This edition features lots of collaborations, a three year album gap, a four year album gap, a five year album gap, and more! To the gaps!
Atreyu – In Our Wake
Genre: Metalcore
Origin: Orange County, California
Label: Spinefarm
Three long years after their revival album, Long Live, one of metalcore's classic bands are back with another record of melodic anthems. This might be their most accessible yet. However, this one might be one for fans, as it probably won't convert metal snobs and purists.
[youtube=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ss_JgjdxX40][/youtube]
Beyond Creation – Algorythm 
Genre: Progressive death metal
Origin: Montreal, Quebec
Label: Season Of Mist
Oh man. This is solid. This is like a more straight-forward Falluah or Rivers of Nihil. Definitely worth the four year wait.
[youtube=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dYPGbsgapiQ][/youtube]
Chthonic – Battlefields Of Asura 
Genre: Melodic black metal/folk metal
Origin: Taipei, Taiwan
Label: Ciong Zo
I fully expected the output of Chthonic to come to a halt with vocalist/Erhu player Freddy Lim becoming a successful politician. Turns out I was wrong. What a goof. As a fan, I'm excited that the band is back, and that the record is killer. This is epic, dark, and beautiful.
[youtube=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ltA0HojnmD4][/youtube]
Iron Reagan – Dark Days Ahead 
Genre: Hardcore
Origin: Richmond, Virginia
Label: Pop Wig Records
The output of this Municipal Waste/Darkest Hour lovechild just won't quit. The band dropped a full album last year, and a split earlier this year, and now this. I mean, sure this EP is just shy of eight minutes long, but if you're a fan of punk as fuck punk by a bunch of fucking punks. Then fuck with this, you punk. Or something.
[youtube=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ci2kiI2Or9M][/youtube]
Tom Morello – The Atlas Underground 
Genre: Rock
Origin: Libertyville, Illinois
Label: Mom + Pop Records
I gotta say, I never know what to expect from Tom Morello, and I love that about him. I never expected any sort of revival of Rage Against The Machine, but there's Prophets of Rage. I never saw a folk singer career in him, but there's The Nightwatchman. Now, I never expected him to collaborate with folks like Portugal. The Man, Steve Aoki, Big Boi, and others, but here we are.
[youtube=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zAoMFR-cwMc][/youtube]
Polyphia – New Levels New Devils 
Genre: Instrumental rock
Origin: Dallas, Texas
Label: Equal Vision
Polyphia rubs some people the wrong way, but I'm not sure what their problem is. Good golly is this band undeniably talented. This is is a masterclass of delicate and precise guitar wanking. It's pretty much an all-star album featuring modern guitar gods Jason Richardson, Ichika. Yvette Young, and others.
[youtube=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2hln1TOQUZ0][/youtube]
Uncle Acid & The Deadbeats – Wasteland 
Genre: Psychedelic Rock/Doom
Origin: Cambridge, England
Label: Rise Above
I'm ending this week with an album I know for sure will be on some end of the year lists. This is a great mix of classic psychedelic and classic stoner rock that's been filtered through a modern lens. It's hard to believe that this band keeps one-upping themselves.
[youtube=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wz9aqHp6mXQ][/youtube]
Also dropping today…
Benighted – Dogs Always Bite Harder Than Their Master (Season Of Mist) – Death metal/grindcore
City Of Thieves – Beast Reality (Frontiers) – Hard rock
D.D. Verni – Barricade (Mighty Music) – Thrash/punk
Deadbird – III: The Forest Within The Tree (20 Buck Spin) – SLudge/doom
Evanescence – Synthesis Live DVD/CD (Eagle Vision) – Rock
Fluisteraars / Turia – De Oord (Eisenwald) – Black metal
Gama Bomb – Speed Between The Lines (AFM) – Thrash
Gathering Darkness – The Inexorable End (Independent) – Brutal death metal
Helsott – Slaves And Gods (M-Theory) – Folk/death metal
Impellitteri – The Nature Of The Beast (Frontiers) – Shred
Iskandr- Euprosopon (Eisenwald) – Black metal
Kadavar – Live In Copenhagen (Nuclear Blast) – Stoner
King Buffalo – Longing to Be the Mountain (self-released) – Psychedelic
Luicidal – Born In Venice (Cleopatra) – Punk
Mycelia – Apex (Eclipse) – Deathcore/djent
Nazareth – Tattooed On My Brain (Frontiers) – Hard rock
Outer Heaven – Realms Of Eternal Decay (Relapse) – Hardcore/death metal
Savage Annihilation – Quand s'abaisse la croix du blasphème (Xenokorp) – Death metal
Set And Setting – Tabula Rasa (Pelagic Records) – Instrumental sludge
Seventh Wonder – Tiara (Frontiers) – Progressive metal
Skalmold – Sorgir (Napalm) – Folk metal
Solar Temple – Fertile Descent (Eisenwald) – Atmospheric black metal
Terrorizer – Caustic Attack (The End) – Death metal/grindcore
Vanhelgd – Deiomos Sanktuarium (Dark Descent) – Death metal
