Upcoming Metal Releases

Upcoming Metal Releases: 5/16/2021 - 5/22/2021


Here are the new (and recent) metal releases for the week of May 16th, 2021 to May 22nd, 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.

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


Things We Missed


Upcoming Releases

NadjaLuminous Rot | Southern Lord Recordings | Ambient + Drone + Doom Metal | Germany (Berlin)

“Starres” is churning drone akin to swirling down a never ending drain, lurching with distortion whilst not progressing anywhere far from Point A. That’s a point of praise, as Nadja invest in the images evoked through sheer density more so than a narrative throughline — Luminous Rot hypnotizes in its twisted garbled delivery. Their new album promises to draw from post-punk more than anything else they’ve released as of yet.

–Colin Dempsey

EsoctrilihumDy’th Requiem for the Serpent Telepath | I, Voidhanger Records | Black + Death Metal | France

Although Esoctrilihum has already put out six full-lengths in just four years, there’s no sign of staleness (or slowing down, for that matter). On top of being a truly weird experience, the synth-laden mix aptly described as “mystic black death” is loaded with tangible riffs and a disorienting, spooky atmosphere.

–Ted Nubel

Monster MagnetA Better Dystopia | Napalm Records | Stoner Rock | United States

Monster Magnet will release their collection of covers A Better Dystopia this Friday, which focuses on 60’s and 70’s proto-metal and late-era psych obscurities. A Better Dystopia is exciting for two reasons – one is that it’s new Monster Magnet, but perhaps more importantly is two, Monster Magnet is about to introduce us all to a bunch of bands we might not have heard. And given the singles we’ve heard so far, the covers are certainly great and the bands are certainly obscure!

–Greg Kennelty

BorgneTemps Morts | Les Acteurs de l’Ombre Productions | Industrial Black Metal | Switzerland

Temps Morts takes on an mechanical atmosphere, like some sort of coal-powered automaton blasting its way into the depths of some subterranean clockwork city. Use of a particularly displeased-with-mankind drum machine and layers of keyboards and strings add to the inhumanity of it all.

–Ted Nubel

AnatomiaCorporeal Torment | Dark Descent Records | Death + Doom Metal | Japan

Though I already did a more lengthy interview with the band, it’s worth reiterating how fucking killer the new Anatomia album is. Putrid doom meets pulverising death metal, and a long atmospheric song on the B-side shows off the band’s range outside of their comfort zone. Anatomia has been around for right around forever, and though in some bands that might mean getting tired or complacent, in Anatomia it means that their evil might is driven by a malevolent experience that makes for another great addition to their discography.

–Brandon Corsair

Blind IllusionUltimate Anthology Vol 1: The Likewise Sessions | Cult Metal Classics | Heavy + Thrash Metal | United States

Though perhaps best known for their lineup overlap with more notable bands (having at various times over the years had members of Primus, Heathen, Possessed, Metal Church, Exodus, and more), Blind Illusion was a legitimately fucking killer band pretty much all the way from their earliest days as a heavy metal band ’til their landmark progressive thrash album,The Sane Asylum.

Those earliest years at the end of the 1970s sound absolutely nothing like what the band is known for, instead being raging rocking early metal instead of the batshit insane thrash on the album, but the quality that people reference from later on was present from day one. Though I haven’t heard all of the songs yet, the two that made it to 7” as a bonus with Snakepit Magazine #23 are amazing, and this new 2CD compilation promises to be an important addition to any heavy metal fan’s collection.

–Brandon Corsair

An Autumn for Crippled ChildrenAs the Morning Dawns We Close Our Eyes | Independent | Post-Black Metal + Shoegaze | Netherlands

The mysterious Dutch trio continue to stretch the amount of “black” a group needs to still be considered blackgaze. At times they’re delicate skramz, a pastiche of alternative rock drizzled with depraved vocals. “Splendour Unnoticed” makes marked use of synths to up their dreamy soundscapes. They’ve been doing a similar routine for the past decade, so if you ever wanted your shoegaze to be tinier, tighter, and more ghastly, As The Morning Dawns We Close Our Eyes is the most refined realization of that desire.

–Colin Dempsey

Burial PitSubhuman Scum | Blighttown Records | Sludge + Death + Doom Metal | Australia

The transition from the first forlorn notes of lead single “Lord of Limbs” to the gut-rending blast that follows is staggering, and a good indication of the ass-whooping listeners are about to receive. Straining sludgy death-doom to its absolute limit, each note of every riff is a hard-fought battle against the senses.

–Ted Nubel

HagelVeneration of the Black Light | Personal Records | Black + Doom Metal | Mexico

Interesting black-doom is a rare find and one worth treasuring. Hagel’s debut full-length is especially precious, taking riffs from both the black and doom spectrum and then adding in a boatload of synths, spooky piano leads, and more goodies. It’s got a surreal, bouncy groove that would seem to completely contradict the darkened atmosphere, but ultimately creates a hell of an end product.

–Ted Nubel

Hanging GardenSkeleton Lake | Lifeforce Records | Melodic Doom + Death | Finland

Frost-tinged melodic doom/death with powerful vocals, art-rock inclinations and a heavy dose of synthesizers—the confident, if maybe not the heaviest ever, product of a long-running band looking to develop their sound further and push boundaries.

–Ted Nubel

Hot RamElectric Medicine | Swamp Records | Stoner Rock | United States (Atlanta, GA)

Gravelly vocals, dirty fuzz tones and mud-stomping bass set up the backbone for this powerful slice of hard-rock, which picks up some unusual lyrical topics and song structures in its journey towards red-hot stoner nirvana.

–Ted Nubel

KrilloanStories of Times Forgotten | Stormspell Records | Power Metal | Sweden

Billed as a love letter to early EUPM (such as the first few Helloween albums, Blind Guardian, etc.), the Stories of Times Forgotten EP is a lucrative venture for even the most jaded power metal fans: there’s enough rough edges and evidence of human involvement to avoid the weirdly glossy production that’s all too commonplace today, and Krilloan’s command of power metal’s might and melody is extraordinary. To be honest, we don’t cover a lot of power metal these days, but take my advice and check this one out.

As an interesting side note, back when this was first sent to us last month, it didn’t have a label, but it’s (extremely deservedly) picked one up since then.

–Ted Nubel

Night ResidentDarkness is My Home | Independent | Rock + Doom + Gothic Metal | Greece

Hard rock, doom metal, and gothic metal find equal footing on this Greek band’s new album, which not only takes its musical timbre from those genres but also their dynamics: at times a gloomy exploration of downtrodden chords, at others a turbulent sea of proggy riffs, Darkness is My Home takes a full listen to completely grasp. If you’re looking to be sad and maybe jam a little bit, this’ll do it.

–Ted Nubel

Robots of the Ancient WorldMystic Goddess | Small Stone Records | Stoner Rock | United States (Portland)

In the realm of stoner rock, Small Stone is about as old-school a label as you can get, putting out quality releases since 1995—and they’re still at it today. Here’s their newest offering, from Portland rockers Robots of the Ancient World: Mystic Goddess is slow, epic, stoner rock that remembers its retro riff-rock roots but also has a mysterious atmosphere to it that’s their own doing. When the guitars break out of the groovy riffs to hit those high harmonies along with the vocals—that’s when the magic here really manifests.

–Ted Nubel