This week's new heavy metal releases include livestream physical releases, epic collaborations, Southern-fried experimentation, and more! To the metals…
Check out select new releases here on vinyl via Gimme Metal.
The Black Dahlia Murder – Yule 'Em All: A Holiday Variety Extravaganza
Genre: Melodic death metal
Origin: Detroit, Michigan
Label: Metal Blade
Buy now from Gimme Metal.
Look, high energy live performance live-streams were and are kind of silly. The Black Dahlia Murder leaned into the silliness last year when this first streamed and went all in for a holiday themed livestream, and now you're getting the physical version. This includes sixteen tracks from the band, skits, guest appearance, and the DVD includes a commentary from band members. As always, RIP Trevor.
Epica – The Alchemy Project
Genre: Symphonic metal
Origin: Reuver, Netherlands
Label: Atomic Fire
Buy now from Gimme Metal.
Epica have been really busy the last year or so. This will be their fourth EP since their last album, and it's a star-studded affair. The symphonic greats are joined by Myrkur, Charlotte Wessels, Jorgen Karevik (Shining), Björn "Speed" Strid (Soilwork/every other album), and lots more.
He Is Legend – Endless Hallway
Genre: Southern metal/sludge
Origin: Wilmington, North Carolina
Label: Spinefarm
Buy now from Gimme Metal.
He Is Legend's seventh record is perhaps their most experimental yet. "Lifeless Lemonade" has some Gorjira meets modern metal vibes, while "Honey From The Hive" is a more driving and groove-oriented affair, "Circus Circus" has some straight up djent. This is full of unexpected twists and it's a lot of fun for it.
Chelsea Grin – Suffer In Hell
Genre: Deathcore
Origin: Salt Lake City, Utah
Label: OneRPM
Buy now from Chelsea Grin.
It's been four years since these Utahns (had to Google that) unleashed the deathcore fury. This week they're back with the first of two new records. Suffer In Hell is eight tracks of rage and I can imagine the other eight on Suffer In Heaven will also be heavy as fuck. This should hold you over until we find out together next year some time.
Drudkh – Всі належать ночі
Genre: Black metal
Origin: Kharkiv, Ukraine
Label: Season Of Mist
Buy now from Gimme Metal.
Всі належать ночі or All Belong to the Night is the perfect record for the forthcoming (or current depending where you are) cold weather. It's four tracks of atmospheric black metal that takes its time to create a grim world, then takes the listener on a journey. This is no bullshit metal done well. Jillian has a full review here.
L.S. Dunes – Past Lives
Genre: Post-hardcore
Origin: Chicago, Illinois
Label: Fantasy
Buy now from Gimme Metal.
This one may not hit with some of our readers, but I caught this supergroup's set at Aftershock and it made me excited for the full length from them. This is emotional punk rock that sounds like the sum of its parts. Those parts are Circa Survive/Saosin's Anthony Green, My Chemical Romance's Frank Iero, Coheed and Cambria's Travis Stever, and Thurday's rhythm section Tim Payne and Tucker Tule.
Puscifer – Parole Violator
Puscifer – V Is For Versatile
Genre: Rock
Origin: Los Angeles, California
Label: Puscifer/Alchemy Recordings
Buy Parole Violator from Puscifer
Buy V Is For Versatile from Puscifer
Coming back to livestreams for a moment… Here are a pair from Maynard and the Puscifer gang. Parole Violator highlights the Conditions of My Parole era of the band and V Is For Versatile highlights the "V" Is for Vagina time. If you're a fan of the early days of the band, these are pretty cool. I personally prefer the live versions of some of these songs when they put out the What Is… live film, and these take on tracks What Is… missed.
Warkings – Morgana
Genre: Power metal
Origin: International
Label: Napalm
Buy now from Gimme Metal.
International power metal collective Warkings are already back with more epic metal after last year's Revolution. This time they are taking a look at Morgana le Fay, a "fairy enchantress of Arthurian legend and romance." They are joined by Lacri from Thwart who plays the Morgana role who fits right in with regular players known as The Viking, The Spartan, The Crusader, and The Tribune respectively.
Also dropping today…
- About Us – About Us (Frontiers) – Hard rock
- Aviscerus – Visceral Depths (Self-released) – Progressive death metal
- Black Spell –Season Of The Damned (Helter Skelter Productions) – Psychedelic/doom
- Bonecarver – Carnage Funeral (Unique Leader) – Symphonic deathcore
- Borders – Bloom Season (Arising Empire) – Metalcore/alternative metal
- Casket Robbery – Rituals Of Death (Blood Blast) – Brutal death metal
- City Of Industry – Spiritual West (No Funeral Records/Modern Grievance) – Hardcore
- Constellatia – Magisterial Romance (Season Of Mist) – Post-black metal
- Destroyer of Light – Panic (Heavy Friends) – Melodic doom
- Detherous – Unrelenting Malevolence – Death metal/thrash
- Dirt Forge – Interspheral (Majestic Mountain Records) – Hardcore/sludge
- Dream Unending – Song Of Salvation (20 Buck Spin) – Atmpsheric doom/death metal
- Encryptment – Dödens Födsel (Nuclear Winter Records) – Grindcore/crust
- Féleth – Divine Blight (Rob Mules Records) – Technical death metal/deathcore
- Fell Ruin – Cast in Oil The Dressed Wrought (Tartarus Records) – Progressive death metal/doom
- Enuff Z'Nuff – Finer Than Sin (Frontiers) – Rock
- Haavard – Haavard (Auerbach Tontrager) – Folk
- Inverted Matter – Harbinger (Avantgarde Music) – Progressive death metal
- Kampfar – Til Klovers Takt (Indie) – Black metal
- Kingsmen – Bones Don't Lie (SharpTone) – Metalcore
- Lamentations – Passion Of Depression (Willowtip Records) – Progressive death metal
- Last In Line – A Day In The Life EP (earMusic) – Heavy metal
- Leatherwolf – Kill The Hunted (N.I.L.8.) – Power/heavy metal
- Mantric Momentum – Traila By Fire (Frontiers) – Power metal
- MMXX – Sacred Cargo (Candlelight) – Doom
- Munroe's Thunder – The Black Watch (RFL) – Power metal
- Nattmaran/Terror Cross – Rise of the Nightmare Terror (Wise Blood Records) – Black metal/thrash
- Orbiter – Head Wounds (Salvaged Records) – Post-metal
- Palace – Retrospection (Frontiers) – Rock covers
- Ring Of Fire – Gravity (Frontiers) – Neoclassical metal
- Scattered Storm – In this Dying Sun (Blood Blast Distribution) – Groove metal
- Scene Queen – Bimbocore Vol. 2 (Hopeless Records) – Emo/nu metal
- Seething Akira – Nozomi (FiXT) – "Electronic Nu Core"
- Silence Is Spoken – 11 (Wormholedeath) – Alternative rock
- Skin Failure – Radillac (Small Pond) – Heavy metal/thrash
- Snipers Of Babel – Gabriel (Horror Pain Gore Death Productions) – Death metal
- Soul Blind – Feel It All Around (Other People Records) – Hard rock
- Zeke Sky – Intergalactic Demon King (Atomic Fire) – Progressive metal
