Upcoming Metal Releases: 4/20/2014 – 4/26/2014
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Upcoming Metal Releases, will you go to prom with us?
[ ] Yes
[ ] No
[ ] BREEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE. REEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE.
Look, we can promise a night to remember. We’ll dress in our finest leather. We’ll don carefully applied corpsepaint. On your wrist will go a corsage of the finest studs and skulls. And, before we jam, we’ll take a pre-prom picture and run it through a photocopier a few thousand times until we transform into Transylvanians.
A limo? Not for us. We’ll ride in a mortician’s carriage pulled by three horses Steve Harris trained to gallop. Of course, the finest playlist will be fully stocked and available for your perusal, culled from the killers listed below. We’ll slam to the Snickers-nutty Mastabah. We’ll exhale plumes of soul-nourishing riffs sent by Sigiriya. We’ll execute braincells via furious headbanging to Skinfather. Then, we’ll arrive at our destination, our driver halting the 12 hooves with a chilling “OOOOoooo OH OH OH ooooooo.”
“Thanks, King,” we’ll say. “Shine on and keep the change.”
Inside the unholy ballroom, we’ll circle pit. We’ll waltz toxically until we’re at the brink of merciless death. Later, hours into the evening, you’ll stare deeply into our eyes. The music will fade away, dropping with the care of a Fenriz mixtape. You’ll say, “Hey. . . if. . . if you could do anything, ANYTHING, with your life right now, what would you want to do?”
We’ll close our eyes. We’ll lean in. We’ll whisper ever-so gently into your ear.
“We wanna rock.”
“Rock.”
And we will. If you mark yes, that is.
Corrections: When spreadsheets cells are perma-burned into your eyeballs, occasionally one wargs too far ahead. Apologies, then, to Skelethal and 深山, two bands we couldn’t help but feature early. Both are available this week, though. Click their respective links for samples and order details.
See something we missed? Goofs? Let us know in the comments. Plus, as always, feel free to post your own shopping lists. Happy digging.
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New metal releases for the week of 4/20/2014 – 4/26/2014. 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:
Wrong – Pessimistic Outcomes | Xtreem Music | Black metal
This Spanish duo touch up the typical black metal aesthetic with an industrial whirr and subtle melodicism. In the Wormed family plot. Stream a track here.
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Of Note:
At Radogost’s Gates – Reflection of a Lunar Eclipse in the Stained Mirror of Time | Horror Pain Gore Death Productions | Blackened death metal
A Serbian Dissection of ’90s progressive death and dual melo-ness.
Caïnan Dawn – Thavmial | Osmose Productions | Black metal
Ensorcelled second-waving, heavy on the ‘molo and the mysticism. The French quartet contains an ex-member of Nehëmah.
Deep Machine – Rise of the Machine | High Roller Records | NWOBHM
Sputtering back to life, these Londoners stomp the trad pedal on their first full-length. Known to NWOBHM nerds for four demos in the early ’80s.
Empty – Etica Profana Negativa | Osmose Productions | Black metal
Bleak Spanish blarghers bounce between Anthems and Hunger.
Eskhaton – Worship Death | Chaos Records | Death metal
A nasty cacophony blurred by a cavernous echo. Shares a player with fellow Melburnians Ignivomous.
Hitten – First Strike with the Devil | Heavy Forces Records | Heavy metal, speed metal
Debut LP from these throwback reenactors, bridging the gap separating the sugary Skull Fist and the Razor-rehashing Evil Invaders. Related to Iron Curtain.
Jumalhämärä – Songless Shores | Ahdistuksen Aihio Productions | Black metal
Following their harmonium workout, these adventurous Finns make a brief return to the blackened arts, sandwiching their lo-fi din inside dark ambient grains. You may know the mates from Mörkö, Sink, and Fleshpress.
Karma To Burn / Sons Of Alpha Centauri – Sons Of Alpha Centauri / Karma To Burn | H42 Records | Stoner metal, stoner rock
The fleet-on-the-frets Karma to Burn bang out an amp smoker while Sons of Alpha Centauri guide their chug by starlight.
Mastabah – I Hate You | Self-released | Death metal
A Polish blackened battering, reanimating Glen Benton’s obsessions and plopping it within a brutal death body.
Patria – Individualism | Indie Recordings | Black metal
Mantus, he with the hand in a million bands, and Triumphsword (no, really) strum a Satyricon groove thawed by the Brazilian sun. Note: No North America release date set yet, so sit tight or take a pop at an import.
