Upcoming Metal Releases: 3/9/2014 – 3/15/2014

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Yes, the clocks sprung forward. Daylight Savings Time, yo. (Arizonians: “Huh?”) No, you’re not Dr. Who. And, before you start, “missing time” didn’t occur. You can stop checking your body in the mirror for interstellar surgical scars.

While you may have gotten to work an hour late today, most of the heavy metal heavy hitters just plain slept in. Seven days from now? We’ll drown. This second? (Arizonians: “Wait…what?”) Only two big waves. Nevertheless, they’re, uh, swell(s). (Stop… stop booing.) First, Conan inhale, hold, and exhale a roar of Frazetta-ian forcefullness. Then, Teitanblood butcher death metal, bringing the genre back to its brutish altered state. Both boot guts.

Need to attend to your new bruises? Of Note and Things We Missed have some salves. Indeed, accompanying the usual quality thuds are pretty twinkles and hushed head-scratchers. Teaser: Lux Occulta, still sporting their see-what-sticks experimental slant, have awoken from hibernation. Plus, an extra scroll treats you to Valerinne‘s comparatively serene, starry night painting technique. But, really, this side of the slate belongs to black metal. Corpsepainted grimacers, this is your week. All entries will make you cackle like a crow, though the W.T.C. twinsies of Entartung and Tortorum will be especially enticing. Yep, if you believe it’s better bleak, your time is now. Sigh, no, 60 minutes in the other direction, Tucson.

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New metal releases for the week of 3/9/2014 – 3/15/2014. Release dates are formatted according to proposed North American scheduling, if available. Expect to see the bulk of these records on shelves or distros on Tuesday unless otherwise noted. Blurbs and designations are based on available promotional material and perceived buzz.

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Anticipated Releases:

Conan – Blood Eagle | Napalm Records | Doom, stoner metal
The sophomore LP from these Liverpudlian slow ‘n’ lowers. The band flexes their ample riff muscles in a way that would cause a grin on John Milius‘s mug.

Teitanblood – Death | Norma Evangelium Diaboli | Death metal
The long-awaited follow-up to the secretive Spanish horde’s crematorium grand opening, ’09’s Seven Chalices. According to their label, “The second Teitanblood album corrects the misconception about Death Metal being music.” Okay. No samples, so we’ll all get to see the red editing ink on the 13th.

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Of Note:

John Baizley, Nate Hall & Mike Scheidt – Songs Of Townes Van Zandt Vol. II | Neurot Records | Folk, country
The concept: Metallers reinterpreting the cult country composer’s unique output. The coverers hail from Baroness, U.S. Christmas, and Yob, respectively.

Brood of Hatred – Skinless Agony | Self-released | Death metal
LP debut for this Tunisian quartet who set aside equal space for sweeping, melo build-ups and avant-death dissonance.

Dirge – Hyperion | Debemur Morti Productions | Sludge, post-metal
Celebrating their 20th year of existence with their sixth album, these Parisians ride the tides of post-metal. That said, there’s more below their decks than sludge. Includes a guestspot from Tara of Lycia. Will be available on the 14th.

Entartung – Peccata Mortalia | World Terror Committee | Black metal
Germanic second-wave blast of frost from a duo familiar with philosophy.

Epitome – TheoROTical | Cadaver Productions | Grindcore
Polish death-infused grind shaped by the stop/start motions of their countrymen.

Frozen Dawn – Those of the Cursed Light | Xtreem Music | Black metal
Epic in the Immortal mold. Includes a member of Opvs Leviathan.

Haeres – Trom | Hymnes d’Antan | Black metal
Exhibits the heft and control of death metal. One of three Québécois acts on the list.

Hiidenhauta – Noitia on Minun Sukuni | Inverse Records | Black metal
Symphonic with a Finnish twist, Noitia on Minun Sunkuni plants a Cosmic Church-y melodic sense and twists Emperor-isms around it. Depressed Mode related.

Insain – Enlightening The Unknown | Kaotoxin Records | Death metal
Final growl from this French tech-death blast-fest.

Lux Occulta – Kolysanki | Self-released | Avant-garde
Poland’s experimental troupe returns, dropping their first album in 13 years. Led by Vogg of Decapitated, but it’s more quirk than clatter.

Monsterworks – Universe | Eat Lead and Die | Stoner rock, thrash
This New Zealand quartet explores the sky aboard a shimmering celestial ship.

North – Metanoia | Self-released | Sludge, post-metal
New proto-post-metal? North infuse the familiar lockstep trudge with space rock/post-hardcore. Comparable to Old Man Gloom if Jupiter‘s pull was stronger.

Ogre – The Last Neanderthal | Minotauro Records | Doom, hard rock
A trio of Mainers nerd out over a tried and true trad boogie. Connected to the under-appreciated Ocean.

Ordoxe – Beyond Mankind | Hymnes d’Antan | Black metal
Québécois nombre deux. Where Haeres have a dalliance with death, Ordoxe flirt with blistering blackened thrash. Out on the 14th.

Reactory – High on Radiation | Iron Shield Records | Thrash
Full-length debut for these Germans bent on shredding every string.

Savage Messiah – The Fateful Dark | Earache | Thrash
Powered-up thrash of the rat-a-tat-tat Artillery spirit.

The Shrine – Bless Off | Tee Pee Records | Stoner rock
Driving retro rock reverberating via punk’s energy.

Shroud of the Heretic – Revelations in Alchemy | Blood Harvest | Death metal
A Portal opened over Portland and this plopped out. The band has bloodlines to Symptom and Sempiternal Dusk. If the cavern never seemed worth the descent, try Shroud out.

Skelethal – Macabre Oblivion | Iron Bonehead Productions | Death metal
Iron Bonehead bangs again. Groovy, Swede-esque death courtesy of two French fellows from Infinite Translation.

Spirit Descent – Anthem | Self-released | Doom
Lead-heavy epics elevated by a vocalist evoking Trouble.

Sodomizer / Hands of Orlac – Resurrection of the Dead | Horror Records | Speed metal, doom
Rio de Janeiro’s Sodomizer don’t care if it’s sloppy as long as it’s speedy, while Hands of Orlac are more concerned with doom’s classic rock covens.

Tortorum – Katabasis | World Terror Committee | Black metal
A battering ram of Norwegian black metal manned by quite the charismatic howler. Members of Aeternus and Spearhead.

Valknacht – Le Sacrifice d’Ymir | PRC Music | Black metal
The final stop on our Quebec mini-tour. Fast and folky, with rousing trems aplenty.

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Things We Missed:

Arson Under the Sea d-beated through the blackened deep of the Eyehatewater.

Avvika savored every second, constructing gigantic Jenga towers of punk.

Cemetery Fog put their pleasingly primitive demo in the Hellhammer-ing hands of Iron Bonehead.

Heresiarch also battered out a 7” black circle of barbaric death metal for those aforementioned Fe noggins.

Landskap held a Candlemass and let the leads shake them out of their sorrows.

Maggot Colony brought the blurgh for borkers begging for slams.

Plebeian Grandstand charred sludge to the core.

Reivers covered their barreling punk in a grind-y gunk.

Relic Point achieved their goal of total chugplosion.

Southern State self-described themselves as “Wizard Rock,” speaking, perhaps, to their verdant inclinations. However, there was a definite midwest indie rock vibe below it all.

Stheno picked their crusty scabs and grind sprayed out.

Valerinne made a post-rock lasagna while engaged in a staring contest with their shoes. Don’t be scared off by the style. This is fireworks rather than twee sparkles, despite what the glittering tree album title suggests.

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