This week's new heavy metal releases include symphonic metal legends, a guitar legend, the legendary Witch Taint, and more!
To the metals…
Azusa – Loop Of Yesterdays 
Genre: Progressive
Origin: Oslo, Norway/Philadelphia, Pennsylvania/Drama, Greece
Label: Solid State
One of the most solid supergroups of the last few years is back with their second album of progressive aggression. The band that's one part Dillinger Escape Plan, one part Sea + Air, and two parts Extol continue the plans laid out on Heavy Yoke here. Loop of Yesterday is a unique experience worthy of an album of the year listing.
Brass Against – Brass Against 
Genre: Brass/rock
Origin: New York, New York
Label: Self-released
Get it here
Brass Against got their start (at least on our radar anyway) with brass-infused takes on songs originally by Tool, Rage Against The Machine, Black Sabbath, and more. On this EP they are showcasing their own songwriting with their first batch of original songs. The result is a handful of tracks that are rhythmic, melodic, and frankly, angrier than I expected.
Jazz Sabbath – Jazz Sabbath
Genre: Jazz Black Sabbath covers
Origin: Windsor, England
Label: Self-released
Get it here
We had some brass, so why not some jazz piano? There's a whole fun silly backstory for this album that involves Tony Iommi and the boys stealing a band's whole thing, which you can read here. Really, this is keyboardist Adam Wakeman's take on Black Sabbath classics. I've heard a thousand different takes on Sabbath songs, but this is the version I didn't know I needed.
Nightwish – Human. :II: Nature. 
Genre: Symphonic Metal
Origin: Kitee, Finland
Label: Nuclear Blast
On their first album in five years, Nightwish return with an 80 minute double album journey of symphonic metal. It truly is a lot of the band's bombastic sound and fans will probably dig the sheer quantity of this album. Music aside, I really hope people commit to calling this one "Human period colon I I colon Nature period." It has a ring to it.
Joe Satriani – Shapeshifting 
Genre: Shred
Origin: Westbury, New York
Label: Legacy
Shapeshifting is Joe Satriani's seventeenth album of guitar frettery, and he continues to show that while he's a shred OG with over forty years in the game he can still out-guitar a lot of folks out there. Sure, playing guitar isn't a competition, but it kind of is.
Spell – Opulent Decay 
Genre: Heavy metal/rock
Origin: Vancouver, British Columbia
Label: Bad Omen Records
Here's of throwback heavy metal for you with classic sounding riffs and production. The aforementioned "Spell" this band casts with Opulent Decay is one that adorns the listener with a mustache and leather jacket. Worked on me, and my cats love playing with the frills on the jacket. This album is the audio equivalent of this combo, and I'm into it. Give it a listen and embrace your new look.
Witch Taint – Sons Of Midwestern Darkness 
Genre: Black metal/comedy
Origin: Gary, Indiana
Label: Tee Pee Records
Our very own King of Metal Dave Hill (also of Valley Lodge – the band behind Last Week Tonight with John Oliver's theme) has finally released his comedic metal project on the world. Witch Taint has been popping up on legendary stages and legit metal festivals for a while now, and it's great to be able to take their shtick home. It should also be noted that Dave Hill is a hilarious comedian, but the guy can tear up a guitar as well.
Wolfheart – Wolves Of Karelia 
Genre: Melodic Death Metal
Origin: Lahti, Finland
Label: Napalm
I'm going to end this week with some of the most epic metal I've ever heard. Wolfheart, like an Insomnium, have a foot firmly planted in melodic death metal, but when they tap into the symphonic thing, they go so hard. This, their fifth album, is easily their biggest sounding, and perhaps their best yet.
Also dropping today
- Archgoat – Black Mass XXX (Debemur Morti) – Death/black metal
- Ayreon – Electric Castle Live And Other Tales DVD/CD (Music Theories) – Progressive/theatrical metal
- Barrens – Penumbra (Pelagic Records)
- Benighted – Obscene Repressed (Season of Mist) – Death metal
- Brass Owl – State of Mind (Self-released) – Rock
- Calligram – The Eye Is The First Circle (Prosthetic) – Black metal/hardcore
- Caustic Would – Death Posture (Profound Lore) – Death metal
- Curse Upon A Prayer – Infidel (Saturnal Records) – Black metal
- Dool – Summerland (Prophecy Productions) – Doom
- Drain – California Cursed (Revelation Records) – Crossover/thrash
- The Earth Below – Nothing Works Vol 2: Hymns for Useless Gods (Unherd Music) – Psychedelic
- Eternal Armageddon – In Light In Dark In Hate (Self-released) – Black metal/thrash
- Gaytheist – How Long Have I Been On Fire? (Hex) – Meta;/punk
- Har – Anti-Schechinah (Blood Harvest Records) – Death/black metal
- High Priestess – Casting The Circle (Ripple Music) – Psychedelic/doom
- Kingsmen – Revenge. Forgiveness. Recovery. (SharpTone Records) – Deathcore
- Metal Church – From The Vault (Rat Pak) – Heavy/power metal
- Midwife – Forever (The Flenser) – "Heaven metal"/shoegaze
- Savage Annihilation – Soumises à la procréation (Xenokorp) – Death metal
- Romano Nervoso – The Return of the Rocking Dead (Mottow Soundz) – Rock
- Rotting Out – Ronin (Pure Noise Records) – Hardcore
- Sparta – Trust The River (Dine Alone) – Rock
- Symbolik – Emergence (The Artisan Era) – Technical/melodic death Mmtal
- Zero Fire – The Attic Sessions (Self-released) – Death metal
