This week's new heavy metal releases include side projects, gothic legends, and more! To the metals…
Allen/Olzon – Worlds Apart
Genre: Symphonic/power metal
Origin: Long Beach, CA/Katrineholm, Sweden
Label: Frontiers
This combo isn't one I would have expected, but it works quite nicely. This is the symphonic debut collaborative album between Symphony X's Russell Allen and Ex-Nightwish vocalist Anette Olzon. It is about as epic as you'd expect (which is quite epic). I mean, look at the cover. It sounds how the cover looks.
[youtube=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bfpeafQouno][/youtube]
Azure Emote – The Third Perspective
Genre: Avant-Garde/extreme metal
Origin: Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Label: SelfMadeGod
Pick it up on Bandcamp
Oh wow. This got my attention immediately. The Third Perspective is non-stop progressive madness to the degree that only uneXpect and Sigh have achieved before. It's the only album this week that has a flutist, and that's pretty rad.
[youtube=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gfbd4gFB9Ns][/youtube]
Body Count – Carnivore
Genre: Rap/groove metal
Origin: Los Angeles, California
Label: Century Media
How does Ice-T find the time to keep this band active at this level? Not mad about it, but still. This latest batch of politically-charged grooves includes appearances from Hatebreed's Jamey Jasta, Evanescence's Amy Lee, and Power Trip's Riley Gale. You're also getting a cover of Motorhead's "Ace of Spades" since they always include a cover or two on their records.
[youtube=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lAsZUtuZhIA][/youtube]
Burning Witches – Dance With the Devil
Genre: Heavy metal
Origin: Brugg, Switzerland
Label: Nuclear Blast
Burning Witches are back swinging on their third album. Dance with the Devil is pure heavy metal at it's finest. Fans of Huntress, Judas Priest, and even Van Halen should give this a shot.
[youtube=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=shbmA2WMHRw][/youtube]
Crematory – Unbroken 
Genre: Gothic metal
Origin: Mannheim, Germany
Label: Napalm
Long-running goth metalers Crematory are running back with more goth metal here. They've got two speeds on with one. You're getting some pretty solid mid-tempo rhythms to fuel your at-home goth raves, or you're getting some rather grand symphonic numbers. Not bad for album number fifteen.
[youtube=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ynQsBj1mNN8][/youtube]
My Dying Bride – The Ghost Of Orion 
Genre: Doom/Gothic metal
Origin: Halifax, England
Label: Nuclear Blast
On their first album in half a decade My Dying Bride are bringing the spooky doom like only they can. The Ghost of Orion includes a pair of new musicians with guitarist Neil Blanchett and drummer Jeff Singer, as well as guest vocals from Wardruna's Lindy Fay Hella. Expect a darker experience than before as vocalist Aaron Stainthorpe channels the near death of his child into some truly (emotionally) heavy tracks.
[youtube=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F1DI7447ia0][/youtube]
Novena – Eleventh Hour 
Genre: Progressive metal
Origin: London, England
Label: Frontiers
I'm going to end this week with one I'm personally very excited about as a prog dork. Novena is fronted by Haken's Ross Jennings and features other folks from Slugdge, Abhorrent Decimation, and more. This is a very different experience from Haken, but their fans, and general progressive metal fans, should still dig it.
[youtube=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KOvw9EAGAYU][/youtube]
Also dropping today…
- Amduscia – Existe (Out Of Line Music) – Aggrotech
- Canis Dirus – Independence to the Beast (Bindrune Recordings) – Black metal
- Earth Groans – Prettiest Of Things (Facedown Records) – Hardcore
- Earth Rot – Black Tides of Obscurity (Season Of Mist) – Death/black metal
- Elyne – Art of Being Human (Self-release) – Alternative metal
- Graveslave – Devotion (Trvasfuk Music) – Death metal
- Harem Scarem – Change The World (Frontiers) – Hard rock/glam
- The Jacks – Remember You EP (Edgeout/UMusic) – Rock/blues
- Medium – Medium (Transcending Obscurity) – Death metal/grind
- The Neal Morse Band – The Great Adventour: Live in BRNO 2019 (InsideOut) – Progressive
- The New Regime – Heart Mind Body & Soul (Red) – Hard rock
- Pure Wrath – The Forlorn Soldier (Debemur Morti) – Black metal
- Rose Tattoo – Outlaws (Cleopatra) – Rock
- Ross The Boss – Born Of Fire (AFM) – Heavy metal
- Semblant – Obscura (Frontiers) – Gothic metal
- Silverstein – A Beautiful Place To Drown (UNFD) – Post-hardcore
- Stonus – Aphasia (Electric Valley Records) – Stoner/doom
- Trauma – Ominous Black (Selfmadegod) – Speed/death metal
- Viscera – Obsidian (Unique Leader) – Deathcore/technical death metal
- Wombbath – Choirs Of The Fallen (Soulseller Records) – Death metal
