Welcome to a slow-ish, but very weird week of THE WEEKLY INJECTION. In this edition we have side-projects, amazing sludge and a band that hates playing instruments.
Crosses (†††) – †††
Genre: Electronic Rock
Origin: Los Angeles, California
Label: Sumerian
Buy now on Amazon.com
I can hear the cries of "THIS ISN'T FUCKING METAL!" already. True, this isn't metal. However, this band does feature Chino Moreno of Deftones and Palms and a man I consider to be grandfathered into the genre forever. Anyway, this album marks the first full release for the group and it's a collection of relaxed electronic rockish songs. There are a few moments that would be considered more loud than heavy, so that's something. Essentially the group sounds like modern Nine Inch Nails if Trent gave the mic to Chino. Worth checking out if you're a fan of anything Chino has dabbled with.
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kBKAcdZ4eZo[/youtube]
Helms Alee – Sleepwalking Saliors
Genre: Sludge
Origin: Seattle, Washington
Label: Sargent House
Buy now on Amazon.com
Typically, I wouldn't think much of a band's record label, but I fucking adore the Sargent House label. They have a ton of Math Rock bands, odd artists and have been dabbling in metal to great success lately (namely with Deafheaven). Helms Alee, like their label, are taking a sound that is well established and tweaking it just enough to breathe new life into it. This is the most interesting sludge record I've heard in a long, long time.
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JnZhbMzG1bA[/youtube]
Van Canto – Dawn Of The Brave 
Genre: A Capella Power Metal
Origin: Bingen am Rhein, Germany
Label: Napalm
Buy now on Amazon.com
The world's favorite, and only A Capella metal band, now has five (fucking FIVE!) albums out. Still no guitars, no basses, and no keyboards. Just five people doing their best impressions of guitars, basses and keyboards with a drummer in tow. I've always wondered, why bother with a drummer? People beatbox all the time. I digress. They have original songs, of course, and have a few covers as well. This round they cover Black Sabbath's "Paranoid," Europe's "The Final Countdown," and even some Annie Lenox. Yes, it is technically impressive, but I can't get over the silliness of it.
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=txOvwJ9qav4[/youtube]
3 Years Hollow – The Cracks (Imagen)
The Bellicose Minds – The Buzz Or Howl Sessions (A389)
Bloodlet – Entheogen (A389)
Demoraliser – A Living Nightmare Re-Release (Siege Of Amida)
Derek Sherinian – Black Utopia Re-Release (Armoury)
Derek Sherinian – Blood Of The Snake Re-Release (Armoury)
Derek Sherinian – Intertia Re-Release (Armoury)
Derek Sherinian – Molecular Heinosity Re-Release (Armoury)
Derek Sherinian – Mythlogy Re-Release (Armoury)
Drawers – Drawers (Kaotoxin)
Dyscarnate – And So It Came To Pass Re-Release (Siege Of Amida)
Dyscarnate – Enduring The Massacre Re-Release (Siege Of Amida)
Exhumation – Hymn to Your God (Dunkelheit)
Fear Of Domination – Distorted Delusions (Inverse)
Gholas – Litanies (Dullest)
In Cold Blood – Suicide King Re-Release (A389)
Lay Down Rotten – Deathspell Catharsis (Apostasy)
Mantar – Death By Burning (Svart)
Mystifier – Wicca Re-Release (Greyhaze)
Poobah – U.S. Rock Re-Release (Ripple)
Shin To Shin – Shin To Shin (A389)
Solstice – Death's Crown Is Victory (Into The Void)
Stilla – Ensamhetens Andar (Nordvis)
Towers – II (Eolian)
The Unguided – Fragile Immortality (Napalm)
