This week's heavy new releases include the rebuild of a thrash band, the reveal of both How It Ends and what exactly you Find Out, and more! To the metals…
'68 – Yes, and…
Genre: Noise rock/punk
Origin: Atlanta, Georgia
Label: Pure Noise
Buy now on Bandcamp
Like every '68 record, this one is hard to pin down. It has sludgy moments, lots of noise, guitar trickery, and chaotic rhythms. The duo have done it again.
Code Orange – The Above
Genre: Alternative metal
Origin: Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Label: Blue Grape
Buy now on Amazon
On their first album in three years Code Orange are dabbling in new directions more than ever. They've still got a toe in hardcore, but they're once again taking on nu metal, groove metal, alternative, and they're even trying on a 90's emotional jam on "Mirror." Speaking of 90's there is a guest spot from the Smashing Pumpkin himself Billy Corgan.
Descartes a Kant – After Destruction
Genre: Experimental/art rock
Origin: Mexico City, Mexico
Label: Cleopatra
Buy now on Bandcamp
I feel like in the wake of bands like The Armed getting weird, I am justified in sharing the new record by Descartes a Kant. This quartet sound like The Armed mixed with St. Vincent at her angriest. They have plenty of punky riffs and dip into electronics from time to time as well.
Filth Is Eternal – Find Out
Genre: hardcore
Origin: Seattle, Washington
Label: MNRK Heavy
Buy now on Bandcamp
The rather prolific Filth Is Eternal (fka Fucked And Bound) are already back with another brief onslaught. This one is easily their most introspective and darkest, and yet has a through line of fun. It's quite the juxtaposition. Let's go!
Graveyard – 6
Genre: Hard/stoner rock
Origin: Gothenburg, Sweden
Label: Nuclear Blast
Buy now on Amazon
In the five years since their last record Graveyard haven't shaken up their sound much. Yet it's hard to be mad when their sound is so solid. This right is is all no bullshit. all riffs.
Harm's Way – Common Suffering
Genre: Hardcore/death metal?
Origin: Chicago, Illinois
Label: metal Blade
Buy now on Bandcamp
This is a pretty solid week if you're into hardcore and sounds in that neighborhood. The never chill Harm's Way are hitting you hard again. They're spreading their wings a bit this time as they infuse some atmospheric doom into the bludgeoning with King Woman on a track.
The Hirsch Effekt – Urian
Genre: Progressive metal
Origin: Hanover, Germany
Label: Long Branch
Buy now on Bandcamp
Now one for my groove loving prog dorks. This one mixes Gojira-esque rhythms, with some TesseracT heaviness and Deftones atmospheric/moody rock. It's a dynamic record and a great addition to their catalog.
Lespecial – Odd Times
Genre: Heavy metal/progressive rock
Origin: Millerton, New York
Label: Self-released
Buy now from Diggers Factory
Jam bands are not all sunshine and flower crowns. Lespecial have been one of the bands out at hippie fests getting people headbanging for a while now with proggy time signatures and hypnotic heavy grooves. Bands of their ilk usually are best enjoyed on a stage, but Odd Times still shines as a studio offering. This is easily their heaviest material and it's well worth the time of a metalhead. If you need an additional stamp of approval, this was produced by David Sanchez of Havok.
Nervosa – Jailbreak
Genre: Death metal/thrash
Origin: Sao Paulo, Brazil
Label: Napalm
Buy now on Bandcamp
Now, we thrash. Guitarist and now vocalist Prika Amaral remains the only holdover from the last Nervosa record. The new crew knows how to do the job though and they kill it on this throwback to multiple classic metal eras.
Primordial – How It Ends
Genre: Folk/black metal
Origin: Skerries, Dublin, Ireland
Label: Metal Blade
Buy now on Bandcamp
Primordial are another band making their return five years after their last full-length. How It Ends sets out to discuss how it ends. What is "it?" "It", turns out, is a lot of things. You'll have to listen to find out if your specific "it" is covered. Mine was The Good Place, and weirdly they didn't cover it.
Wolves In The Throne Room – Crypt Of Ancestral Knowledge
Genre: Atmospheric black metal
Origin: Olympia, Washington
Label: Relapse
Buy now on Bandcamp
Closing this week out with a short and sweet offering from Wolves In The Throne Room. This four song EP is mostly blackened, but there are some acoustic breathers here and there. This pairs nicely with Primordial, so if you liked one, give the other a go.
