New Metal Releases: 6/4/2023-6/17/2023
Here are the new (and recent) metal releases for June 4th through June 17th. 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.
6/4-6/10
Godflesh — Purge | Avalanche Recordings | Industrial Metal | United Kingdom
New Godflesh! That doesn’t happen very often. The industrial metal titans keep things mesmerizingly simple, lyrically and structurally, while dabbling in a number of concrete-tinged textures and inhuman atmospheres.
–Ted Nubel
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Torture Rack — Primeval Onslaught | 20 Buck Spin | Death Metal | United States (Portland, OR)
It takes maybe five seconds to understand what’s in store for listeners on Primeval Onslaught: absolute death metal carnage. Soon, that rusty, infectious guitar tone is joined by glutinous drums and deep rasps, as the primal parts of your brain knew it would, and all is right in the world. Torture Rack has mastered the art of gruesome, ignorant death metal to a degree I wasn’t sure was possible, but damn, even the song titles on this are pitch-perfect: “Fucked by Death,” “Decrepit Funeral Home”? Hell yeah.
–Ted Nubel
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Cynic — ReFocus | Independent | Progressive Thrash + Death Metal | United States
It’s Focus, remixed and remastered. Does it sound better? Not… not really. Did anyone ask for this? I’m inclined to say no.
You be the judge, though – I’ve included both the old/new versions below for comparison.
–Ted Nubel
New:
Old:
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Black Rainbows — Superskull | Heavy Psych Sounds | Psychedelic Stoner Metal | Italy
It’s as righteous and deadly as the name implies: stoner rock full of smoky riffs and oozing ride-into-the-sunset atmosphere.
–Ted Nubel
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Jesus Chrüsler Supercar — Rising | Majestic Mountain Records | Death ‘n’ Roll | Sweden
From Ted Nubel’s full album premiere:
On […] Rising, death metal is less of an audible portion and more of a corrosive agent. It’s the leaking car battery wired up to a bucket of whiskey, motor oil, and chainsaw lubricant, turning sleazy rock into a harrowing health hazard. Entombed’s Wolverine Blues is definitely a sonic ancestor here, which middle tracks “Suck in the Dust” and “When You Are Dead” strongly evoke, but there’s a bold undercurrent of doom metal elsewhere that mixes sublimely with that groove-heavy, caustic component.
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Innumerable Forms — The Fall Down | Profound Lore Records | Death + Doom Metal | United States (Boston, MA)
Rife with classic death metal attitude and pugnacious slowness, Innumerable Forms’ new EP (recorded, mixed, and mastered by Arthur Rizk) is an indulgent slice of death/doom sure to please old-school purists and newer, adventurous fans as well.
–Ted Nubel
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The Bleeding — Monokrator | Redefining Darkness Records | Death + Thrash Metal | United Kingdom
From Ted Nubel’s track premiere of “Screams of Torment”:
This just feels sharp […] pit-stoking death/thrash metal, incorporating plenty of classic hallmarks of the genre into a cutting-edge barrage.
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Crossed Hearts — Forced Perspective | Church Recordings | Melodic Heavy Metal | United States (Atlanta, GA)
From Tom Campagna’s track premiere of “Ruminating”:
Hailing from Atlanta, Georgia, and boasting a wonderful old-school aesthetic, melodic heavy metal group Crossed Hearts are a welcome return to metal’s past.
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Glass Casket — Glass Casket | Silent Pendulum Records | Technical Deathcore + Metalcore | United States
There’s a lot riding on the new record from Glass Casket, since it’s their first in 17 years, and the band features members of Between the Buried and Me. While it isn’t groundbreaking, and the sound is totally what one would expect from this record, it definitely lives up to the hype. Hear it for yourself and take a pleasant trip back to your metalcore days.
