Upcoming Metal Releases: 5/14/2023-5/20/2023

Here are the new (and recent) metal releases for May 14 through May 20. 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.

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

Upcoming Releases

Ghost — Phantomime | Loma Vista Recordings | Heavy Metal + Rock | Sweden

Ghost takes on a wide range of cover subjects on this new EP, which, while not their most interesting release (not a fan of covers EPs, honestly!), does provide fodder for some wild music videos. Embed below, but you’ll have to click through (NSFW, by the way).

–Ted Nubel

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Frozen Soul — Glacial Domination | Century Media Records | Death Metal | United States

Everyone needs to be ecstatic about this new release from Frozen Soul. Those already in love with the band’s sound will get more of the same—furious guitars and riffing, old-school death with a hardcore flavor, and memorable hooks. Those who passed on the band previously, thinking they were a bit too simple or straightforward, should take a second listen because they really hone their craft on this one.

–Addison Herron-Wheeler

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The Ocean Collective — Holocene | Pelagic Records | Progressive + Atmospheric Sludge/Post-Metal | Germany

Not ones to repeat themselves, the next chapter in The Ocean Collective’s discography comes with a heavier focus on synths; member Peter Voigtmann composed the keyboard parts first. Guitars and full-band instrumentation are still in play, however (so, not a Timewave Zero situation), and on Holocene, the band takes a bleak look at the current era of the world and just how much humanity is screwing it up.

–Ted Nubel

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Botanist — VIII: Selenotrope | Prophecy Productions | Experimental Post-Black Metal | United States (San Francisco, CA)

Apart from keeping them off of Metal Archives until 2020, Botanist’s choice of using hammered dulcimers in place of guitars gives their albums a lush, rich texture that seems to build on itself, creating almost infinite depth. It’s from within these dark and lovely forests of sound that VIII: Selenotrope thrives, building melodies that resonate with natural splendor.

–Ted Nubel

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Alcatrazz — Take No Prisoners | Silver Lining Music | Heavy Metal + Shred | United States (Los Angeles, CA)

Just from a statistical perspective, it’s extremely baffling to me that Alcatrazz continues to kick so much ass. The number of classic metal bands that came back after 35 year hiatuses and were better than before is, well… it might just be these dudes?

Anyway, Joe Stump’s guitar playing continues to rule and Doogie White’s vocals fit this heavily retro-aligned sound excellently.

–Ted Nubel

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Blindfolded and Led to the Woods — Rejecting Obliteration | Prosthetic Records | Technical + Avant-Garde Death Metal | New Zealand

If you’re looking for relentless grind that doesn’t rely on the same old tropes and rather goes in a bold new direction with tons of varied influence, as varied a Aldous Huxley’s writing, even, we’ve got you. Or rather, Blindfolded and Led to the Woods have you covered with this new release. There is way more nuance here than I can do just to in a short blurb, but the TLDR version is definitely don’t sleep on this one; it’s weird and it’s heavy.

–Addison Herron-Wheeler

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VHS — Quest for the Mighty Riff | Wise Blood Records | Death + Thrash + Grindcore | Canada (Thunder Bay, ON)

Few bands delight and surprise like VHS do. Their love of sci-fi, horror, and fantasy has always been, I suppose, nerdier, than most extreme bands will admit to, and it’s made every release delightfully self-indulgent. This latest one is a concept album centered around classic ‘sword and sorcery’ fantasy movies–and we’ve had plenty of those, but never one that sounded like this. The band’s high-energy mix of death, thrash, grind, and pure heavy metal rips through like an enchanted axe through evil sorcerer flesh.

–Ted Nubel

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Sporae Autem Yuggoth — …However It Still Moves | Personal Records | Death + Doom Metal | Chile

There’s an exquisite sense of gloom behind this album; filth and horror almost take a backseat to the powerful depressive atmosphere. It feels a lot like witnessing something horrible unfold that you can’t explain, but also know you can’t stop.

–Ted Nubel

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Charonyx — Persistent Soul | Independent | Thrash Metal | United States (Indianapolis, IN)

Packed with intricate riffs and bass-heavy grooves, Persistent Soul champions thrash metal’s technicality as well as its primal heart: expect gang vocals and exuberant choruses as well as dazzling shredding.

–Ted Nubel

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The End of Six Thousand Years — The End of Six Thousand Years | Hypershape Records | Atmospheric Sludge + Melodic Death Metal | Italy

Eleven years after their last full-length, the Italian band returns with a self-titled EP that feels like a redeclaration of who (and what) they are. Across three new tracks, dissonant, sprawling riffs are lashed together by pummeling drums into something between death metal and post-hardcore, capped off by a Today is the Day cover.

–Ted Nubel

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