This week's new heavy metal releases include a prog icon settling in with a normal amount of collaborators, lots of mystique, and more! To the metals…
Arjen Lucassen's Supersonic Revolution – Golden Age Of Music
Genre: Heavy metal
Origin: Hilversum, Netherlands
Label: Music Theories
Buy now on Bandcamp
Arjen Lucassen seems to be putting a pause on the whole calling a million friends to guest on an album thing. This time he's got a normal band with the same people on all the songs. Very weird. Anyway, like all Arjen's projects it's an epic affair.
Botanist – VIII: Selenotrope
Genre: Experimental black/avant-gard metal
Origin: San Francisco, California
Label: Prophecy
Buy now on Bandcamp
This record is juxtaposition in sonic form. The drums are in near constant black metal mode with driving double bass and blast beats. Meanwhile, the rest of the band embraces a softer side with a piano-centric near post-rock. The moments when they converge it hit just right though.
Frozen Soul – Glacial Domination
Genre: Death metal
Origin: Fort Worth, Texas
Label: Century Media
Buy now on Amazon
The sophomore effort from one of our modern death metal stars proves the first success wasn't a fluke. This is hard-hitting, nasty sounding death metal. You're getting some guest spots here with John Gallagher from Dying Fetus, Reese Alavi from Creeping Death, and a rather surprising cameo from Trivium's Matt Heafy.
Ghost – Phantomime
Genre: Hard rock/heavy metal
Origin: Linköping, Sweden
Label: Loma Vista
Buy now on Bandcamp
Ghost know their way around a cover. On this EP they're putting their spin on tracks originally by Genesis, Television, The Stranglers, Iron Maiden, and of course Tina Turner. Papa doesn't quite have the range on the last one, but it's still a success.
The Ocean – Holocene
Genre: Progressive metal/post-metal
Origin: Berlin, Germany
Label: Pelagic
Buy now on Bandcamp
Holocene is the latest and supposed final entry in The Ocean's paleontology-inspired series. If you enjoyed the last track on Phanerozoic II, then you'll enjoy this as it picks up where that song left off. The band's own descriptions of the record claim they are getting more into electronics this time. From what I've heard, there are some little drum machine breaks, but the heavy remains.
Ring Of Gyges – Metamorphosis
Genre: Progressive rock/metal
Origin: Reykjavík, Iceland
Label: ViciSolum Productions
Buy now on Bandcamp
Somewhere between A Perfect Circle, The Ocean, and Leprous you'll find Ring Of Gyges. These Icelandic progsters have huge vocals, dynamic rhythmic shifts, and tastefully wanky guitar work. Recommended for melodic prog fans.
Sleep Token – Take Me Back To Eden
Genre: Progressive/alternative metal
Origin: London, England
Label: Spinefarm
Buy now on Amazon
Modern metal's favorite mysterious outfit with an incredibly varied third record. There's djent, hard rock, pop, atmospheric metal, and more. It's hard to imagine someone not finding something to enjoy here. If you somehow don't, you still have to admire their no rules approach and creativity.
Thulcandra – Hail The Abyss
Genre: Melodic black metal
Origin: Munich, Germany
Label: Napalm
Buy now on Bandcamp
Unlike Sleep Token, Steffen Kummerer is still dividing his heavy interests. The latest Thulcandra is another successful addition to the band's growing grim catalog. The band can't help but have some fun techy moments, but it remains far from Obscura. This is mostly straight ahead, windmill head bang inducing, melodic black metal that will require you to ice your neck after enjoying.
Also dropping this week
- Alcatrazz – Take No Prisoners (Silver Lining) – Heavy metal
- Arogya – SuperNatural (Out Of Line Music) – Gothic metal
- Blindfolded And Led To The Woods – Rejecting Obliteration (Prosthetic) –
- Chronicle – Where Chaos Thrives (Mighty Music) – Melodic black metal/thrash
- Decayer – Sonoran Death (Seek And Strike) – Deathcore
- Def Leppard With The Royal Philharmonic Orchestra – Drastic Symphonies (UMe) – Rock/glam with an orchestra
- Deimhal – The Grand Gathering (Self-released) – Symphonic black metal
- Elitium – Wrong (Gruesome Records) – Death/groove metal
- Gozu – Remedy (Blacklight) – Hard rock/stomer
- Gumm – Slogan Machine (Convulse Records) – Hardcore/punk
- Halocene – Maleficent (Self-released) – Metalcore
- Henget – Beyond North Star (Season Of Mist) – Black metal
- Heretoir – Wastelands (AOP Records) – Black metal/post-rock
- Hrada – Mirrorland (Mythic Panda Records) – Progressive rock/alt pop
- Inferion – Inequity (Horror Pain Gore Death Productions) – Melodic black/death metal
- Magick Touch – Cakes & Coffins (Edged Circle Productions) – Heavy metal
- Mystic Prophecy – Hellriot (Rock Of Angels) – Power metal
- Nexorum – Tongue Of Thorns (Non Serviam Records) – Black/death metal
- Omen Astra – The End Of Everything (Protagonist Music) – Death metal/hardcore
- Pa Vesh En – Martyrs (Iron Bonehead Productions) – Black metal
- Radien – Unissa Palaneet (Svart) – Sludge
- Shadows – Out For Blood (Sentient Ruin) – Heavy metal
- Roadwolf – Midnight Lightning (Napalm) – Hard rock/heavy metal
- Sweet & Lynch – Heart & Sacrifice (Frontiers) – Rock
- Sporae Autem Yuggoth – However It Still Moves (Personal Records) – Black metal
- Millennium – The Sign of Evil (No Remorse Records) – Heavy metal/NWOBHM
- Thetan Dim – Times (Anti-Corp Music) – Punk
- The Used – Toxic Positivity (Big Noise) – Alternative/emo
- VHS – Quest For The Mighty Riff (Wise Blood Records) – Death metal
- Yakuza – Sutra (Svart) – Progressive/avant-garde metal
- Yes – Mirror to the Sky (InsideOut) – Progressive rock
When you're done with these new releases, why not check out these metal documentaries streaming on Thunderflix?
There’s Something About Metal
Dive into the heart-pounding world of Finnish metal with the gripping documentary "There's Something About Metal"! Join Baton Rouge Morgue, an unsigned band, as they record their third album and immerse themselves in the electrifying atmosphere of two epic metal festivals. Uncover the reasons behind the stronghold that metal music has on this nation and experience the wild nights that come with it. Now streaming on Thunderflix.
Truth to Power – Serj Tankian
System of a Down frontman Serj Tankian's powerful music and humanitarian efforts take center stage as we follow his journey to raise awareness about social and political issues, including the Armenian Genocide and human rights violations. This documentary is an inspiring testament to the power of using one's voice to speak the truth to those in power and to the impact that can be made when we take action for what we believe in. Now streaming on Thunderflix.
Black Messiah: The Final Journey (Bonus DVD)
Contains a tour documentary, interviews and music video from the 2012 album from one of the leading bands in the German metal scene. The Final Journey marks the fifth studio release from Black Messiah and is no less epic than the outstanding 2009 release, First War of the World, which marked the "Ruhr Vikings'" first concept album. Tracks such as the exciting opener "Windloni" set the direction: variable speed, heaviness and stylistic device show Black Messiah more diverse and tighter than ever
Shakra: My Life – My World.
A live album released in 2004 by the mighty Swiss band Shakra.
