This week's new heavy metal releases include Alice In Chains love, Troll metal, keyboard wankery, and more! To the metals…
Fight The Fight – Deliverance
Genre: Groove metal/progressive
Origin: Oslo, Norway
Label: Blacklight Media/Indie Recordings
Starting this week off with something a little quirky. Deliverance is a rather dynamic album that has some djent-ish elements, some soaring choruses, and hefty grooves. It sort of reminds me of Destrage, recent (Norwegian) Shining, and Periphery.
[youtube=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sh0GsZfNpic][/youtube]
Finntroll – Vredesvavd
Genre: Blackened folk metal
Origin: Helsinki, Finland
Label: Century Media
It's been seven years since this gang of Finnish trolls trolled all over your ears…Finnish-ly. Vredesvavd sounds like a non-stop epic folk metal battle. The whole folk metal thing can be kind of silly, but honestly despite their whole wearing troll ears thing and some occasional whimsy, this is pretty straight up blackened metal.
[youtube=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eLSA4OT0f7k][/youtube]
Melted Bodies – Enjoy Yourself
Genre: Avant-garde metal
Origin: Los Angeles, California
Label: Sweatband Records
How about some heavy chaos. This band that features some Ex-Local Natives folks is all over the place in the best way. This is like members of Fantomas, Circus of Dead Squirrels, Tera Melos, and The Dillinger Escape Plan were assembled into a Frankenstein's Monster of a band. The video below doesn't do them justice so check out the album right here.
[youtube=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3zlau9X4khQ&t=74s][/youtube]
Napalm Death – Throes Of Joy In The Jaws Of Defeatism
Genre: Death metal/grindcore
Origin: Birmingham, England
Label: Century Media
Golly Shane Embury is a busy man. He and the rest of Venomous Concept dropped an album a few weeks ago, and and here he is again with the Napalm Death lads. While they have had a pretty steady stream of splits, EPs and singles, this is their first full album in half a decade, and as always, they mad. Max has a full review here.
[youtube=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FFDHuCeaM_Y][/youtube]
Plague Years – Circle Of Darkness
Genre: Crossover thrash
Origin: Detroit, Michigan
Label: eOne
Plague Years don't fuck around. This is shred filled thrash with hardcore rage. It's like Power Trip with more reverb. When you put this on a pit will breakout no matter where you are. Maybe don't put this on if you work in a aquarium. Or do, but then film the fish moshing. Jerome has a review here.
[youtube=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nciMNIy_UJ4][/youtube]
Derek Sherinian – The Phoenix
Genre: Progressive
Origin: Laguna Beach, California
Label: InsideOut
Now to completely switch gears, here's some instrumental prog for dorks like me. Derek Sherinian has a long list of friends helping him out on his keyboard/synth driven sound like Steve Vai, Zakk Wylde, Billy Sheehan, Bumblefoot, and a lot more. So you're getting keyboard, guitar, AND bass wanking on this.
[youtube=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=twHB7YVEXgw][/youtube]
Various Artists – Dirt (Redux)
Genre: Covers of Alice In Chains
Origin: Various
Label: Magnetic Eye Records
Buy now on Bandcamp
Alice In Chains are one of those bands that has a ton of respect, but it still doesn't feel like enough. So when I see a covers collection like this it feels like their legacy is being justified a bit more. This has covers of AIC classics my Thou, Khemmis, -(16)-, and others. You're getting fuzzier interpretations of the songs for the most part, but they're fucking rad.
[youtube=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ny8g1sR4yRU][/youtube]
The White Swan – Nocturnal Transmission
Genre: Sludge/doom
Origin: London, Ontario
Label: Self-released
Over the years Mercedes Lander (ex-Kittie) and the rest of White Swam have released a solid collection of slow, heavy EPs, and this is their latest. The four songs you give lots of ethereal vocals, crushing doom, and catchy melodies throughout. Don't sleep on this one if you like things slow and low.
[youtube=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AtegsAfVDQ4][/youtube]
Also dropping today…
- 10 Years – Violent Allies (Mascot) – Hard rock
- Ancst – Summits of Despondency (Lifeforce Records) – Black metal/dark ambient
- Bangladeafy – Housefly (Nefarious Industries) – Industrial/noise
- Brother Firetribe – Feel the Burn (OMN Label Services) – Melodic rock
- Bulb – Archives: Volume 2 (3DOT Recordings) – Progressive/djent
- Carnation – Where Death Lies (Season Of Mist) – Death metal
- Cross Bringer – The Signs Of Spiritual Delusion (Consouling Sounds) – Black metal/crust
- Dematerialize – Omniscience (Famined Records) – Metalcore
- Dynfari – Myrkurs er þörf (code666) – Black metal
- The Faith – Live From CBGB's (Outer Battery Records) – Hardcore
- Fires In The Distance – Echoes From Deep November (Prosthetic) – Progressive doom/death metal
- Fit for a King – The Path (Solid State) – Metalcore
- Flying Colors – Third Stage: Live in London (Music Theories) – Progressive
- Ace Frehley – Origins Vol. 2 (eOne) – Rock
- Heathen – Empire Of The Blind (Nuclear Blast) – Thrash
- The Infernal Sea – Negotium Crucis (Apocalyptic Witchcraft Recordings) – Black 'n' roll
- Intellect Devourer – Demons of the Skull (Caligari Records) – Death metal
- Movements – No Good Left To Give (Fearless) – Post-hardcore
- Pimmit Hills – Heathens & Prophets (Self-released) – Stoner rock
- Raven – Metal City (SPV/Steamhammer) – Heavy metal
- Sadistic Embodiment – Blood Spell (CDN Records) – Death metal
- Serum 114 – Im Zeichen der Zeit (Napalm) – Hard rock/punk
- Mike Shinoda – Dropped Frames, Vol. 3 (Kenji Kobayashi Productions) – Hip hop/rock
- Soulbound – Addicted To Hell (Metalville) – Gothic metal
- StillWell – Supernatural Miracle (Self-released) – Alternative metal/rock
- Varg – Zeichen (Napalm) – Melodic death metal/black metal
- Vatican Shadow – Persian Pillars Of The Gasoline Era (20 Buck Spin) – Industrial/ambient
