Upcoming Metal Releases: 4/11/2021 - 4/17/2021
Here are the new (and recent) metal releases for the week of April 11th, 2021 to April 17th, 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
Cannibal Corpse — Violence Unimagined | Metal Blade | Death Metal | United States
Cannibal Corpse are probably the single most famous death metal band on the planet, and the one that needs the least bit of introduction. Alex Webster, the band’s bassist and founding member, sums up the new album the best: “It really follows the path we’ve been going down for a few years now.”
So sure, it’s nothing you haven’t heard, but with the addition of Erik Rutan (Ripping Corpse, Morbid Angel, Hate Eternal) on lead guitar and some fun new melodies and lead parts, Cannibal Corpse prove that old bludgeoning death metal dogs don’t really need to learn new tricks.
–Brandon Corsair
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Spectral Wound — A Diabolic Thirst | Profound Lore Records | Black Metal | Canada
Much like their previous album Infernal Decadence, Spectral Wound’s A Diabolic Thirst is pure, unadulterated black metal. No post-rock, no afterthought atmospheres, just ferocious, atmospheric riffing, and with a lot more tooth than last time. Take a listen if you like black metal, or even if you’re not sure. You’ll get the idea pretty quickly, and Spectral Wound is very convincing.
–TODO
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Bewitcher — Cursed Be Thy Kingdom | Century Media | Black + Speed Metal | United States (Portland)
Bewitcher’s black/speed assault returns with some more atmosphere and heavy metal injected into it for good measure. It manages to re-invent what can sometimes seem like a one-note genre fusion plagued with soundalike acts: as much as clear lines can be drawn from Bewitcher to bands like Venom and Motorhead, they’ve gone out of the way to put new, hellish twists on the formula.
–Ted Nubel
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Endseeker — Mount Carcass | Metal Blade | Death Metal | Germany
At first listen you would swear that Endseeker were a Scandinavian band. However, they call Germany home, it just happens that they like their HM-2 distortion just as much. Mount Carcass is the band’s third proper album and their second for Metal Blade. The approach is fairly standard European old school death metal wrought with chaotic riffs and monstrous vocal talent, with Lenny Osterhaus doing his best impression of Tomas Lindberg. This feels like a natural combination of both the Stockholm and Gothenburg styles with a heavy thrashing vibe throughout the album’s 36 minute run time. The title track and ‘Count the Dead’ are great standouts for what Endseeker plan to accomplish with their sound; the latter track is not afraid to add a melodic sensibility to the fracas either. Old heads clamoring for all things that sound like 1991-1995 Scandinavia will be all over this one.
–Tom Campagna
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Liquid Tension Experiment — Liquid Tension Experiment 3 | InsideOut Music | Progressive Metal | United States (New York)
It only took a pandemic to get Liquid Tension Experiment back together, but it finally happened! Liquid Tension Experiment will release their first new album in 22 years this Friday, and judging by the singles it’ll pick right back up where they left off – shred town. It’s also great to hear Mike Portnoy back with his ex-Dream Theater bandmates Jordan Rudess and John Petrucci for the first time in over a decade since he quit the band. Basically, there’s everything to love about this new LIquid Tension Experiment record.
–Greg Kennelty
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There Were Wires — Somnambulists (Re-Issue) | Iodine Recordings | Post-Hardcore | United States (Boston)
New England in the early 2000s was incredibly fertile ground for underground heavy music, and one of its better exports was Boston’s There Were Wires. Iodine Recordings originally released their sophomore (and final) album Somnambulists in 2003, and it’s the definition of “ahead of its time”. Melding the chaotic hardcore and metalcore of their contemporaries Converge and Cave In with extended doomy, layered, atmospheric digressions, Somnambulists is both a pull on the heartstrings of nostalgia and amazingly prescient. The newly reactivated Iodine has partnered with Providence label Tor Johnson Records to release it on vinyl for the first time; bearded Yankees, rejoice!
–Chris Rowella
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Gabestok — Én gang rådden, altid rådden | Strange Aeons Records | Black + Heavy Metal | Denmark
This Danish black metal band is back for the second time, and are more heavy metal than ever. Dirty bass, old school black metal, a garage rock mentality, punk rhythms, and a new influx of Mercyful Fate come together in a bizarre and catchy package that should appeal to those that want their black metal to sound old but also don’t want a fifth Bathory clone for the week. If catchy falsetto wailing over repetitive power chords and punk beats sounds like too much for you, maybe it’s time to leave the hall- but if not definitely give Gabestok a listen.
–Brandon Corsair
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Vvvlv — 100 Years of Defeat | Independent | Black + Sludge Metal | Romania
Ostensibly blackened sludge metal, 100 Years of Defeat brings in a skronky kind of choppiness and an atmosphere that feels less closed-off than usual. Rather than the rusted gloom I might have expected, it’s sort of a blossoming, irradiated misery.
–Ted Nubel
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Ildaruni — Beyond Unseen Gateways | Black Lion Records | Epic Black Metal | Armenia
Epic black metal that expands on a complex pagan mythology through a massive tapestry of folk-infused melodies and dynamic black metal. Stay tuned for our early stream of this one on Thursday!
–Ted Nubel
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Septycemia — Yersinia Pestis | Pathologically Explicit | Brutal Death Metal | International
You know you’ve found some really sick brutal death metal when you try and google the band name and the album name and you still get results from the Center for Disease Control first. This is a fairly straightforward dose of brutal death metal (gurgling toilet vox, blocky and bludgeoning riffs, punishing blastbeats, you know the drill), but it’s all put together very well.
–Ted Nubel
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Trytan — Blood of Kings | Retroactive Records | Progressive Metal | United States (Chicago)
This is the band’s first album in over 30 years, and while it definitely has some of that 1990s-progressive-metal vibe to it, it doesn’t feel too stale or dated. It’s a long’n, that’s for sure, but fans of other expansive prog acts like Dream Theater and Dark Quarterer are likely to enjoy the ride.
–Ted Nubel
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Legions of War — Dark Dimensions | Careless Records | Melodic Black + Thrash Metal | Sweden
I didn’t expect songs with titles like “Shot in the Neck” to be as melodically catchy as they are, but Legions of War renders their gruesome subject matter with layered hooks and harmony. This isn’t your average black/thrash war-themed album, and it’s certainly worth checking out.
–Ted Nubel
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