This edition includes satanists, goblins, mutton chops, and more! To the metals…
Behemoth – Messe Noire 
Genre: Blackened death metal
Origin: Gdańsk, Poland
Label: Metal Blade
Nergal and pals are in the studio prepping a new album of evil, while you wait they are dropping this live album which features a performance of their lauded album The Satanist in full. Other tracks (on the DVD and Blu-ray anyway) include classics like "Slaves Shall Serve," "Conquer All," "Chant of Ezkaton 2000," and more. There are also music videos and other typical live release bells and whistles.
Crematory – Oblivion 
Genre: Goth metal
Origin: Mannheim, Germany
Label: SPV/Steamhammer
Germany's favorite goth death metal turned kinda industrial, kinda groove metal, but still kinda goth… band is back with their fourteenth album of moody jams. Oblivion is what one might expect from the band in 2018, which again, is kinda industrial, kinda groove metal, but still kinda goth. I must say, Felix's mutton chops are on point for the press around this record.
Frequency Drift – Letters to Maro 
Genre: Cinematic progressive rock
Origin: Bayreuth, Germany
Label: Gentle Art of Music
This album, and band, were a pleasant surprise to my prog loving ears. They have a bit of a symphonic metal vibe to them, but they are also channeling the likes of Anathema. This album is epic, melancholy, and beautiful.
Nekrogoblikon – Welcome to Bonkers 
Genre: Melodic death metal
Origin: Santa Barbara, California
Label: Seek and Strike
Buy now on Bandcamp.com
That band that's fronted by a man dressed as a goblin has returned once again! It's frankly a gimmick that shouldn't work, but here we are on their fourth full-length album, and it's still working quite well. This might be their most diverse offering yet, which is impressive because they're already all over the fucking place.
Derek Smalls – Smalls Change (Meditations on Ageing) 
Genre: Comedy rock
Origin: Los Angeles, California
Label: Twanky/BMG
Harry Shearer, I mean Derek Smalls, of Spinal Tap has gone solo apparently? I'm unsure of the lore behind this in relation to the fictional band, but Shearer is back in the wig with a bass and likely on a quest for some Big Bottom. It's a fun thing to be out in the world, and it is kinda funny, but it seems weird in 2018.
Wrekmeister Harmonies – The Alone Rush 
Genre: Doom/post metal
Origin: Chicago, Illinois
Label: Thrill Jockey
While not technically metal, or rock really, this atmosphere in this album is downright spooky in a way the grimmest of black metal albums would kill for (perhaps literally). J.R. Robinson looks like he's not flying solo this time, from the cover at least. Live violinist Esther Shaw is depicted so I can imagine she has more of a hand in this one.
Wrong – Feel Great
Genre: Sludge/rock
Origin: Miami, Florida
Label: Relapse
With some folks that used to be in Kylesa and Torche, you can imagine what you're about to dive into. You'd be correct. This is a grimy, sludgy, fuzzy, and surprisingly fun album. You'll Feel Great when you listen to it. I'd be willing to bet that they'll get a lot of shitty jokes like that.
Also dropping today…
Breaking Benjamin – Ember (Hollywood) – Rock
Crone – Godspeed (Prophecy Productions) – Post metal
Dead City Ruins – Never Say Die (AFM) – Hard rock
Ewig.Endlich. – Auf Grund (WOOAAARGH/Dedication Records) – Death/black metal
Gozu – Equilibrium (Metal Blade Records/Blacklight Media Records) – Heavy metal/experimental
Jen Ledger – Ledger EP (Atlantic/Hear It Loud) – Rock
Killer Dwarfs – Live, No Guff (EMP) – Heavy metal/glam
Our Place Of Worship Is Silence – With Inexorable Suffering (Translation Loss Records) – Death/black metal
Stone Broken – Ain't Always (Easy Spinefarm Records) – Rock
Tarasque – Innen Aussen (WOOAAARGH/Dedication Records) – Post metal
Tengil – shouldhavebeens (Prophecy Productions) – Noise/post metal
Vendetta Red – Quinceanera (Cleopatra) – Alternative rock
Wykan – Solace (EP) (Self-Release) – Blackened doom
Yashira – Shrine (Good Fight) – Sludge
