This week's new heavy metal releases include lots of technical guitar, a collab that might surprise you, a classic record re-recorded, and more! To the metals…
ALSO! Today, Bandcamp is doing one of their days of giving 100% of what you pay directly to the labels and artists. So if you can get stuff from Bandcamp, please do.
Cobra Spell – 666
Genre: Heavy metal
Origin: Tilburg, North Brabant, Netherlands
Label: Napalm
Buy now on Bandcamp
This is some pure heavy metal right here. Songs about sex and Satan with catchy riffs and epic vocals. This sounds like a twist on W.A.S.P., but without the turn to Christianity (yet?). This is the the perfect next step from ex-Burning Witches guitarist Sonia Nusselder.
Extortionist – Devoid
Genre: Deathcore
Origin: Washington/Idaho
Label: Unique Leader
Buy now on Bandcamp
On their first release (that's more than a single) of their reunion, Extortionist are hitting you with the low, chunky heaviness. These four songs are like sonic hammers with the occasional melodic break. The eerie atmosphere pairs nicely with the grooves as well.
Full Of Hell & Nothing – When No Birds Sang
Genre: Blackened noise/shoegaze
Origin: Ocean City, Maryland/Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Label: Closed Casket Activities
Buy now on Bandcamp
On their third release of the year Full Of Hell are joining forces with shoegaze crossover darlings Nothing. Full Of Hell know how to pick a collab, so these bands of course, are a success together. The blackened noisy sludge songs have some extra atmosphere while the shoegaze songs have some extra weight and nastiness.
Paradise Lost – Icon 30
Genre: Gothic/doom metal
Origin: Halifax, West Yorkshire, England
Label: Nuclear Blast
Buy now on Amazon
Long-time readers probably notice that I rarely touch a re-release. It has to be something special or weird for me to stray from the "New" of my New Release column. So when a band does a front-to-back re-recording of a classic album of theirs I can be convinced. That's what you're getting here from Paradise Lost. The band have given their fourth record the gift of modern recording technology and it's reputation as a doom classic shan't be shaken by some added clarity.
Plini – Mirage
Genre: Shred/experimental
Origin: Sydney, Australia
Label: Self-released
Buy now on Bandcamp
Australia's finest melodic shredder is back with a five song EP that is sure to impress and discourage guitarists of all types. As always, you're getting some tasteful guitar wanking that traverses a multitude of genres. This multitude is usually centered in the heavy, or at least rock realms. There's a pretty sweet solo from Tosin Abasi from Animals As Leaders on a song. Shreddy worlds colliding!
Unprocessed – …and everything in between
Genre: Progressive/alternative metal
Origin: Wiesbaden, Germany
Label: Self-released
Buy now on Bandcamp
Wrapping this week with a record that pairs pretty well with Plini, and even Extortionist on a few songs. There are a lot of guitar theatrics on this record, as well as soaring melodic passages, and some heavy-ass grooves. I could see this band being massive soon enough, so get in soon so you can have the "I liked them before they were popular" cred.
Also dropping this week…
- Abduction – Toutes Blessent, La Dernière Tue (Finisterian Dead End/Frozen Records) – Progressive black/death metal
- Aggression – Frozen Aggressors (Massacre Records) – Thrash
- Beyondition – Abysmal Night (Chaos) – Death metal
- Bjørkø – Heartrot (Svart) – Gothic rock/metal
- Buried Shallow – Buried Shallow (Self-released) – Deathcore/groove metal
- Cash Bribe – Escape From New York (Self-released) – Heavy metal/hard rock
- Codeseven – Go Let It In (Equal Vision) – Experimental hardcore
- Cryptosis The Silent Call Century Media) – Progressive death metal/thrash
- Demoncy – Black Star Gnosis (Dark Descent Records) – Black metal
- Demons of Noon – Death Machine (Evil Feast Records) – Doom/sludge
- Disorientation – Survival Mode (Self-released) – Gothic/death metal
- Embrace Your Punishment – Made Of Stone (Lacerated Enemy) – Brutal death metal/hardcore
- Hatred Reings – Awaken The Ancients (Self-released) – Brutal/technical death metal
- Helfró – Tálgröf (Season Of Mist) – Blackened death metal – Full review
- Malicious – Merciless Storm (Invictus) – Death metal
- Necronemesis – Warfield Forever (HPGD) – Death metal
- Oldest Sea – A Birdsong, A Ghost (Darkest Records) – Gothic folk
- Panopticon – The Rime Of Memory (Bindrune) – Atmospheric black metal
- Reap – Born From Plague (Selfmadegod Records) – Death metal/grindcore
- Robben Ford – Night In The City (earMusic) – Rock
- Shadow Age – Ours (Play Alone Records) – Post-punk
- Mike Shinoda – The Crimson Chapter (Warner Music) – Hip hop
- Swansong – Awakening (Noble Demon) – Melodic death metal
- Varathron – The Crimson Temple (Agonia Records) – Black metal
- Visions Of Atlantis – A Pirate's Symphony (Napalm) – Symphonic
- Voice Of Ruin –Cold Epiphany (Self-released) – Groove metal/thrash
- Walking Corpse – Our Hands, Your Throat (Transcending Obscurity) – Grindcore
