Upcoming Metal Releases

Upcoming Metal Releases: 6/9/19 -- 6/15/19

Upcoming Metal Releases

Here are the new (and recent) metal releases for the week of June 9th to June 15th, 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.

Surprise Releases + Things We Missed

AndavaldUndir skyggðarhaldi | Mystiskaos | Black Metal | Iceland

Dramatic, well-paced black metal from the land of fire and ice. Undir skyggðarhaldi‘s atmosphere is as much about thick, resolute blasting as it is gentle, somber asides into noise and ambiance. Andavald is up against preconceived notions of what “Icelandic black metal” is… however, and despite regionality only revealing a small percentage of a band’s influence and overall sound, as someone who’s been to Iceland, Undir skyggðarhaldi would sound absolutely 100% perfect driving through the fjords, mountains, and barren valleys of what is surely one of the most astoundingly breathtaking places on this measly little planet.

OrphalisThe Approaching Darkness | Rising Nemesis Records | Death Metal | Germany

Shockingly good modern death metal. The Approaching Darkness is not one of those “good” albums which breaks any rules or conventions; rather, it’s one of those “so well executed” albums which make complete sense of the array of tools and tricks death metal bands have at their disposal nowadays. Orphalis have found the perfect balance of tempo, aggression, extremity, and progression for their sound, and it shows wholeheartedly on The Approaching Darkness. This may not be an album for the ages, but it’s an album for right now for sure.

Skáphe + WormlustKosmískur hryllingur | Mystiskaos | Black Metal | Iceland

Two Icelandic heavy hitters returned last week as a collab to literally annihilate your face and ears. If you’re familiar with either of these bands, they’re known for their style of especially caustic black metal, strewn across vastly dark landscapes of abstract noise and hellish tones. This is one of those cases where words (especially adjectives) do no justice; there’s only the immense void created by these harrowing sounds.

Fuming MouthThe Grand Descent | Triple B Records | Hardcore + Death Metal | United States (Massachusetts)

This wasn’t on our radar until way too late, but The Grand Descent was worthy enough of its own cross-post from BrooklynVegan. The minds behind Fuming Mouth clearly listen to as much death metal as they do hardcore, as this album pretty much nails a 50/50 balance to the decimal point. I’ve actually been in the mood for hardcore lately, spinning albums from Sectioned, Frontierer, Knocked Loose, and more, but this album might beat ’em all. Will have to give it a few more listens, but it’s a damn good time in any case.

Upcoming Releases

NucleusEntity | Unspeakable Axe Records | Death Metal | United States (Illinois)

Chicago cosmic death metallers Nucleus provide a fresh new offering of their signature brand of lingering gothic sci-fi in the form of their second full-length record Entity, a maddening descent into dizzyingly psychedelic chasms of gristle and decay. The highly anticipated folblow-up to 2017’s breakout release Fragmented Self, Entity sees the outfit further perfecting their unique blend of tech-death grandiosity, blackened death metal ominousness, and classic OSDM weirdo-brutality, achieving a truly unprecedented and holistic perspective on modern death metal with a sense of creativity matched by only the most innovative groups.

— Thomas Hinds

BaronessGold & Grey | Abraxan Hymns | Progressive | United States (Georgia)

Well, here it is, the new Baroness record. I won’t spoil anything or lead you on, but suffice it to say that it’s surely worth your time. Progressive, moody, and powerful, it’s a delight to behold, but you do have to find the right mood for it. Stream Gold & Grey which launched just today via NPR. Also, and we all know it already, but that album artwork is incredible.

Pinkish BlackConcept Unification | Relapse | Experimental Doom | United States (Texas)

Although it seems a foregone conclusion that Pinkish Black is solidly metal adjacent, one wonders if things would have been different if the drum-and-synth duo had emerged on, say, Mute Records rather than record with the likes of Century Media and Relapse. Concept Unification took a while to come out, in no small part to Daron Beck suffering two heart attacks last year (Jon Teague rounds out the band). The throbbing gristle of earlier releases has been replaced with moody dirges; ethereal ambient soundscapes seemingly piped in from heretofore undiscovered satellites at the edge of the known universe take things down several notches. Repeated listening brings different textures to the forefront. Hallucinogens are both encouraged and superfluous. You don’t miss guitar but that said it sure would be neat to have notorious space cadet Helios Creed provide some spazzy six-string insanity atop their Damon Edge-like Chromium doom.

