Upcoming Metal Releases 9/2/2018-9/8/2018
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If you’re reading this, Jon is gone — off to a faraway land this week! Bye! Andrew is here filling in.
Here are the new metal releases for the weeks of September 2 – September 8, 2018. 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 the coming Fridays unless otherwise noted or if labels and artists get impatient. Blurbs and designations are based on whether or not I have a lot to say about it.
See something we missed? Goofs? Let us know in the comments. Plus, as always, feel free to post your own shopping lists. Happy digging.
As a little bit of a challenge, include your own opinion about anything you want to add. Make me want to listen to it!
Please note: this is a review column and is not speculative. Any announced albums without preview material will not be covered. Additionally, any surprise releases which are uploaded or released after this column is published will be excluded.
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ANTICIPATED RELEASES
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Malthusian – Across Deaths | Dark Descent/Invictus Productions | Black/Death Metal | Ireland
As far as Irish quartet Malthusian go, their demo is where it’s at. In fact, it was such a solid slab of blackened death that all subsequent releases (especially a debut full-length, i.e. Across Deaths) must decide either to shield against or reflect its dark sunshine. This new album sort of does both: it retails all the cacophonous, cavernous carnage of yore, but also introduces new musical complexity. Surely, being afforded the space of a full-length allows a narrative to form, or to be fostered, or, if the band wishes, killed.
Pig Destroyer – Head Cage | Relapse Records | Grindcore | United States
Yep, this is grindcore legends Pig Destroyer coming back after six years of full-length silence. What do you get? Exactly what you expect.
Owl – Nights In Distortion | Temple of Torturous | Experimental Death/Doom Metal | United States
From Jon’s premiere of “Transparent Monument”:
As it is with everything Kolf and/or Zeitgeister related, Owl transcends the bizarre through an atmospheric milieu — strange sounds and odd harmonies clash and meld into a monolithic presence. In this case, the band’s own loss builds itself into a monument of absence, a transparency whose existence exudes itself.
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OF NOTE
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Nadja – Sonnborner | Broken Spine/Daymare | Drone/Doom Metal/Shoegaze | Germany
From Jon’s premiere of “Sonnborner/Aten”:
Slowly unraveling itself, “Sonnborner/Aten”‘s first eight minutes swirl with beautifully bowed strings and Baker’s plaintive voice, all before exploding forth with walls of distortion. A forgotten review of some Nadja release (maybe their split with 5/5/2000, but I could be wrong) described Nadja’s music as “every instrument in existence playing the same note for a very long time,” which is fitting. This is an overwhelming but beautiful exercise in volume through doomgazing tension and release. As a purported progenitor of this “metalgaze” or “doomgaze” style, Sonnborner acts as Nadja’s master’s thesis, a demonstration of the sound worship and noise beauty which cemented them in the first place.
Ennui – End of the Circle | Non Serviam Records | Funeral Doom Metal | Georgia
If you’re in the mood for some 20+ minute funeral doom behemoths, look no further than the new Ennui album. Unspeakably gigantic, the riffs emanating from this duo ascend toward infinite and overtly dramatic heights as swansong praises of death itself. The guttural depth of vocalist David Unsaved’s hellish growls are especially noteworthy.
Korpiklaani – Kulkija | Nuclear Blast | Folk Metal/Humppa | Finland
I’ll be quite honest, I’m not particularly into folk metal. As far as Korpiklaani goes, though, the Finnish troupe has been kickin’ it since 1993 (albeit under a different moniker then) — and there’s no doubting the history which has occured since then. The new album Kulkija features all the high-end clean vocals and lilting melodies you’d want in this style; as far as its quality in relation to prior releases, though, that’s up to you.
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OTHER RELEASES
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Satan – Cruel Magic | Metal Blade | NWOBHM | England
They nabbed the name Satan almost four decades ago — and they’re still delivering “Cruel Magic.” This is NWOBHM through a decidedly modern lens; to wit, the current members of Satan do not show their age. There’s an unavoidable feeling of comeback here, which despite the recency of Atom by Atom (2015) helps flavor Satan for old fans and newcomers alike.
Siege of Power – Warning Blast | Metal Blade | Death/Thrash Metal | United States/Netherlands
Pretty standard groovy death/thrash with key slower moments. Solid debut, but don’t expect anything revolutionary.
The Skull – The Endless Road Turns Dark | Tee Pee | Doom Metal | United States
Chicago doom for the win. This gritty, old-school album carries forward the The Skull project perfectly. Nothing fancy, nothing eloquent (though some of the vocals are quite pretty in their darkness): just doom.
Monstrosity – The Passage of Existence | Metal Blade | Death Metal | United States
Florida death metal will be forever special and “in its own way.” Ditto: Monstrosity. Active for almost three decades now, they come with their sixth full-length The Passage of Existence. Churning, grooving, riffing, and destroying, this album executes on what this localized style dictates.
Besra – Anhedonia | Temple of Torturous | Post-Metal | Finland
Interesting, very personal-feeling post-metal from Finland. Worth a listen if you’re looking for something aggressive/heavy without being assaulted.
Infera Bruo – Cerement | Prosthetic Records | Progressive Black Metal | United States
There’s less black metal here than I would have hoped for, but who’s to say that my approach is the right one for this band? Don’t go into Cerement looking for anything undistilled or straight-up: there’s a variety of influences at play here, giving the band a distinctive progressive feel.
Morne – To The Night Unknown | Armageddon Label | Post-Metal | United States
East Coast post-metal for a dark but sweltering night.
Krisiun – Scourge of the Enthroned | Century Media | Death Metal | Brazil
Death metal that leaves you saying, “what more could I ask for?”
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Become an Invisible Oranges patron.
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