This edition contains Canadian thrash perfection, desert rock royalty, and more! To the metals…
Annihilator – Triple Threat 
Genre: Thrash
Origin: Ottawa, Canada
Label: UDR
Buy now on Amazon.com
Canada's thrash legends are dropping this mighty cool collection today. It features a live set from Bang Your Head, and acoustic set (whaaaaa?), a documentary, and I'd wager even more. Annihilator are one of the best thrash bands ever, and this release is a testament to the dynamic ability of guitar god Jeff Waters.
[youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=axAj37JoytQ[/youtube]
Au Champ Des Morts – Dans La Joie 
Genre: Black metal
Origin: Limoges, France
Label: Debemur Morti
Buy now on Amazon.com
Fresh off of their debut EP from last year, Au Champ Des Morts are already back with more grim and pretty black metal. There is certainly some of the atmospheric soaring black metal that is becoming (or, depending who you ask, has become) overdone. However, this band isn't one note like many of their contemporaries, so there is a lot more here.
John Garcia – The Coyote Who Spoke In Tongues 
Genre: Acoustic rock
Origin: Pal Desert, California
Label: Napalm
Buy now on Amazon.com
The former Kyuss (and Slo Burn, and Hermano, and a million other bands) frontman promised two new albums in 2016. The year didn't see either of them, sadly. So here we are with the acoustic record he promised. It features some stuff from his recent debut solo record, some Kyuss re-imaginings, and more. I wasn't sure how this would play, and it's pretty fucking great. A must have for fans of his previous work.
[youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Imda9XswznM[/youtube]
Hour Of Penance – Cast The First Stone 
Genre: Technical death metal
Origin: Rome, Italy
Label: Prosthetic
Buy now on Amazon.com
This record is a sonic bludgeoning. It also appears to be about the Crusades. So that's neat! It's impressive seventh album, especially since it would be so easy to stagnate in their scene.
[youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C-71D1OsLtA[/youtube]
Kreator – Gods Of Violence 
Genre: Thrash
Origin: Essen, Germany
Label: Nuclear Blast
Buy now on Amazon.com
OG thrash guys playing OG thrash. This album is further proof that they are some of the masters. No frills, no surprises, no bullshit, no filler.
[youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xeUBJ2Ha-FM[/youtube]
Omar Rodriguez-Lopez – Zen Thrills
Genre: Electronic
Origin: El Paso, Texas
Label: Ipecac
Buy now on Amazon.com
Guys. I thought we were done with this constant flood of Omar releases after the dozen he did for Ipecac last year. Guess not! Omar and Teri Gender Bender are still at it around Crystal Fairy, and here they are again with Deantoni Parks bringing the bleeps and bloops.
Sample it here
Set And Setting – Reflectionless 
Genre: Instrumental
Origin: St Petersburg, Florida
Label: self
Buy now on Amazon.com
Set And Setting are an incredible and unique instrumental band. So many instrumental acts find a sound, and refuse to break from that (Post-metal acts immediately jump to mind). These guys definitely have a core sounds, but they stray from that core constantly, and do so more and more on each album. Reflectionless might be their best yet.
[youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rINGdRdTpC0[/youtube]
Xandria – Theater Of Dimensions 
Genre: Symphonic metal
Origin: Bielefeld, Germany
Label: Napalm
Buy now on Amazon.com
For the last twenty years Xandria have been doing that whole symphonic metal thing. This time to break things up a bit they've brought in some guests from Van Canto, Myrath, Firewind, and Soilwork. Theater of Dimensions does get a few breaths of fresh air from these guys, but it's still mostly (and rightfully) what this band is known for.
[youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YB-1Luo75vU[/youtube]
Also dropping today…
Aborym – Shifting.Negative (Agonia) – Industrial black metal
Beheaded – Beast Incarnate (Unique Leader) – Death metal
Belial – Nihil Est EP (Siege) – Technical death metal
Betraying The Martyrs – The Resilient (Sumerian) – Deathcore
Borealis – World Of Silence MMXVII (AFM) – Power metal
Boris The Blade – Warpath (Siege) – Deathcore
Code – Lost Signal EP (Agonia) – Progressive post-rock
Curses – Chapter I: Introspect (Imminence) – Djent
Dead Limbs – Spiritus/Sulfur (Northern Silence) – Black metal
Deserted Fear – Dead Shores Rising (Century Media) – Death metal
Ekpyrosis – Asphyxiating Devotion (Memento Mori) – Death metal
Grand Massive – III (Metalville) – Stoner
The Great Old Ones – EOD: A Tale Of Dark Legacy (Season Of Mist) – Post-black metal
Greywind – Afterthought (Spinefarm) – Alt rock
Heavy Baby Sea Slugs – Teenage Graveyard Party (Heavy Baby) – Sludge
Jack Russell’s Great White – He Saw It Comin’ (Frontiers) – Hard rock
Magnet – Feel Your Fire (Soulseller) – Heavy blues
The Murder Of My Sweet – Echoes Of The Aftermath (Frontiers) – Gothic metal
The Northern – Solstice (Tragic Hero) – Metalcore/djent
The Ominous Circle – Appalling Ascension (20 Buck Spin/Osmose) – "Obscure metal of death"..?
Pride Of Lions – Fearless (Frontiers) – Hard rock
Stephen Pearcy – Smash (Frontiers) – Heavy metal
Wars – We Are Islands, After All (Spinefarm) – Post-hardcore
Weltesser – Crestfallen (Prosthetic) – Sludge
Wolvennest – Wolvennest (Van) – Psychedelic/ambient
