This week is stacked with new music from prog storytellers, shirtless sludge masters, bigs fans of Satan, and more! To the metals…
Author & Punisher – Beastland
Genre: Industrial/experimental
Origin: San Diego, California
Label: Relapse
Every time I listen to Author & Punisher, I feel like I'm entering a new level on a terrifying mechanical hell led by my tour guide Tristan Shone. Once again Shone takes us on a dark journey with industrial synths, rhythmic clanks, and just all around unease.
[youtube=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uVGBOg7KdT0][/youtube]
Behemoth – I Loved You At Your Darkest 
Genre: Blackened death metal
Origin: Gdańsk, Poland
Label: Metal Blade
I feel like this will be a divisive album for Behemoth's fan base. The Satanist was such a lauded album, so any follow-up has a lot to live up to. I Loved You At Your Darkest has a lot of great parts to it, but it also has some parts that are straight up silly with Nergal trying too hard. Having said that, It might be this writer's favorite Behemoth record. Greg has a full review here.
[youtube=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g7yxjTcM7Bs][/youtube]
Coheed & Cambria – The Unheavenly Creatures 
Genre: Progressive rock
Origin: Nyack, New York
Label: Roadrunner
After a single album of personal introspection, frontman Claudio Sanchez is bringing the band back to his space opera. This will no doubt be compared to past work, but The Unheavenly Creatures, the first chapter of the Vaxis series, is a beast all on it's own. It is a lengthy first chapter too, it takes up the maximum capacity of a compact disc (if you're still into those things).
[youtube=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SAjioxRA1bo][/youtube]
High On Fire – Electric Messiah 
Genre: Sludge/thrash
Origin: Oakland, California
Label: eOne
Matt Pike is taking a break from slowing things down with Sleep, and kicking out teeth with another fury filled album of High On Fire jams. If your on a quest for salvation by way of riffs, look no further than Electric Messiah.
[youtube=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=op9E1fhyV2Y][/youtube]
Monuments – Phronesis 
Genre: Progressive metal
Origin: London, England
Label: Century Media
After four years of silence, these rhythmic prog dogs are back. This marks their second album with saxophonist and vocalist Chris Barretto, and he proves his success on The Amanuensis was no fluke.
[youtube=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ifo-Fgyqfrw][/youtube]
Windhand – Eternal Return 
Genre: Doom
Origin: Richmond, Virginia
Label: Relapse
Windhand are a band that has been on an undeniable winning streak, and Eternal Return continues that streak. Dorthia Cottrell and her gang are bringing more fuzz, more riffs, and the catchiest moments they've ever recorded here. Greg has a full review here.
[youtube=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lkLDToW7Jtg][/youtube]
Also dropping today…
Black Peaks – All That Divides (Rise) – Progressive rock
The Brew – Art Of Persuasion (Napalm) – Rock
Carpe Noctem – Vitrun (code666) – Black metal
Deathhammer – Chained To Hell (Hells Headbangers) – Thrash
Generation Axe – The Guitars That Destroyed The World (Live in Asia) (N/A) – Guitar wanking
Hammer King – Poseidon Will Carry Us Home (Cruz Del Sur) – Heavy metal
The Hazytones – Monarchs of Oblivion (Ripple Music) – Stoner
Ice Nine Kills – The Silver Scream (Fearless) – Metalcore
Infestus – Thrypsis (Debemur Morti) – Black metal
A Light Divided – Choose Your Own Adventure (N/A) – Metal/rock
Lizzies – On Thin Ice (The Sign Records) – Heavy metal
Lucifericon – Al-Khem-Me (Invictus Productions) – Death metal
Minsk/Zatokrev – Bigod (Consouling Sounds/Czar Of Crickets Productions) – Post metal/doom
Mythic Sunship – Another Shape of Psychedelic Music (El Paraiso Records) – "Anaconda Rock"
The Necromancers – Of Blood and Wine (Ripple Music) – Doom/hard rock
A Storm Of Light – Anthroscene (Translation Loss Recordings) – Doom/post-rock
Sylar – Seasons (Hopeless) – Metalcore
Tantric – Mercury Retrograde (Pavement) – Rock
Wrath – Rage (Combat) – Thrash
