This edition includes sludge, death metal, Melvin metal, and more metal! To the metals…
Aborted – Bathos EP 
Genre: Death metal
Origin: Beveren, Belgium
Label: Century Media
Buy now on Amazon.com
Starting off another heavy week with one of the heaviest. Aborted JUST dropped the well-received Retrogore last year, and even though it's just for a pair of songs, fans should be stoked to check out this EP already. It's like a whopping eight minute continuation of the last record.
[youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bDsjEO082tI[/youtube]
Bison – You Are Not The Ocean You Are The Patient 
Genre: Sludge
Origin: Vancouver, Canada
Label: Pelagic Records
Buy now on Amazon.com
The chap over at Pelagic Records knows sludge metal, which shouldn't be too surprising since the label head is Robin from The Ocean. Bison, especially on this record, prove themselves to be some solid sludge. There are also moments of hardcore aggression, blusey guitar work, post-rock atmosphere, and even some fucking flute. This is definitely one I've going to be spending more time with.
[youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EL-I5fBAeZw[/youtube]
Decapitated – Anticult
Genre: Death/Groove Metal
Origin: Krosno, Poland
Label: Nuclear Blast
Buy now on Amazon.com
I've read some not so great reviews of this record, and I frankly couldn't tell you if they're accurate. Sort of just seems like groove metal weaved into some death metal. Which is the problem, I guess? How does this one stand up for y'all in their catalog?
[youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dzsnunj-5gg[/youtube]
Melvins – A Walk With Love And Death 
Genre: Melvins
Origin: Montesano, Washington
Label: Ipecac
Buy now on Amazon.com
My cat hopped into my lap as I began listening to samples of this album, so this appears to be our winner for the week. Anyway, what the fuck do you say about Melvins? It's weird, it's rocking, it's Melvins. It's also a double album, and the Love disc is a film score for a short film by Jesse Nieminen.
[youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mp260FBm6IA[/youtube]
Next To None – Phases
Genre: Progressive
Origin: Lehigh Valley, Pennsylvania
Label: EMP
Buy now on Amazon.com
Not quite djent, not quite nu metal, not quite post-hardcore, but it's close to all those things. This is the band that features a bunch of really young dudes, one of which is Max Portnoy. Whether of not you dig it, they'll make a majority of you feel like failures.
[youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=usnsetwZsxc[/youtube]
River Black – River Black 
Genre: Metal/Hardcore
Origin: New Jersey
Label: Season Of Mist
Buy now on Amazon.com
This is the debut from a supergroup of sorts featuring current and former members of Revocation, Municipal Waste, Burnt by the Sun. The album is unsurprisingly heavy with occasional thrashy moments, but it's mostly mid-tempo. Features some guest vocals from Brann from Mastodon, so that's a fun lil bonus.
[youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vLE4e-VPDwU[/youtube]
Also dropping today…
Blind Guardian – Live Beyond The Spheres (Nuclear Blast) – Power metal
Discipline – Captives Of The Wine Dark Sea (Laser’s Edge) – Progressive
Impure Wilhelmina – Radiation (Season Of Mist) – Post-hardcore
Limbonic Art – Spectre Abysm (Candlelight/Spinefarm) – Symphonic black metal
Michael Monroe – The Best (Spinefarm) – Glam
M.O.D. – Busted, Broke & American (Megaforce) – Crossover thrash
Riverdogs – California (Frontiers) – Rock