Also dropping this week…
- Ann Wilson & Tripsitter – Another Door (Dualtone) – Rock
- Ashbringer – We Came Here To Grieve (Translation Loss) – Atmospheric black metal
- Asinhell – Impii Hora (Metal Blade Records) – Death metal
- Atena – Subway Anthem (Indie) – Metalcore
- Kurt Baker – Rock 'N' Roll Club (Wicked Cool) – Rock
- Besra – Transitions (Suicide Records) – Post-metal
- Blackbriar – A Dark Euphony (Nuclear Blast) – Gothic rock/metal
- Black Stone Cherry – Screamin' At The Sky (Mascot) – Hard rock
- Broken Vow – Anthropocene (Triple B Records) – Hardcore
- Caged – From Roving About The Earth (Translation Loss) – Black metal/sludge
- Cloud Catcher – Return From The Cauldron (Cauldron Audio Works) – Doom/stoner
- Columbarium – The Morbidious One (Argonauta Records) – Doom
- Den Saakaldte – Pesten Som Tar Over (Agonia) – Black metal
- Diamond Dogs – The Hardest Nut To Crack (Self-released) – Rock and also roll
- Dictator Ship – Electric Jihad (The Sign Records) – Hard rock
- Disguised Malignance – Entering The Gateways (Prosthetic) – Death metal
- David Eugene Edwards – Hyacinth (Sargent House) – Spooky country?
- Fake Figures – From Within (Self-released) – Hardcore
- Fearing – Destroyer (Profound Lore) – Post-punk
- Grove Street – The Path To Righteousness (UNFD) – Hardcore/thrash
- Gunship – Unicorn (Self-released) – Synthwave
- Hard Feelings – The Devil You Know (Heroes + Martyrs) – Hardcore
- Haunt The Woods – Ubiquity (Spinefarm) – Alternative rock
- Helve – To Be Forgotten (Ripcord Records) – Sludge/post-metal
- I Am Low – Úma (Majestic Mountain Records) – Stoner
- Jacket Thief – Lights Out On The Shore (Tripkey) – Rock
- Kambodsja – Resilient (Mas-Kina Recordings) – Post-hardcore/math rock
- Karras – We Poison Their Young (M-Theory Audio) – Grindcore
- KK's Priest – The Sinner Rides Again (Napalm) – Heavy metal
- Koyo – Would You Miss It? (Pure Noise Records) – pop punk
- Leave. – I Just Feel Worse (Out Of Line Music) – Hard rock/emo
- Maggot Heart – Hunger (Svart) – Heavy metal/punk
- MDC – War Is A Racket (Cleopatra) – Hardcore
- Moonlight Sorcery – Horned Lord Of The Thorned Castle (Avantgarde Music) – Melodic black metal
- Nganga – Phthisis (Self-released) – Black metal
- Nova Doll – Denaturing (Black Throne Productions) – Doom/stoner
- Of Virtue – Omen (Arising Empire) – Metalcore
- Rat King – Psychotic Reality (Satanik Royalty) – Death metal/grindcore
- Red – Rated R (The Fuel) – Rock
- Rocky's Pride & Joy – All The Colours Of Darkness (Electric Valley Records) – Stoner/doom
- Rorcal – Silence (Hummus Records) – Extreme/black metal
- Ruin Lust – Dissimulant (20 Buck Spin) – Black/death metal
- Seven)Suns – One Of Us Is The Killer (Silent Pendulum Records) – String quartet cover of The Dillinger Escape Plan
- SiM – Playdead (UNFD) – Alternative metak
- Sinnery – Below The Summit (Exitus Strategem) – Thrash
- Sleep Theory – Paper Hearts (Epitaph) – Metalcore
- Stepmother – Planet Brutalicon (Tee Pee) – Psychedelic/hard rock
- Nikki Stringfield – Apocrypha (Slef-beater) – Hard rock
- Taproot – Sc\ssrs (THC) – Alternative/hard rock
- Termina – Soul Elegy (Self-released) – Modern metal
- Terra Builder – Solar Temple (Transcending Obscurity Records) – Black/death metal
- Trviax – Eloah Burns Out (Cult Never Dies) – Death/black metal
- Steven Wilson – The Harmony Codex (SW) – Progressive
- Wishbone Ash – Live Dates Live (Steamhammer/SPV) – Rock
- Wizards Of Wiznan – No Light Has No Shadow (Argonauta Records) – Death metal/doom
- Woe – Legacies Of Frailty (Vendetta Records) – Black metal