–Addison Herron-Wheeler
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Geld — Currency // Castration | Relapse Records | Hardcore | Australia (Melbourne)
Geld are getting a lot of eyes on this new record, and they’ve prepared for it well—this album is fast and furious, raw but still polished, and the artistic rendering on the cover is the perfect contrast to the brutality of the music inside. This is definitely one to check out.
–Addison Herron-Wheeler
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6/10-6/17
Thy Catafalque — Alföld | Season of Mist | Avant-garde Metal | Hungary
Philosophical complexity and savage rawness seem to play equal roles in Thy Catafalque’s ever-evolving approach to metal – new album Alföld pays heed to both attributes.
–Ted Nubel
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Saturnus — The Storm Within | Prophecy Productions | Melodic Doom + Death Metal | Denmark
Thirty years haven’t made Saturnus any less potent at crafting melodic doom/death metal. Their first since 2012, The Storm Within shows the band at the height of their narrative-crafting, sadness-inspiring prowess.
–Ted Nubel
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Memorrhage — Memorrhage | Big Money Cybergrind | Nu Metal | United States (Dallas, TX)
Is nu-metal back? Or did it never leave? Either way, Memorrhage, a project of the ever-prolific Garry Brents (Cara Neir, Gonemage, etc.) is a tribute to the heavy, rude side of the genre that sees absolutely no reason to compromise. The style of nu-metal that Brents creates here has definitely been absent, making this both incredibly nostalgic as well as a breath of fresh air.
–Ted Nubel
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Creeping Death — Boundless Domain | MNRK Heavy | Death Metal + Hardcore | United States
Percussive, explosive, impactful, whatever adjective you prefer – Creeping Death’s death metal folds in hardcore in a quest to deliver the most energetic metal possible, and it fucking hits. Tight, rhythmically locked-in riffs reign, as do growl-along choruses.
–Ted Nubel
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Vile Ritual — Caverns of Occultic Hatred | Sentient Ruin | Blackened Death Metal | United States
Though it kicks off with obliteratingly loud production, press onward and you’ll find there’s riffs aplenty in these particular caverns. Vile Ritual’s debut LP exploits a dangerous concoction of oppressive entropic weirdness and delightfully riffy metal. I’ve been following this band on Bandcamp for what feels like quite a while, and this is the best payoff I could have hoped for after some really promising earlier releases.
–Ted Nubel
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Rană — Richtfeuer | Breath Sun Bone Blood | Black + Post-Metal + Crust | Germany
From Ted Nubel’s full album premiere:
Though the album narratively tackles humanity’s struggles and eventual failures, it plays out like a force of nature. Rană’s black metal and punk chops lend themselves to completely overwhelming barrages, but they then temper these with powerfully reserved post-metal sections. The next, inevitable crescendo hangs above listeners like a Sword of Damocles, although in this case it’s more of an enjoyable surprise than a lethal one.
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Rise to the Sky — Two Years of Grief | Tragedy Productions | Atmospheric Doom + Death Metal | Chile
From Ted Nubel’s track premiere of “Funeral for My Home”:
To say that Chilean atmospheric death/doom band Rise to the Sky has been ‘busy’ may be an understatement: the project’s upcoming album Two Years of Grief will be their seventh since 2019. Yet, the quality remains high: driven by huge, moving leads and immense, growled vocals, each album captures a facet of grief and mourning with painful clarity. On Two Years of Grief, carefully crafted motifs again dominate the record–each song feels like a hymn to tragedy.
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Varmia — Nie nas widzę | M-Theory Audio | Black + Folk Metal | Poland
Pagan black metal that dives deep into the lore and traditions of the Baltic region, combining traditional instruments with intricate and powerful black metal.
For more info, check out the track-by-track feature running later today here on IO!
–Ted Nubel
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Gravedäncer — The First Rite | Helldprod Records | Black + Speed Metal | Brazil
There’s a massively retro feel to this album — starting with the harsh production, but also evident in the big, dramatic choruses that make The First Rite a catchy slice of classically-minded black/speed metal.
–Ted Nubel
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