Upcoming Metal Releases: 8/17/2014 – 8/23/2014
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Asking for a fiend: Can someone suffer from new release overload? Is there a new release rehab program that pumps you full of nourishing Number of the Beast after you OD? Because we’re going to need it this week.
So. Many. Things.
No point tiring your eyes with needless preamble since we have so much to discuss. Big bigs: Pallbearer, Accept, Midnight. Fascinating smalls: Ghast, Fistula, Punch. Albums we regret not finding earlier: Funerary, Ripper, Contempt. We’ve got them all. Call off the rest of your day and let’s go on a bender.
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 8/17/2014 – 8/23/2014. 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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Accept – Blind Rage | Nuclear Blast | Heavy metal
The German institution rips through their 14th full-length of tried and true muscular trad.
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Botanist – VI: Flora | The Flenser | Black metal
The plant tender and his hammered dulcimer are rooted in the verdant realm.
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Cardinals Folly – Our Cult Continues! | Shadow Kingdom Records | Doom
The Finns shake off any trend, banging out punk-leaning doom done their way. Stream a track here.
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Children Of Technology – Future Decay | Hells Headbangers | Speed metal, crossover, punk
An Italian punk pummeling that has ’80s-esque visions of a post-apocalyptic wasteland.
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Karma To Burn – Arch Stanton | Faba Records | Stoner metal
The Hicksville riff merchants restock with stoner grooves aplenty.
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Midnight – No Mercy For Mayhem | Hells Headbangers | Blackened speed metal
This Cleveland menace matches Satanic Royalty with another all-out, charred-black banger.
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Pallbearer – Foundations of Burden | Profound Lore Records | Doom
While still melancholy and damn heavy, Pallbearer refocus their energy with prog flourishes.
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Take Over and Destroy – Vacant Face | Comfort Point Records | Blackened sludge
TOAD take weighty sludge and burn it black. Part of an Arizona scene looking like the next hotbed for bruising metal. Stream a track here.
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Of Note:
american – coping with loss | Sentient Ruin Laboratories | Black metal, sludge
Slit-your-wrists black metal mixed with swampy crawls.
Asilo / El Caos Reptante / Uroboros – Blackdope Sessions | Zann’s Music | Sludge, doom, death metal
An Argentine sludge convention. Uroboros are flavored with groovy death. El Caos Reptante go long with slowmo stoner doom. Asilo bash out weirdo bursts of violence.
Colombian Necktie – Twilight Upon Us | Self-released | Sludge, post-metal
A celestial, Cave In spin on patient post-metal.
Crucifyre – Black Magic Fire | Pulverised Records | Death metal, heavy metal
Falling somewhere between trad and death metal, these Swedes stomp through a quirky amalgamation of metal. Linked to General Surgery and Regurgitate. Includes a guest spot from Hank Shermann.
Dragonforce – Maximum Overload | earMUSIC | Power metal
A band that has, like, the force of dragons. Can’t see them becoming popular.
Embrace of Thorns / Maveth – A Plague Through the Heavens | Dark Descent Records | Blackened death metal
Dark Descent, the standout dealers of death, bring together two death metal beasts. Greece’s Embrace of Thorns trem more towards black metal. Finland’s Maveth have an OSDM doominess.
Extinction A.D. – Plague Prophecy | Good Fight Music | Crossover
A thrashy, fun turn from ex-members of This is Hell.
Fistula – Vermin Prolificus | To Live a Lie Records | Sludge
The prolific Cleveland sludgesters rip through punky and doomy tributes to filth. Release date isn’t clear, so keep tabs on the band’s Facebook for updates.
Fōr / שְׁאוֹל – Tehom / Ginungagap | Iron Bonehead Productions | Death metal, blackened death metal
Iron Bonehead strikes again. Sweden’s Fōr play ruthless, primitive death metal with a blackened bite. UK’s שְׁאוֹל have a burpier/sloppier OSDM lean.
Ghast – Dread Doom Ruin | Todestrieb Records | Black metal
Multifaceted Welsh blasters that are able to jump from spookiness to a crushing, doomy crawl and back again.
Johnny Touch – Inner City Wolves | Shadow Kingdom Records | Heavy metal, speed metal
An Australian trad romp without a hint of irony.
Joy – Under the Spell of Joy | Tee Pee Records | Stoner rock, psych
Oodles of fuzz and solo frenzies. Recommended to the Earthless/Golden Void variety of shred nerds. Find older material here.
Mater Thallium – Abandoned By the Sun | Self-released | Doom, prog
Prog experimentation (think Canterbury scene) keeps things interesting while the Norwegians run through typical doom themes (depression, etc.).
The Moon and the Nightspirit – Holdrejtek | Prophecy Productions | Folk
This Hungarian folk duo nails the soundtrack for a walk through a dark European forest.
Nucleus Torn – Street Lights Fail | Prophecy Productions | Avant-garde, folk metal
Swiss chamber collective fronted by Eluveitie‘s Anna Murphy. The first record in a two-part concept collection. Metalheads waiting on In the Woods might want to give this a go.
Pillbuster – Brothel | Stonerkill Records | Stoner metal
Scratches an itch with straight ahead riff worship.
Principality of Hell – Fire & Brimstone | W.T.C. Productions | Blackened thrash
These Greeks turn back the black metal clock to the first wave. Thrash in the vein of Celtic Frost with a nod to Bathory.
Proselyte – Our Vessel’s In Need | Gypsyblood Records | Doom, sludge
A low-end thumping combined with gnarled guitars. Related to Phantom Glue.
Punch – They Don’t Have To Believe | Deathwish, Inc | Powerviolence, hardcore
Raw and ripping hardcore/fastcore. The catalyst for anthemic catharsis.
Six String Slaughter – Born Unspoiled | Horror Pain Gore Death Productions | Death metal
These Danes arm death metal with a warhawk mentality.
Thy Rites – Invoker of the Venomous Unlight | Deathrash Armageddon | Blackened death metal
Brutish and bleak blasts from Brazil.
Trioscapes – Digital Dream Sequence | Metal Blade Records | Prog, avant-garde
Bassist Dan Briggs of Between the Buried and Me goes on an adventure with Walter Fancourt (saxophone/flute) and Matt Lynch (drums). Very Zu-like.
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Things We Missed:
• Black Metal
Eosphorus – Winds of Apep (SWE, melodic black metal)
Moon – Clavicula Nox (AUS, black metal)
• Core/Punk
Contempt – Skinwalker (USA, crust, sludge, post-metal)
• Death Metal
Goatflesh – …Of Pure Rape and Blasphemy (UKR, blackened death metal)
Hesperian – Chain of Balance (GRE, brutal death metal)
Ripper – Raising the Corpse (CHI, death/thrash)
• Doom/Sludge/Stoner
0 – Null & Void (ISL, doom, funeral doom)
Funerary – Starless Aeon (USA, sludge, doom)
Lucifer’s Fall – Lucifer’s Fall (AUS, doom, epic doom)
Naught – MMXIV (USA, doom, sludge, funeral doom)
• Grind
Archagathus – Dehumanizer (CAN, mincecore, grind)
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