Pet the Preacher – The Cave & the Sunlight | Napalm Records | Stoner rock
Danish disciples of the Man’s Ruin school of toke n’ roll bathe in a wash of warm distortion.
Puteraeon – The Crawling Chaos | Cyclone Empire | Death metal
Swedish hive kickers remember Dismember on this ode to the ancient ones.
Resurrecting Judas – The Eternal Knot | We Are the Legion Records | Death metal
Bonkers brutal death wielding the widdly with the handle and flow of a seasoned swordsman.
Satan’s Satyrs – Die Screaming | Bad Omen Records | Hard rock, doom
Electric Wizard if recorded by Russ Meyer. These Virginians boogie like bikers stuffed with punk boogers.
Sektor – Alpha | Rebirth the Metal Productions | Death/thrash
German rippers roiling in a blackened blasting boil.
Set – Valley of the Stone | Self-released | Doom, stoner metal
Eaten‘s rhythm section assists Set in stoking their fiery highness.
Shotgun Cure – Swarm EP | Self-released | Thrash
Torontonian trio sharpening shifting sections of Exhorder-ian grooving; provided the Vatican slaughterers were possessed by a punk spirit.
Skeletal Augury – Bless of Destroyed, Raped, Dismembered Flesh | Pest Productions | Blackened thrash
A charred tumult from China. Recommended for Aura Noir appreciators.
Sigiriya – Darkness Died Today | Candlelight Records | Stoner metal
Welsh quartet cooking catchy plates of feel-good. Ex-Acrimony. A possible new-found friend of Only Living Witness owners.
Skinfather – None Will Mourn | Streetcleaner Records | Death metal
The sound of ’90s death filtered through a core component. If Harmony Corruption and Merauder were spliced together, maybe.
SS-18 – Nuklearpteryx | Thou Shalt Kill! Records | Black metal
Racing Russian mayhem augmented by outre sonic effery. Not NS for those seeing the name as a speedbump.
Stuka Party – Schmeiser Smasher | Hammerheart Records | Math rock, fusion
A bass/drum duo in the range of East West Blast Test. Quirky rhythms interlocking with brown-note plucking. A Gadget side-project.
Thunder Lord – Heavy Metal Rage | Self-released | Heavy metal
Endearingly shaggy trad trotters stationed in Chile.
Unlight – The Katalyst Of The Katharsis | War Anthem Records | Black metal
Steady-as-she-goes, second-wave collabo between German and Swiss satanists.
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Things We Missed:
Anomaly took it upon themselves to ruin new headphones by way of their feedback-encrusted noisecore.
Black Book Lodge caused reflexive head-nods in THC gene carriers.
Boddicker cursed any other band on the bill as forgettable thanks to their scuzzy power-violence.
Bog Oak‘s heavy metal sank like a stone in a sea of sludge.
Decaying Purity‘s brooful roaring was perfectly dressed in its Paolo Girardi duds.
Doomed crawled out the tomb and kept the slo-mo pace of a pallbearer.
Ego Depths peered into the funeral doom void and was consumed by noise.
FANGE flung their filthy guitar tone at doubters of sludge’s staying power.
Flayed Disciple certainly chose the right name, smartly summing up their nimble, whip-cracking thrash madness.
Galg‘s well-done, pitch-black noise caused the unadventurous to gag.
Lovgun sealed their batty, core-heavy grind with a kiss.
Naga turned the oceans dark, blarghing over surging post-metal.
Noxagt locked in on an instrumental sludge slug fest.
Paramnesia did some side-long heavy lifting and blossomed into a Weakling.
Phylogeny uprooted all of the stops on their tour of seemingly every death metal permutation.
Suffering Quota ground death down to its primal punk essence.
Unspeakable Axe tossed two over our heads: Sabbatory was revelatory if you prefer to slash your thrash with death. And, in the same vein, Zoldier Noiz refreshed like water ice on a Philly summer afternoon.
Vampillia combined feather-light black metal and a post-rock build, only in a completely different way compared to what you’re now imagining. Previously cut tracks starring Attila Csihar and Nadja. Linked (somehow) to Boredoms.
Wilder Falotico set out to record a monthly EP. So far, the promise has been kept. The link to the left points to April’s OSDM onslaught.
Zombie Attack fought away the walkers with thrash steel. Bonus: Blissfully free of Rick hollering “COOOOOOARL.”
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