Upcoming Metal Releases: 1/17/2021 - 1/23/2021
Here are the new (and recent) metal releases for the week of January 17th, 2021 to January 23rd, 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
Wardruna — Kvitravn | Sony Music / Columbia Records | Folk + Ambient | Norway
Not “metal” in sound, I guess, but Wardruna’s stirring Nordic mythology-inspired folk draws from the same near-mystical wellsprings that makes similarly-styled black metal so appealing — only here, it’s non-amplified, instead using authentic (and weird) instruments and done in a swelling, cinematic fashion.
—Ted Nubel
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Asphyx — Necroceros | Century Media Records | Death + Doom Metal | Netherlands
The years have dialed up the “death” side of Asphyx considerably, and the production no longer sounds like a rasping cheese grater on concrete, but it’s still plenty of fun to listen to — and Martin van Drunen’s vocals are as plague-ridden as ever.
—Ted Nubel
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Nervosa — Perpetual Chaos | Napalm Records | Thrash + Death Metal | Brazil
Sturdy thrash/death that leans on razor-sharp grooves and chug-heavy riffs to keep “thrash” as the dominant genre in this nasty mashup. Extremely sharp-sounding, if that makes sense — every part of the mix is heavy on attack, in-your-face without reverb muddying it up, keeping all those chuggy bits vicious and mosh-ready.
—Ted Nubel
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Grima — Rotten Garden | Naturmacht Productions | Atmospheric Black Metal | Russia
Atmospheric black metal with excellent melodic leads is something to cherish, and Grima gives us an incredibly solid dose of it here, excellently packaged with their own aesthetic touch.
—Ted Nubel
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Dirty Pagans — The Family | Independent | Doom Metal + Stoner Rock | Australia
Here’s your weekly dose of wacky doom with killer riffs. Falsettos, epic vocals, and straight-up howls all add bizarre accompaniment to the band’s punchy, up-tempo doom that — again — fuckin’ riffs. The absurd wails that kick it off set the tone (though the embed starts with track #9, the whole thing is streaming now), and things get arguably more insane from there. This rocketed to the top of my mental rankings for January within the first couple of songs, but then again, I’m a sucker for weirdo doom.
—Ted Nubel
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Pipe Dreamer — No Solace for the Soulless | Independent | Doom Metal + Post-Metal | United States (Florida)
From Ted Nubel’s full album premiere:
Knowing the theory, nailing the notes, and fine-tuning the production only go so far compared to having a story to tell or a feeling to express. This is where Florida’s Pipe Dreamer shines, and why their debut full-length No Solace for the Soulless hooks its claws in so quickly: their doomy post-metal is sturdily tethered to the sentiments it was created from. Each song is shaped around poignant thoughts as if it were a living organism, its actions guided by an internal nervous system.
Make sure to check out the premiere for an excellent track-by-track walkthrough from the band as well.
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Legba — The Demon Inside | Independent | Doom Metal | United States (South Carolina)
Gloomy, retro doom metal pretty much drenched in sadness. Ironic, given the super-bright colors on the cover, but the contrasting approaches are a nice touch.
—Ted Nubel
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Flood Peak — Fixed Ritual | Anima Recordings | Blackened Sludge + Post-Metal | United States (Portland)
From Ted Nubel’s track premiere of “Urnfield”:
Flood Peak’s strength lies in their emotionally-connected heaviness that doesn’t latch on to any particular sound or pacing to deliver impact. These songs hurt (in the best way possible) because Flood Peak knows why they should, and they pass that knowledge onwards.
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Conviction — Conviction | Argonauta Records | Doom Metal | France
Grimy, epic doom. “Grimy” and “epic” might seem at odds with each other, but it’s like a marble statue stained by years of neglect: grand, certainly, but marred and discolored all the same. The dour and methodical approach to exploring doom really pays off, and each song plunges to new depths of dismal melody.
—Ted Nubel
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