Upcoming Metal Releases: 9/12/2021 - 9/18/2021
Here are the new (and recent) metal releases for the week of September 12th, 2021 to September 18th, 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.
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Upcoming Releases
Carcass — Torn Arteries | Nuclear Blast | Melodic Death Metal + Death ‘n’ Roll | United Kingdom
Eight years after their comeback album Surgical Steel, the goregrind and melodic death metal titans returns with what’s probably the closest thing to “boomer death metal.” It swings towards death’n’roll by emphasizing harmonies and the kind of minuscule tweaks often found in late-career albums; improvements you’ll appreciate if you’ve been following the band for years.
–Colin Dempsey
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Abolishment of Flesh — In the Presence of Darkness | Blood Blast Distribution | Melodic Death Metal | United States
Abolishment of Flesh is heavy on the “death” side of melodic death metal, even weaving some slam/brutal bits of rhythmic punishment into their already pretty aggressive strain of death metal. At the same time, In the Presence of Darkness really cultivates the hellish, melancholically doomed atmosphere the title and album art bestow on it.
–Ted Nubel
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Blazon Stone — Damnation | Stormspell Records | Heavy + Power + Speed Metal | Sweden
Blazon Stone, who take their name from one of Running Wild’s albums, continue to follow in that band’s footsteps here by offering an alternative to mainstream “pirate metal” (which generally just seems to be themed alcoholism worship). Heavy metal-laced power metal with hearty vocals and catchy choruses await you on these seas, though it does seem to basically be the same thing they’ve been doing since their inception.
–Ted Nubel
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Criminal — Sacrificio | Metal Blade Records | Death + Thrash + Groove Metal | Chile
This long-lasting Chilean metal outfit (notably featuring Anton Reisenegger of the underappreciated Chilean death/thrash act Pentagram) is back with a new album: expect infuriated heavy metal built seemingly for the sole purpose of riling up moshpits.
–Ted Nubel
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Occulsed — Crepitation of Phlegethon | Everlasting Spew | Death Metal | United States (Atlanta, GA)
This knotty old-school death metal-playing duo bill their music as “catacombal.” That doesn’t adequately capture the athleticism of the drumming and riffs, but the vocals are definitely straight from the crypt. Perhaps “mummified” is a better term, then.
–Colin Dempsey
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Knowledge Through Suffering — Concealment | Brucia Records | Death + Black + Sludge Metal | Italy
From Colin Dempsey’s full album premiere:
Knowledge Through Suffering is the pummeling child of black metal’s soul-searching through musical extremities, doom metal’s scope, and death metal’s putrefaction, with his biggest strength being his sheer magnitude. On Concealment, they trudge through three colossal tracks sticking closer to a death/doom framework with the desperation of black metal.
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Taser — Filthcrawl | Independent | Sludge Metal | Finland
Nasty sludge spewing straight out of your shower drain: excessively filtered vocals and alcohol-poisoned riffs burble out of Taser’s sludge like toxic byproducts of pent-up disgust.
–Ted Nubel
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Vandallus — 4 | Independent | Heavy Metal + Hard Rock | United States (Cleveland, OH)
Vandallus have mastered the art of making heavy metal ‘smooth’ — not sure if that’s really the right word, but this is cruising metal suited for lengthy drives, packed with pleasant harmonies and skillful guitar/vocal interplay. When you’re riding these highways, nothing can get you down.
–Ted Nubel
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Dickless Tracy — Grave New World | Monsterbilly Records | Death Metal + Grindcore | Slovenia
The nomenclature here does a disservice to how solidly Dickless Tracy play death metal. They may have started as a weekend hobby but you don’t get this pedigree of concentrated, no-frills, tight-as-a-noose output without putting some blood on the line.
–Colin Dempsey
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Gravedäncer — Unholy Bond | Helldprod Records | Black + Speed Metal | Brazil
Umlaut in the band name? Two-tone badass album art? Yep, you guessed it—it’s black/speed time. Gravedäncer take the sleazy bounciness of their demo and slightly tune it up here, keeping the old-school chaos but making sure the riffs ride through the night in grim clarity.
–Ted Nubel
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Dalisay — Ang Trahedya ng Dalisay at Ketungin | Surrogate Rec. | Death + Thrash Metal | Phillipines
An exceptionally evil strain of melody weaves its way through this record: take lead single “Karnal” for an example, which starts off with a slow tritonal introduction before plunging into shuddering, skin-crawling riffs.
–Ted Nubel
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Heirs of Isildur — Heirs of Isildur vs Tales from Nocturnia | Independent | Epic + Melodic Metal Metal | United States
With a Tolkienesque name, a steampunk aesthetic, and an accompanying graphic novel, it’s a little surprising that Heirs of Isildur sound so intentional in their music. It’s synth-heavy melodic death metal that rips while sounding exactly like the soundtrack for a steampunk time travel narrative, striking the rare yet vital balance of self-awareness and sincerity.
–Colin Dempsey
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Ghostheart Nebula — Ascension | Black Lion Records | Melodic Death + Doom Metal | Italy
Ghostheart Nebula demonstrates just how much doomed sentiment and bitter emotion can fit into the void of space: the Italian death/doom band’s debut full-length travels far from the realms of man, conceptually, but the massive, synth-enriched journeys inside tie right back to mortal suffering.
–Ted Nubel
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Forebode — The Pit of Suffering | Independent | Doom + Sludge Metal | United States
Fans of Yatra should check this one out: for whatever reason, there’s not a ton of bands combining IQ-erasing heavy tones with sharp riffs and scowling vocals, but Forebode is a promising offering in the category. The band leans into bluesy swings, but even the lead single on its own shows their penchant for introducing more aggressive meters as well.
–Ted Nubel
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As the Sun Falls — Last Days of Light | Independent | Melodic Death Metal | Switzerland
Melodic death metal should not be a deceptive framing for suffocating guitar tracks and overly sentimental synths. It should be performed like Last Days of Light, with melodic and punchy guitar tracks, intelligently integrated synths, and weight in its step.
–Colin Dempsey
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Nocturnal Wanderer — Gift of the Night | Independent | Black + Heavy Metal | United States
From Brandon Corsair’s full album premiere:
Beauty is to be found everywhere throughout Gift of the Night and is a defining characteristic that draws together the music. Minimalism of both riffs and composition give way to frenzied heavy metal solos that are the pulse of the music, and the romping, bass-driven black metal can swiftly build up to one of those emotional solos before falling either into a sharp assault or a dreamy swell.
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