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Upcoming Metal Releases 9/4/2016 - 9/10/2016

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I wanted this column to be longer, but I was met with a promo for the new Neurosis album…so here we are.

Here are the new metal releases for the week of September 4, 2016 – September 10, 2016. 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 Friday 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.

send Jon your promos at [email protected]. Do not bother him on social media.

ANTICIPATED RELEASES

Belenos – | Northern Silence Productions | Folk/Black Metal | France
Folky black metal can go one of two ways: passionate, majestic and awe-inspiring, or a hilarious trip to the Renaissance Faire. Luckily, France’s Belenos has triumphantly represented the former for over twenty years. Drawing upon traditional melodies, solo artist Loïc Cellier weaves epic, melodious tales of Celtic valor and Gaulish myth.

Mesarthim – .- -… … . -. -.-. . (A B S E N C E) | Independent/Digital | Ambient/Atmospheric Black Metal | Australia

From Andrew Rothmund’s review:

“Passive riffing through soft production cushions the artist’s howling. The departures in and out of intense moments are intense moments themselves: keys play a vital role. The synthy movements draw out goosebumps and foretell of grander blastbeat climaxes. Darkness surrounds the light, as the album artwork could suggest.”

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OF NOTE

Ayahuasca – Yin | Independent/Digital | Progressive Metal/Grunge | Canada
Don’t let the grunge tag fool you, this is weird, crazed stuff. Guitarist/singer/songwiter Luke Roberts conceived some crazy, hyper-left-field, heavy metalrock with this long-awaited album. I’ve been listening to a lot of Devin Townsend’s Ocean Machine as of late, and this carries a similar introspective, Elfman-esque strangeness.

Black Funeral – Ankou and the Death Fire | Dark Adversary Productions/Iron Bonehead Productions | Black Metal | United States/Australia
From Andrew Rothmund’s premiere of Gwyn ap Nudd:

“Quote-unquote polished production values come into focus as its own structural element: As with prior releases, the wailing is full-spectrum. Fuzz is over-utilized nowadays, but finds a warm home in Black Funeral, revamped and three-dimensional. That is to say, Black Funeral has adopted new senses of formidability, musically, and it runs harder and faster for farther goalposts. Cawing for truth takes guts, but it also takes time, the one thing perfection desires most, and Black Funeral has processed for two decades in anticipation of this peak.”

Lord Time – Mandatory Human Livestock Reduction (L.T.M.H.L.R.) | Universal Consciousness | Experimental Black Metal/Ambient/Drone | United States
The master of outsider black psychedelia assaults our earholes once more with ethereal, anti-humanist oppression. The cats on the cover really seal the deal for me (and I mean that, genuinely).

 

FOR THE ADVENTUROUS

Pain – Coming Home | Nuclear Blast | Electronic/Industrial Metal/Rock | Sweden
Man, when was the last time I heard Peter Tagtgren’s Pain? It’s certainly been a while, but he’s certainly proven his mettle with this unique fusion of 80s industrial pop and the heaviness of his main band, the legendary Hypocrisy. There are certainly “corny” aspects to this album, as it is with each new Pain release, which might be a bitter pill to swallow…but metalheads need a little bit of pop in their lives, too.

DEATHSTENCH/ActuarySplit LP | King of the Monsters Records | Raw Black Metal/Ambient/Noise / Power Electronics | United States
This split makes sense in spirit, but it comes off a little lopsided. DEATHSTENCH’s nightmare, brackish industrial drone noise filth is a long-time favorite of mine, and this duo never fails to fill speakers with horrific muck. I’ve expressed my aladeen thoughts on Actuary’s “psychedelic power electronics,” but I do have to admire them for their consistency.

Cold Sore/The LightCold Sore/The Light | King of the Monsters Records | Hardcore Punk / D-Beat/Hardcore (there is a distinction!) | United States
I don’t cover enough hardcore on this website, but this split is worth it if just for Cold Sore’s half of the split (The Light is great, too). This is zero-frills, no-bullshit hardcore punk for the working class.

 

FROM THE GRAVE

Amphisbaena – Amphisbaena | Iron Bonehead Productions | Black/Death Metal | Canada

I initially covered this late last year/early this year when Amphisbaena first reared their filthy head:

“Canadian death metal bands, especially those which surround the enigmatic, primitive Antediluvian and the completely twisted Rites of Thy Degringolade, have always been favorites of mine. There is something entrancing, maybe even comforting, about their completely anti-musical, oppressive walls of dissonance. Though the “war”-y sound is definitely not Canada-local anymore, these interchangeable cast of characters remind the world that the United States’ neighbor to the North is the genre’s Alpha and Omega. Though more known for his work with the aforementioned bands (and my favorite Weapon album), multi-instrumentalist NKLH showcases incredible musical force with (what I can only imagine to be) his new solo project, Amphisbaena. The Amphisbaena EP’s crisp, sharp sound highlights an extremely technical, frantic performance which carries just as much of the disgust of NKLH’s more bludgeoning, murky peers; a refreshing departure from a quickly homogenizing sound. Apparently his longest-running project, and the intricacies in composition, jarring rhythmic juxtapositions and technical flourishes, highlight the amount of time NKLH put into his pet project, and it shows. If this is just Amphisbaena’s debut EP, I fear the intensity of the full-length to follow.”

Now available on vinyl via Iron Bonehead Productions.

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