence is sensation.
–Colin Dempsey
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Khemmis — Deceiver | Nuclear Blast | Doom Metal | United States (Colorado)
This is refreshing doom metal, so it’s exactly in-line with the style’s masterworks. Khemmis oscillate between soaring choruses and grimy, growling bogs with airy vocals, epic incantations, and riffs strong enough to carry burdens.
–Colin Dempsey
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Stormkeep — Tales of Othertime | Ván Records | Melodic Black Metal | United States (Colorado)
Looking to hear the best keyboards of the year? Luckily for you, Stormkeep saddles them alongside throttling black metal that leans into operatic visions. Actually, listen to “The Serpent’s Stone” and try to find an element that you wouldn’t deem 100% necessary. If you can find one I will Venmo you my last paycheck.
–Colin Dempsey
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The Lurking Fear — Death, Madness, Horror, Decay | Century Media | Death Metal | Sweden (Gothenburg)
At the Gates members Tomas Lindberg, Jonas Stålhammar, and Adrian Erlandsson join forces with some other scene veterans to unleash some particularly violent death metal full of Swedish bite and a lil’ melody.
–Ted Nubel
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Swallow the Sun — Moonflowers | Century Media | Melodic Doom + Death Metal | Finland
Very few bands make death/doom metal seem as effortlessly beautiful as Swallow the Sun do—as Colin Dempsey remarked discussing the band’s recent live album, “[their] brand of death/doom metal is, even at its most catatonic, comforting.” There’s a nice and heavy undercurrent, but it’s not there to cause pain.
–Ted Nubel
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Boris — Reincarnation Rose | KiliKiliVilla | Various | Japan (Tokyo)
Not exactly a mainline Boris release, since it only features guitarist/vocalist Wata alongside a host of guest/session personnel, but an unusual one worth checking out: it coincides with the launch of a new fuzz pedal byEarthShaker Devices made in conjunction with Wata, Hizumitas.
Not as weird as the time they released an album with a gummy worm in the spine, but still pretty neat.
–Ted Nubel
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Cara Neir — Pain Gel of Purification | Independent | Experimental Post-Black Metal + Grindcore + Hardcore | United States (Dallas, TX)
The album art here is just fantastic, nailing Cara Neir’s surrealist and not-quite-in-reality aesthetic. As their Bandcamp puts it, this is “an assortment of satire, product placement, service industry grievances, a lot of blasting, and more”—so while it’s not exactly what fans of their latest release would perhaps expect, it looks like another fascinating release from the band set to further tax their genre tag field on Metal Archives and delight listeners.
–Ted Nubel
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Gonemage — Sudden Deluge | Xenoglossy Records | Experimental + Post-Black Metal + Chiptune | United States (Dallas, TX)
If Cara Neir’s genre-dodging release this week catches your eye, also consider this album, which is a side project of Cara Neir multi-instrumentalist Garry Brents. Drawing its concept from Cara Neir’s fantastic Phase Out release, Gonemage focuses on a piece of Brents’ existence that splintered out into a new entity known as Galimgim. Confused? Intrigued? We’ve got an interview coming Wednesday with Brents to help lay things out.
–Ted Nubel
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Daxma — Unmarked Boxes | Blues Funeral Recordings | Doom + Post-Metal | United States (Oakland, CA)
Unmarked Boxes has an almost supernatural air of despairing mystery to it: many albums claim to transport listeners to other worlds, but rarely is it achieved like here, where you feel fully immersed in this otherworldly soundscape of sadness.
–Ted Nubel
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Abscession — Rot of Ages | Transcending Obscurity Records | Death Metal | Sweden
HM-2 worshipping death metal with a bit of death-rock swagger amidst the buzz-sawing decimation–the sardonic grandeur pairs nicely with the melodic twist the band adds to their blend.
–Ted Nubel
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Destructo — Demonic Possession | Dying Victims Productions | Black + Thrash Metal | Netherlands
Black/thrash with insanely catchy lead work—though it might first seem at odds with the gravely vocals and nasty riffs, it makes the whole package addictive as hell. Stay tuned for more on this tomorrow!
–Ted Nubel
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Galaxy — On the Shore of Life | Dying Victims Productions | Heavy + Power Metal | Australia
Honestly, what this most reminds me of is a jubilant, much-less-evil Mercyful Fate. If that seems really counter-intuitive, I get it, but Galaxy has the same dazzling taste in dual-guitar harmonies, hard-rocking song structures, and tasty riffs, plus vocals not afraid to stretch into falsetto territory.
–Ted Nubel
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Godless — States of Chaos | Independent | Death Metal | India
From Tom Campagna’s full album premiere:
This 5 piece play modern death metal with plenty of thrash and excellent production for a band that doesn’t have a major label footing their bill, and States of Chaos sets out to and succeeds at crushing skulls in a 1987 meets 2021 kind of way.
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Cantique Lépreux — Sectes | Eisenwald | Black Metal | Canada (Quebec)
Cantique Lépreux continues Quebec’s infatuation with traditional, throat-tearing, tightly-gripped, pure as 100% distilled vinegar, black metal.
–Colin Dempsey
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Dead King’s Peace — Dead King’s Peace | Independent | Stoner Rock + Hard Rock | United States (Indianapolis, IN)
If you’re looking for stoner doom with a little more bite to it, Dead King’s Peace takes a surly and sharp-tongued approach that relies on the aggressive swagger of rock ‘n’ roll more than it does laconic fuzzy stomps. There’s certainly some of that, too, but when the band goes on the attack it’s a secondary focus—and they’re more warlike than their name implies. Sharp riffs via dialed-up guitar tones, gritty and imposing vocals: this is crisp and fiery, like desert rock with the heat turned up.
–Ted Nubel
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Der Weg einer Freiheit — Noktvrn | Season of Mist | Black Metal | Germany
Der Weg einer Freiheit draw influence from Frédéric Chopin’s classical Nocturnes pieces on their latest album, conveying a polished and patient interpretation of “darkness,” or as patient as they can be once they hit their stride, like the second half of “Monument.”
–Colin Dempsey
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Dakhma — Blessings of Amurdad | Eisenwald | Blackened Death Metal | Switzerland
Dahkma trade blackened death metal’s usual all-encompassing atmosphere for a riff and percussive focus. Their songs frequently detour into beefy segues followed by open air.
–Colin Dempsey
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