Upcoming Metal Releases: 2/28/2021 - 3/6/2021
Here are the new (and recent) metal releases for the week of February 28th, 2021 to March 6th, 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
Mork — Katedralen | Peaceville Records | Black Metal | Norway
While the influence of Norwegian black metal’s legendary sound will likely always be present in every Mork album, it would be outrageous to claim they’re merely a tribute to the past. Rather the musical path that continues with fifth album Katedralen exudes riffs and passages ringing with a sound that this writer truly feels can only be described as the sound of Mork. With influences evolved into novel creation, lone composer Thomas Eriksen has a keen ability to incorporate sonic collaborations as he has in the past and continues here with Nocturno Culto (Darkthrone/Sarke/etc), Dolk (Kampfar), and a surprisingly fitting organ performance by Skepticism’s Eero Pöyry. I recently got to interview Eriksen for the most recent episode of the Screaming Bloody Oranges podcast, which can be listened to here.
–Joe Aprill
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Baest — Necro Sapiens | Century Media Records | Death Metal | Denmark
Baest’s sound stems from the classic Swedeath bands (specifically here, Bloodbath and Dismember), but it also brings in a good amount of straightforward head-into-wall pit fodder that may not be what classic fans of the sound are looking for. I don’t doubt that this will kill live, though.
–Ted Nubel
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Wolvennest — Temple | Ván Records | Experimental Black Metal + Ambient | Belgium
Both the harsher and more theatrical sides of black metal’s instrumentation are used here, but in a slow and mind-expanding fashion. It takes a little patience, but delving into Temple reveals a resplendent evil that’s rare enough to treasure.
–Ted Nubel
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Bog Wizard / Dust Lord — Four Tales of the Strange | Swamp Records | Doom + Sludge + Stoner Metal | United States
A fun romp through the realms of dirt and mud: grovel before Dust Lord’s Bongzilla/Electric Wizard-inspired riff sorcery and then sink into the murky (and D&D obsessed) depths of Bog Wizard’s fantasy sludge. Fuck yeah, gelatinous cubes.
–Ted Nubel
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Ungraven / Slomatics — Split | Black Bow Records | Doom + Stoner + Sludge Metal | United Kingdom
Another extremely worthwhile doom split, this time from Jon Davis (of Conan)’s other project Ungraven and UK heavy royalty Slomatics. On the Slomatics side you can expect the type of thoughtful heaviness that permeates through your body and weighs your spirit down as well, whereas Ungraven is more of the violently-steamroll-your-flesh school, rife with screams and anger.
–Ted Nubel
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Acid Mammoth — Caravan | Heavy Psych Sounds | Doom + Stoner Metal | Greece
Yeah, I know this album art looks almost identical to their 2020 release, Under Acid Hoof, but when you’re ahead in the mammoth-named doom band running (a more hotly contested micro-genre than you might think), you don’t mess with what works— at least, visually. Sonically, the band takes their fuzzy, stomping sound to weirder and more psychedelic vantages than before. Even with a (somewhat) rapid release pace, there’s clear evolution here—they just, uh, saved it for the music, not the aesthetic.
–Ted Nubel
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SOM — Awake EP | Pelagic Records | Shoegaze + Dream Pop + Post-Metal | United States
SOM, the new-ish band I’m dubbing doom pop band, features Duncan Rich (ex-Constants), Will Benoit (Constants), Justin Forrest (Caspian), and ex-Junius members Mike Repasch-Nieves and Joel M. Reynolds. The band is following up their catchy, crushing 2020 debut album The Fall with a brand new EP called Awake. Awake features two new songs that certainly lean in the hookier side of the band’s sound, plus remixes of songs from The Fall by Holy Faw, Hisself, U Dye, and Giuseppe Capolupo. So get ready to have some songs stuck in your head, and maybe to do some damage to your speakers’ low end drivers.
–Greg Kennelty
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Nightfall — At Night We Prey | Season of Mist | Gothic Rock + Metal | Greece
Nightfall has iterated upon its gothic-tinged metal formula many times (this is full-length #10), but At Night We Prey doesn’t feel uninspired or like a retreading. The seven years since their last have been more than enough time for the band to come back with a viciously dark release that weaves in symphonic elements and brooding theatricality without sabotaging that rawer energy.
–Ted Nubel
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Thorium — Empires in the Sun | Freya Records | Heavy Metal | Belgium
Featuring a few ex-Ostrogoth members, Thorium focuses on high-energy heavy metal with lead guitar taking a commanding role in songwriting. Powerful vocals and up-tempo accompaniment provide the rhythmic basis and the emotional drive, of course, but the soaring leads can’t be missed.
–Ted Nubel
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Black Knife — Murder Season | Independent | Black Metal + Punk | United States (Lexington)
Distressingly rough and uncomfortably sleazy: Black Knife positively reeks of grime; just the way black metal/punk should.
–Ted Nubel
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Endless Funeral — Le Grande Silence | Epictural Production | Depressive Black Metal | France
Synthesizers meld with the guitar tones in this raw and atmospheric black metal to create a gently scouring stream, painful and soothing at the same time. It’s lo-fi, somewhat, but in the way where you need to bust out your fancy speakers to properly appreciate the rough edges. A paradox, really.
–Ted Nubel
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Invultation — Unconquerable Death | Independent | Black + Death Metal | United States
Swarming, battle-ready black/death metal. Literally, in some sense, with the battlefield samples that kick off “Banners Under the Moon,” but the chaotic leads and rapid escalations in intensity feel like an invasive force against your consciousness. I can hear the guitars too well to call this “war metal,” really, but it certainly contests that border at times.
–Ted Nubel
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Flesh of the Stars — Mirror / Vessels EP | Independent | Melodic Doom Metal | United States (Chicago)
Massively progressive doom metal that’s heavy, sad, hopeful, and really just goddamn cool. No public stream on this one yet, but come back tomorrow when we premiere the EP in full plus a badass interview.
–Ted Nubel
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