Upcoming Metal Releases: 11/28/2021-12/4/2021
Here are the new (and recent) metal releases for the week of November 28th, 2021 to December 4th, 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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Things We Missed
Blunt — Closure | Independent | Doom + Stoner + Sludge Metal | United States (Chicago, IL)
Not all that many stoner bands truly write druggy music—it’s not like cranking a Matamp has that much in common with lighting up a bowl, as much as stoner/doom has tied the two together. On the other hand, Blunt’s crushing new album is notably under the influence: the mighty riffs are appropriately crunchy, but they also feel intoxicatingly off-balance, the brilliant creation of distorted minds and guitar tone alike. Let the discordant vocals and hazy jams on these four massive songs set your mind askew.
–Ted Nubel
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Upcoming Releases
Genocide Pact — Genocide Pact | Relapse Records | Death Metal | United States (Washington, D.C.)
From Tom Campagna’s track premiere of “Deprive/Degrade”:
Washington D.C. based death metal collective Genocide Pact has been leaving a path of destruction since 2013, so it stands to reason that 2021 should be just another showcase of that violence and a footnote in an ever advancing career. Genocide Pact is the band’s third proper album and second for Relapse, and it’s an album that showcases the band sounding tighter than ever before. Without being labeled as a death/doom band, Genocide Pact aren’t shy in treading that sacred ground that was forged by Bolt Thrower, a slow crawl across the battlefield with heavy and chunky riffs leading the charge […]
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Unanimated — Victory in Blood | Century Media Records | Melodic Death + Black Metal | Sweden
Furious and refreshingly not overproduced melo-black-death—Unanimated understands how to nail the melodic drama that’s sort of expected from this genre combination, but without sacrificing any of the menace or straight-up evil the black/death foundation provides.
–Ted Nubel
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Aquilus — Bellum I | Blood Music | Atmospheric Black Metal + Neoclassical | Australia
Aquilus return after a decade of silence with chewy black metal interspersed with invigorating neoclassical portions – the latter of which has the weight to soundtrack films.
–Colin Dempsey
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Demonstealer — The Holocene Termination | Demonstealer Records | Death + Black + Thrash Metal | India
From Ted Nubel’s track premiere of “From Extinction Begins Evolution”:
Packed with high-tier guest appearances, the four-track release features Demonstealer’s (also known as Sahil Makhija) vicious and energetic mix of death, black, and thrash metal that coats its annihilating force with beguiling traces of melody, further mutated through Makhija’s careful choice of co-conspirators.
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Doodswens — Lichtvrees | Svart Records | Black Metal | Netherlands
Doodswens’ acrid black metal is a harsh callback to the early days, offering sublimely disturbing vocals and genuinely evil riffs. One deviation from the retro formula is the notably present and menacing drums, which is a welcome uplift that only cements the darkness behind this release.
–Ted Nubel
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So Hideous — None but a Pure Heart Can Sing | Silent Pendulum Records | Post-Black Metal + Shoegaze | United States (New York City)
Combining symphonic elements with an antagonistic angst-aggregation of post-black/shoegaze/hardcore, So Hideous strikes at the heart with a sweeping combination of majestic grandeur and knife-in-the-gut agony. Man, there’s even some sick horns in here—it’s hard to overstate the unusual effectiveness of the combination.
–Ted Nubel
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Wolftooth — Blood and Iron | Napalm Records | Heavy + Stoner Metal | United States
Wolftooth’s blend of traditional metal and stoner metal has only improved through the years, shedding quick comparisons to their influences as they’ve evolved their songcraft and honed their style. The band’s riff-focused righteousness is still definitely a callback to bands like The Sword and Argus, but Blood & Iron holds a lot more to discover, crafting epic tales that come to life through cranked-up guitar tones and soaring verse.
–Ted Nubel
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Rebreather — The Line, Its Width, and the War Drone | Aqualamb Records | Sludge + Rock + Doom + Stoner Metal | United States
Do you like heavy, sludgy stuff? Of course, right? Listen to Rebreather.
–Ted Nubel
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Weedpecker — IV: The Stream of Forgotten Thoughts | Stickman Records | Psychedelic Stoner Rock + Metal | Poland (Warsaw)
After 2019’s 4 Way Split, it was obvious that Weedpecker is part of Poland’s stoner rock royalty, capable of conjuring majestic odysseys through the haze. Their reign continues on their fourth full length, imbuing sublime psychedelic rock with a heavy core. While there’s definitely comparisons to later-era Elder, IV: The Stream of Forgotten Thoughts is murkier and more mysterious, with layers upon layers of swirling vocals and melody aiming to mystify.
–Ted Nubel
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Ashbreather — Ow, My Eye | Independent | Progressive + Sludge Metal | Canada (Montreal, Quebec)
There’s a subtle sense of humor here, evident from the album title/art as well as the amusingly-titled “Assablanca,” but it’s just a foil to the rage burbling underneath. Ashbreather weave dense tapestries of progressive sludge weirdness, fusing caustic riffs to orchestral swells, intricate grooves, and more.
–Ted Nubel
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Bog Wizard — Miasmic Purple Smoke | The Dregs Records | Stoner + Doom Metal | United States
Bog Wizard’s second release in 2021 (following a fun split earlier on) is their second full-length, expanding on their nerd-themed swamp-infused doom metal. The murky nomenclature is a little misleading, though, in that it doesn’t tell the full story: while the tones are thick indeed, the band’s doom metal is heavily driven by Sabbathian tradition, bouncing along with clever basslines and jazzy beats to accompany the proto-metal riffs and wailed vocals.
–Ted Nubel
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Cepheide — Les échappées | Les Acteurs de l’Ombre Productions | Atmospheric Black Metal | France
Thought-provokingly spacious black metal: while there’s a lot of intense, densely melodic assaults, the softer side of the album is psychedelically luminous and harrowingly introspective.
–Ted Nubel
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Iscuron — The Pursuit of Unhappiness | Vacula Productions | Atmospheric Black Metal | Italy
There’s a time period right after Thanksgiving when people become as enthusiastic about Christmas’ optimism as they’ll be all season. Iscuron looks to dampen that flickering hope with his dour and reserved black metal that incorporates classical instrumentals and electronic tinkerings.
–Colin Dempsey
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Hands of Despair — The Crimson Boughs (And Other Short Tales) | Independent | Death Metal + Progressive Metal | Canada (Quebec)
This is expansive prog death metal that’s legible throughout its ambitious song lengths and multi-phasal passages because of Hands of Despair’s in-the-pocket tight technicality.
–Colin Dempsey
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Pantheist — Closer to God | Melancholic Realm Productions | Funeral Doom | Belgium
It’ll probably be another year (at least) until pandemic-influenced albums peter off, but it’s worth celebrating the musicians who used their isolation to look for new inspirations other than, y’know, being alone. Pantheist cite Skepticism, Ennio Morricone, and video games as influencing their newest album, which expands over its lengthy runtime rather than mulling about in the ether.
–Colin Dempsey
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Modder — Modder | Independent | Doom Metal | Belgium
It’d be easy to summarize Modder as riffin’ dudes, but the unconventional drum beats halfway through “Mount Frequency” and the track’s subdued dynamics reveal that these riffin’ dudes consider more than just the strain they’ll put on your neck.
–Colin Dempsey
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Dead War — Grandfather of War | Horror Pain Gore Death Productions | Thrash Metal + Death Metal | United States (California)
If nothing about Dead War’s old-school blend of thrash metal and death metal – double bass masochism, knotting riffing, and shrieking guitar tones all included – forces you to smile, then you deserve to get shoved into a locker.
–Colin Dempsey
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