— Brian O’Neill

Bonus: check out our premiere of the music video for “Dial Tone.”

IngestedCall of the Void EP | Unique Leader | Death Metal | United Kingdom

Slam-based death metal without the usual trappings of, say, standard deathcore. Actually, the delivery on the Call of the Void EP is exceptionally smooth given Unique Leader’s penchant for that staccato, sometimes ingratiating style of death-blasting listeners to pieces instead of transporting us to other realms. Ingested take the methodical, slow-burn approach (despite the EP’s brevity), vowing to slowly deconstruct your mind instead of eviscerating it with the veritable bazooka of drop-z breakdowns and other usual tricks of the trade. Good work.

HateAuric Gates of Veles | Metal Blade | Black Metal | Poland

Extremely hyperbolic black metal with more budget than most. It’s been over two decades since Hate’s first full-length, and even though the band released five albums (including this one) this decade, Auric Gates of Veles feels special and timely. The album sparkles with wild guitar leads and tons of synthwork just as much as it does with thick blast beats and tremolo riffs. That is to say: Hate know how to slather it on in layers, creating a dense wall of sound perfect for an aural onslaught to the nth degree.

Temple of Void + Revel in FleshDelivering the Dead | Unspeakable Axe Records | Death Metal | United States (Michigan) + Germany

An uncanny collaboration between Detroit’s own crust-punk infused death metal pulverizers Temple of Void and Germany’s delightfully doomy, prolific blackened death outfit Revel in Flesh, this short and sweet split presents just one massive, ripping track from each group as they continue to toil away at their own respective studio projects. The aesthetic contrast achieved between these two tracks is markedly profound and a welcome surprise to weary ears, as both present grippingly savage yet totally oblique interpretations of their shared genre, the end result a bizarre symmetry of form and approach.

— Thomas Hinds

Atlas EntityBeneath the Cosmic Silence | Technical Death Metal | United States (Florida)

From Thomas’s premiere of “In the Shadow of the Mountain Pt. 1”:

Ending in an entirely different setting than where it started, “In the Shadow of the Mountain, Pt. 1” represents a metaphor for the epic and dynamic journey on which this record takes the listener. With its album art sourced from photos taken by Gallegos on a road trip across the western United States, the ideological concepts of the album are presented with a unified naturalistic message, proclaiming the juxtaposition of severity and grandeur in nature. By radically magnifying their galactic scope to focus instead on earthly themes, Atlas Entity has introduced a personal element to their highly intellectual approach, sacrificing none of the Enceladus EP’s potency yet accomplishing a huge expansion of their sonic range.

This Gift is a CurseA Throne of Ash | Season of Mist | Black Metal + Hardcore | Sweden

From my premiere of “Monuments for Dead Gods”:

Drenched in sludge and blackened to a goddamn crisp, Swedish quintet This Gift is a Curse amount to a rich delight to sore, mournful ears. Nothing beats a pummeling of abstract blasts, hardcore beats, and gutturally eviscerating vocals (especially bright ‘n’ early in the morning) when your mind’s gears need a hard reset. What makes their upcoming third full-length A Throne of Ash so compelling is its resolute balance in this sinister regard. It’s straightforwardly hardcore at heart, but completely transcendent in ethos; it’s grounded in serious fucking riffage, but suddenly darts into the cosmos after a shooting star. This is a “maximum” album, one in which every moment seeks to be the climax, one whose unrelenting shockwave of sonic effrontery demands the highest bearable volume.

Ripped to ShredsDemon Scriptures | Pulverised Records | Death Metal | United States (California)

HM-2 guitar distortion is definitely a love/hate nowadays. But, if you had any chance of loving it (which you should), then Ripped to Shreds has what you need. This latest EP fucking rips, and there’s no two ways about it. From the bonkers guitar playing to the highly diverse yowls and howls, the Demon Scriptures EP is designed to swirl crowds of people into a whirlpool. You’ll probably survive, of course, but not without one hell of a good time.

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