This edition features a lot of live releases, some long-awaited returns, lots of shit that will make whiny "you guys don't talk about real metal" types whine, and more! To the metals…
Aethere – Adrift
Genre: Technical death metal
Origin: Bay Area, California
Label: Tragic Hero
Buy now on Amazon.com
Let's start this week being techy. These Bay Area chaps love sweeps, dissonant chords, low growling, and paying homage to OG death metal throughout. Bands will often stick with new or old style death metal, but these guys mix it all together. Pretty rad.
[youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UBhLJvdtapI[/youtube]
Ayreon – The Source 
Genre: Progressive metal
Origin: Waalwijk, Netherlands
Label: Mascot
Buy now on Amazon.com
Arjen Lucassen and Ed Warby's long-running progressive opera project has finally returned. The songs are as epic as the guestlist of musicians that joined them. These folks include Paul Gilbert, James LaBrie, Tommy Rogers (BTBAM), Simore Simons (Epica), Floor Jansen (Nightwish), and more. Expect another elaborate story, elaborate musicianship, and elaborate elaborate-ness.
[youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oFuMKdrzPqU&t=426s[/youtube]
Between The Buried And Me – Coma Ecliptic Live 
Genre: Progressive metal
Origin: Raleigh
Label: Metal Blade
Buy now on Amazon.com
Last year Between the Buried and Me went on a tour and played their most recent album Coma Ecliptic in its entirety. This is their set from the San Diego show. The set was visually simple with a handful of lights, there aren't crazy camera angles or edits, and it's just the album front to back. I went to two shows on this tour and enjoyed them both, so I'll likely be picking this up to relive the evening. If you're not in love with the band or this this album, this would be a weird get.
[youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nUprJZMPM0c[/youtube]
Dimmu Borgir – Forces Of The Northern Night 
Genre: Symphonic Black Metal
Origin: Oslo, Norway
Label: Nuclear Blast
Buy now on Amazon.com
Not long after the release of the divisive Abrahadabra album, Dimmu Borgir played a few show with an full choir and orchestra. This is capturing two of those "rituals." The choir is a pretty incredible piece of the night, even though they shine most while filling the void of the band's former bassist ICS Vortex. Unlike the BtBaM live album, this would be a great place to start with Dimmu Borgir and recommended purchase even for a casual fan. It is weird that this release took five years to get into the world though.
[youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XGoak4ISCPU[/youtube]
Fates Warning – Awaken The Guardian Live 
Genre: Power prog
Origin: Hartford, Connecticut
Label: Metal Blade
Buy now on Amazon.com
This live release is closer to the BtBaM album, in that it features Fates Warning playing their 1986 album Awaken The Guardian live. The difference of course being that the album they played is celebrating the thirtieth anniversary this year rather than like six months prior. Also, Fates Warning reassembled that era's lineup for these shows and even played some more tasty jams.
[youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EqROfkaFIxM[/youtube]
He Is Legend – Few 
Genre: Alt rock/Stoner
Origin: Wilmington, North Carolina
Label: Spinefarm
Buy now on Amazon.com
He's something a little less live album for y'all. If there are folks out there that like the idea of bands like Cancer Bats or Every Time I Die, but want something a little less aggressive or perhaps simply catchier. You folks need to look no further than Few. Riffs are a little southern, and there's occasional moments of chaos, but the choruses are big and powerful. I'm not mad at this release.
[youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sKj9LUzaC1w[/youtube]
Ides Of Gemini – Women 
Genre: "Slavic"
Origin: Los Angeles, California
Label: Rise Above
Buy now on Amazon.com
One of my favorite kinda-shoegaze, kinda-doom metal collectives has returned with more haunting, soaring, slow jams. Fans of King Woman, True Widow and the likes should get one this one.
[youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zRtZ16aFk2o[/youtube]
Life Of Agony – A Place Where There’s No More Pain 
Genre: Alternative metal/crossover
Origin: Brooklyn, New York
Label: Napalm
Buy now on Amazon.com
Mina Caputo and the rest have finally released a new album. A Place Where There's No More Pain is the band's first record in twelve years and it rocks. It doesn't quite have the aggression of their early material, but it is clearly Life of Agony. It's great to hear this band again.
[youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dkf9qkopB_0[/youtube]
Also dropping today…
All That Remains – Madness (Razor & Tie) – Metalcore/hard rock
Cirith Ungol – King Of The Dead Reissue (Metal Blade) – Doom
Cursus- Cursus (Artificial Head) – Stoner/doom
Galley Beggar – Heathen Hymns (Rise Above) – Folk rock
Liv Sin – Follow Me (Despotz) – Hard rock
MindMaze – Resolve (Inner Wound) – Power metal
Pyramaze – Contingent (Inner Wound) – Power metal
Sarcasm – Within The Sphere Of Ethereal Minds (Dark Descent) – Death metal
Vamps – Underworld (Eleven Seven) – Hard rock
