Upcoming Metal Releases

Upcoming Metal Releases: 4/21/19 -- 4/27/19

Upcoming Metal Releases

Here are the new (and recent) metal releases for the week of April 21st to April 27th, 2019. Release 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.

Send us your promos (streaming links preferred) to: [email protected]. Do not send us promo material via social media.

Things We Missed + Surprise Releases

MesarthimGhost Condensate | Atmospheric Black Metal | Australia

Mesarthim releases have never disappointed tried-and-true fans of the project’s signature atmospheric black metal style, even after electronics became much more prominent in the music. If anything, Mesarthim has utilized increased instrumentation with equally increasing aplomb, as the two 20-minute tracks which comprise Ghost Condensate demonstrate. Still as reliant on texture and emotion as ever, the poppier elements woven throughout this release do not detract from the headspace that Mesarthim creates.

God’s BastardLast Standing Village EP | Black Metal | United States (New York)

This NYC duo features members of Floods and Krallice (Drew Hays and Lev Weinstein respectively) and creates expectedly complex and intricate black metal. The Last Stanging Village EP may be unsatisfyingly brief, but it’s definitely pithy: no moment wasted, no riff carried on too long, no idea too worn out. Weinstein’s drumming keeps the music concrete, while Hays’s vocals and guitars define God’s Bastard’s more abstract side. Together, though, the blend represents a perfect balance of straightforward aggression and time-release psychedelia.

Upcoming Releases

Sunn O)))Life Metal | Southern Lord | Drone + Doom Metal | United States (Washington)

The legendary drone doom-masters Sunn O))) are back with their ninth full-length Life Metal. For a band who receive near-universal acclaim pretty much all the time, it may seem like no challenge whatsoever to create more of the same winning content. Sunn O))), especially considering the abstraction which defines their music to its nebulous core, shy away from the easy road quite often, venturing into unknown (but still very abstract) territories. With Life Metal, the lights are as dark as ever, but things are even heavier this time around. Stay tuned later this week for a full review.

Lumberjack FeedbackMere Mortals | Deadlight Records | Doom Metal + Rock | France

Few metal bands feature two drummers, probably for good reasons, but this doomy instrumental rock outfit from France makes superb use of the extra percussive input. Mere Mortals is crushing and explosive thanks to this extra focus on drumming, even though the guitars hold their weight extremely well with doom riffing of the non-recycled type. Another challenge that Lumberjack Feedback faces is the absence of vocals; while Mere Mortals cannot escape the lack of human voice, the lighters-up groove and spats of playfulness help keep the album relatable and fresh.

Helms AleeNoctiluca | Sargent House | Genre | United States (Washington)

Helms Alee have long been moving from their sludge metal roots toward something that better qualifies as “heavy rock,” and that’s truer than ever on the new Noctiluca, which was produced by Sam Bell (who’s worked with non-metal acts like Bloc Party, R.E.M., Minus the Bear, and others). It’s almost among the band’s most psychedelic albums, and — as it does still feature a handful of heavier sludge moments — it’s a fine example of this band’s ability to push forward without forgetting where they came from.

— Andrew Sacher

GardghastrSlit Throat Requiem | Profound Lore | Black Metal | Sweden + United States (Pennsylvania)

Eviscerating shit to carrying your mind to the depths of hell — Slit Throat Requiem features extra focus on atmospherics thanks to soaring guitars, echoed wails, and permeating synths. Delving into Gargdhastr’s music might require a mental nudge (mostly because of how densely layered Slit Throat Requiem is), but with enough effort, it is guaranteed to scramble your mind.

VarahaA Passage for Lost Years | Prosthetic | Atmospheric Metal | United States (Illinois)

From my premiere of “Climax & Exile” and interview with band frontman Fabio Brienza:

What does the Varaha style of “atmospheric dark metal” offer for fans of black metal, doom, and other metal subgenres? Can you describe the gothic twist, too, on the new album?

 

For those who like slower, dark, or pensive music, we hope to give you a sound that is both dark as it is hopeful… it’s okay to be one with the dark, and it’s also okay to try reach away from it. In the end, we simply hope that the listener may close their bedroom curtains, shutting the world outside, and in our music to find some kind of connection… a tiny bit of solace or respite — we hope to offer a chance to discover lost keepsakes of old and careless times… or a chance to confront undying inner demons, as they look back from the mirror in front of them…

The Howling VoidBleak and Everlasting | Avantgarde Music | Doom Metal | United States (Texas)

Long-format doom metal with a glut of long, dramatic moments. Bleak and Everlasting isn’t a tedious listen, but it is a slow one, and that’s sort of the point with doom metal. The Howling Void’s new album is designed to slow you down, make you think, and sink you deep into your mind. On those fronts, it succeeds. But it’s also a beautiful album, glistening in its somberness, reaching out to you in one last futile effort to save you from eternal demise, knowing full-well that the only fate impending is doom itself.

NovaruptaDisillusioned Fire | Suicide Records | Blackened Sludge | Sweden

After ten years of commitment to Swedish post-metal outfit The Moth Gatherer, bassist Alex Stjernfeldt parted ways with the group after a falling out between himself and the other members. Channeling feelings of disillusionment and inner turmoil into his musical endeavors, Stjernfeldt formed Novarupta, a brand new sludge/post metal project featuring an eclectic cast of guest musicians. Delivering strikingly bleak and raw yet intricately layered, majestic compositions, Novarupta’s debut record Disillusioned Fire represents a forward progression in Stjernfeldt’s sound as well as a simultaneous return to his roots.

— Thomas Hinds

Bonus: check out our premiere of “Mare Tranquillitatis.”

ProfanationInto Cascades of Blood and Burning Soil | Hostile Media | Death Metal | Germany

Formed in Görlitz in 1997, German deathgrind group Profanation are now set the unleash their fifth full-length record Into Cascades of Blood and Burning Soil. Staying faithful to the grimy, dungeon-crawling aesthetic they have fostered across their two decades of existence, the group’s latest release ventures once again into the same guttural, gore-drenched realms. Rife with hyperspeed tremolo riffs, violent slam-oriented breakdowns, and incessant double-bass destruction, Cascades proves beyond any shadow of a doubt that Profanation is still as potent and creatively wicked as ever.

— Thomas Hinds

VauraSables | Profound Lore | Post-Metal | United States (New York)

After almost six years, the ever-evolving quartet that is Varia follows up their 2013 post-metal influenced album The Missing with their third full-length record Sables, a work that represents a major stylistic shift for the group. Featuring members of Tombs, Gorguts, and Azar Swan, Vaura’s musicians eschew the death and sludge metal of their respective projects to craft a sound that echoes elements of new wave, avant-garde electronic, and even kosmische music to a grandiose and sometimes unnerving effect. Immaculately consummating their trilogy of records, Sables showcases Vaura utilizing unprecedented yet somehow familiar textures, completely new ideas that are still cohesive within their body of work.

— Thomas Hinds

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