This edition features some solo outings, an epic supergroup, Dave Mustaine's glorious head of hair and more! To the metals…
Abbath – Abbath 
Genre: Black metal
Origin: Bergen, Norway
Label: Season Of Mist
Buy now on Amazon.com
Abbath of Immortal is now leading his own solo effort, and you might be surprised to find that it sounds a lot like Immortal. There are some added elements that I wasn't expecting though, like horn stings in "Ashes of the Damned" and a few other moments. If you've dug the last decade of Immortal, you'll dig this.
[youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K5pMoSECagE[/youtube]
Agoraphobic Nosebleed – Arc EP 
Genre: Death metal/Sludge
Origin: Springfield, Massachusetts
Label: Relapse
Buy now on Amazon.com
Those waiting for this band's full-length follow-up to 2009's Agorapocalypse will need to keep waiting, but here's an ep while you do so. This EP features more straight ahead grooves than I was expecting. So if you want your Nosebleed with a little southern flair and boogie, you should be pretty stoked right now.
[youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aBngZL0gfec[/youtube]
Borknagar – Winter Thrice 
Genre: Progressive Folk Metal
Origin: Bergen, Norway
Label: Century Media
Buy now on Amazon.com
I wrote a full review that you might now agree with. Should be up soon or now, TL;DR version, this is a typical Borknagar album with everything you'd come to expect from one of the most epic supergroups. Frankly too much familiarity though.
[youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NDrrKv2wjvk[/youtube]
Grieved – Grieved 
Genre: Death metal/hardcore
Origin: Stockholm, Sweden
Label: Prosthetic
Buy now on Amazon.com
Look at that album cover. Screams black metal, right? Fucking nope! That's what I get for judging a band by its album cover. Anyway, this isn't grim at all, but rather some hardcore infused death metal (or perhaps death metal infused hardcore?). Straight-forward, no frills, which isn't a bad thing if you're looking for a good aural assault.
[youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OuOd0T5Jxik[/youtube]
Megadeth – Dystopia 
Genre: Thrash
Origin: Los Angeles, California
Label: Universal / Tradecraft
Buy now on Amazon.com
There's a lot riding on this release following a few records that were pretty much universally panned. The little I've heard has some of the 90's Megadeth vibe that people dug (Countdown to Extinction, Youthanasia). I'm looking forward to hearing everything what Kiko Loureiro and Chris Adler can do in this setting. I really want to love this record, but I'll have to see what happens on Friday.
[youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QrV61ATP3Ec[/youtube]
Steven Wilson – 4 1/2 
Genre: Progressive
Origin: Kingston upon Thames, England
Label: Kscope
Buy now on Amazon.com
I'm a pretty vocal champion of Mr Wilson's solo work and enjoyed Hand. Cannot. Erase. This mini-album (Not an EP, I guess) is more material that didn't fit on that album, but that has a very similar atmosphere. Features a re-recording of the Porcupine Tree track "Don't Hate Me" with Hand collaborator Ninet Tayeb and it's fucking beautiful. This will hold me over until the next album and tour.
[youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TKYpcZoe7Bc[/youtube]
Also dropping today…
Axel Rudi Pell – Game Of Sins (SPV) – Heavy metal
The Casualties – Chaos Sound (Season Of Mist) – Punk
Chronos Zero – Hollowlands (Scarlet) – Progressive
Elvenking – The Night Of Lights Live DVD/CD (AFM) Escalane – The Days Of Decay(Inverse) – Folk metal
Failure Anthem – First World Problems (Razor & Tie) – "Active rock"
Gygax – Critical Hits (Creator Destructor) – D&D inspired Stoner
Hell In The Club – Shadow Of The Monster (Scarlet) – Hard rock
Latitudes – Old Sunlight (Debemur Morti) – Sludge
Lionheart – Love Don't Live Here (LHHC) – Heavy metal/lioncore
Mandroid Echostar – Coral Throne (Distort) – Mancore
Manic Scum – Acidic Remains (Unspeakable Axe) – Death metal/grindcore
Manimal – Trapped In The Shadows (AFM) – Mancore
MarysCreek – Infinity (Escape) – Heavy metal
Mortuary – Nothingless Than Nothingness (Goregeous) – Death metal
Naora – Allir Vegir Til Glötunar (Signal Rex) – Atmospheric black metal
Ondt Blod – Finnmark (Loyal Blood) – Hardcore
One Morning Left – Metalcore Superstars (Imminence) – Probably metalcore
Peace Killers – Peace Killers (Svart) – Psychedelic Doom
Seer – Vol. 1 & 2 (Art Of Propaganda) – Doom
Show Me Wolves – The World They Took Over (Merdumgriz) – Progressive Black Metal/Metalcore
Slaegt – Beautiful and Damned EP (Iron Bonehead) – Black metal
Temple Below – The Dark Goddess EP (Iron Bonehead) – Death metal
Thor – I Am Thor Soundtrack (Deadline) – Heavy metal
Various Artists – The Doom In Us All: A Tribute To Black Sabbath (Pathogenic) – Doom
Wolfhorde – Towards The Gates Of North (Inverse) – Folk/black metal
Wrathrone – Born Beneath (Inverse) – Death metal
