This week's new heavy metal releases include some bands with pentagrams, some skulls, an eye, and more!
To the metals…
Athanasia – The Order Of The Silver Compass
Genre: "Arena heavy metal"
Origin: Los Angeles, California
Label: Seeing Red/Rock Of Angels
This band got be thinking because I'm not entirely sure what "Arena heavy metal" is. That genre is pulled from their Facebook. They are a band with aggressive verses and sing-along choruses, so maybe that's what it means? Regardless, this band has some blackened elements, some thrashy elements, and overall reminds me of later Daniel Lioneye.
Contrarian – Their Worm Never Dies 
Genre: Progressive death metal
Origin: Rochester, New York
Label: Willowtip
This band sounds like early 90's progressive death metal through and through. From musical performance to production, this is very much an homage to that time. In short, they sound a lot like Death or Atheist with some prettier moments thrown in. An atypical Willowtip band, as their thing is usually tech death.
Deafkids – Metaprogramação 
Genre: Punk/hypnobeat
Origin: São Paulo, Brazil
Label: Neurot Recordings
When a band releases an album with Neurot, you kinda know what you're in for. Deafkids are an experimental sludgy band, with emphasis on experimental. So they're very much a Neurot band. The two tracks I've heard sound like songs of The Mars Volta if performed by The Sword. It's pretty fucking cool.
Sample on Bandcamp
Fallujah – Undying Light
Genre: Progressive death metal
Origin: San Francisco, California
Label: Nuclear Blast
Fallujah have gone through a lot of changes since their last record. They now have one less guitarist and a new vocalist in Antonio Palermo from Underling. Palermo's vocal performance is much different than former vocalist Alex Hofman's, and that might take some getting used to. Other than that, this is very much a Fallujah album, and if you've enjoyed the last couple, you'll like this one.
Noisem – Cease To Exist
Genre: Grindcore/death metal
Origin: Baltimore, Maryland
Label: 20 Buck Spin
If you're looking for a bite-sized ass kicking, then here's the album for you. This is an album of thrash, grindcore, death metal, hardcore, and more all in under twenty-two minutes. It's not a long one, but it's their first in four years so be happy with what you get, I guess.
Venom Prison – Samsara
Genre: Death metal/hardcore
Origin: South Wales
Label: Prosthetic
This week wound up being a pretty heavy week. Venom Prison put a nice button on that with their second album Samsara. This is the perfect blend of hardcore and death metal, with some moments of melody fueled by the guitar. You'll be finding very little melody from vocalist Larissa Stupar. She's all rage in this, and it's great.
Also dropping today…
Angel Du$t – Pretty Buff (Roadrunner Records) – Punk/hardcore
Asthma Castle – Mount Crushmore (Self-released) – "stoner metal beefaroni"
Backyard Babies – Silver & Gold (M-Theory) – Rock/glam
Besta – Eterno Rancor (Lifeforce) – Punk/grindcore
Black Therapy – Echoes Of Dying Memories (Black Lion Records) – Melodic death metal
Eternal Odyssey – Awakening (Combat/EMP) – Hard rock
Former Wrestlers – Champion Of The World (Self-released) – Progressive
Foreigner – Live At The Rainbow '78 DVD (Eagle Vision) – Rock
Hot Lunch – Seconds (Tee Pee) – Punk 'n' roll
Omicida – Defrauded Reign (Self-Released) – Thrash
Oozing Wound – High Anxiety (Thrill Jockey) – Thrash
Rossi + Rickard – We Talk Too Much (earMUSIC) – Rock
Scabby Ghouls – Scabby Ghouls (Out-O-Tune Records) – Horror punk
Twisted Tower Dire – Wars In The Unknown (No Remorse) – Power metal
Wound – High Anxiety (Thrill Jockey) – Thrash/punk
Wreath – Silence Evermore (EVP Recordings) – Hardcore
