Upcoming Metal Releases: 7/30/2023-8/5/2023
Here are the new (and recent) metal releases for July 30th through August 5th. 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
An Autumn for Crippled Children — Closure | Prosthetic Records | Post-Black Metal + Shoegaze | Netherlands
Wielding stirring strings and tearful guitar leads against a rough-edged backdrop of surly blackened post-metal, An Autumn for Crippled Children’s latest album does what they do best: make you feel sad, but in a good way.
–Ted Nubel
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Tumulation — Haunted Funeral Creations | Hammerheart Records | Death Metal + Doom Meal | United States (California)
The members of Conjureth, who released one of the year’s best death metal albums back in January, formed a side group to release some of the smokiest and thickest death metal they can conjure, trading their technicality for an approach that must’ve been unearthed from a crypt.
–Colin Dempsey
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Dun Ringill — 150 – Where The Old Gods Play Act 1 | The Sign Records | Doom Metal | Sweden
The folky doom metal of Dun Ringill rides on Tomas Eriksson’s shoulders, whose vocal performance elevates them to a new plane. They’re propulsive and compelling in their own right, but Eriksson teeters on the verge of excess in a way that’s downright fun.
–Colin Dempsey
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Besta — Terra Em Desapego | Lifeforce Records | Grindcore + Death Metal | Portugal
Grindcore bands rarely push themselves with lengthy tracks, but Besta make a strong case for why more of them should. They know when to keep their feet on the pedal across their 5+ minute songs and when to sink their teeth into a groove, sliding from grindcore to death metal with ease. It’s not progressive metal by any means, but it’s exhilarating to hear Besta push the genre’s stereotypical track structures.
–Colin Dempsey
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Rabbit — Bardo | Independent | Grindcore | United States (New York)
Brooklyn’s Rabbit dropped Bardo like a ton of bricks last Friday. This grind-adjacent hardcore mini-album consists of five succinct tracks that rope in death metal gristle and punk fury. Try “Tail Wags Dog” for a particularly gruesome cross-section of Rabbit. Bilious and loud, Bardo shows a band busting down genre walls for maximum devastation.
–Colin Williams
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Crypta — Shades of Sorrow | Napalm Records | Death Metal | Brazil
While Crypta have always had intense heavy metal prowess, the one criticism I’ve had about the band in the past is that they don’t necessarily have their own niche or unique take on the classic death metal sound to make them stand out. Now they have upped the level considerably with this record, which has a focused and steady vibe, more so than past releases. There’s still a lot of Morbid Angel worship and old school flavor, but with a spin that is decidedly their own.
–Addison Herron-Wheeler
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Drune — Drown | Independent | Doom + Stoner + Drone Metal | United States
With its members disparate in locale but united in grievous riffage, Drune’s new EP summons a torrent of elemental doom into our realm.
–Ted Nubel
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Djinn and Miskatonic — Paleo | Independent | Doom Metal | India
Paleo finds a hypnotizing groove in the arms of utterly obliterating drum tones, overbearing guitar, and vocals intoned with otherworldly mysticism. It’s a slow-moving stampede with plenty of punch to hammer its riffs home.
–Ted Nubel
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Thumos — Musica Universalis | Independent | Progressive Doom + Post-Metal | United States
Historical aesthetic notwithstanding, Thumos approaches post-metal with an unusually forward-thinking angle – intermingling everything from drum loops to blast beats in service of instrumental jams that focus heavily on captivating hooks. Lest it seem too progressive, everything is just a little fuzzy and lo-fi, which feeds back excellently into the feeling of ancient science that surrounds this record.
–Ted Nubel
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Eminentia Tenebris — Rise of a New Kingdom | Antiq Records | Atmospheric Black Metal | France
Rise of a New Kingdom cultivates a very specific atmosphere, blending frosty black metal with warm, yet majestic melodies. Excellent, nostalgic black metal.
–Ted Nubel
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Ancient Torment / Haxen — The Howling Gale | Eternal Death | Black Metal | United States (Rhode Island)
The forthcoming split between Providence acts Ancient Torment and Haxen is proof that New England’s haunted history can serve as fertile soil for classic black metal. While Ancient Torment dip their toes more into Quebec-style ornateness, Haxen hews more closely to Finnish filth as they delve into American arcana. Haxen have been honing their craft for 23 years, while relative newcomers Ancient Torment are somewhat newer and just added vocalist Tabarnak last year. Both make a case for Rhode Island’s shores as a place worth watching for fresh blasphemous black metal.
–Colin Williams
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Dynma Lotva — The Land under the Black Wings: Blood (Зямля Пад Чорнымі Крыламі: Кроў) | Prophecy Productions | Post-Metal + Doom Metal + Black Metal | Belarus
Dymna Lotva’s third album dashes away military fetishizations and heroic combat tales for a grounded and affecting take on how war affects citizens. It contains samples of screaming children and pulls from both doom metal and depressive black metal, so yes, it’s as dour as it sounds.
–Colin Dempsey
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