This week's new heavy metal releases include a handful of goofs that decided to release new music on Black Friday for some reason.
To the metals…
Cattle Decapitation – Death Atlas 
Genre: Progressive Death Metal/Grindcore
Origin: San Diego, California
Label: Metal Blade
Starting this week strong. After four years, some of the heaviest motherfuckers alive have returned with an unrelenting death metal assault. With little ditties like "Bring Back the Plague" and "One Day Closer to the End of the World," you know you're getting some jaunty bops with this one.
Molly Hatchet – Battleground
Genre: Southern rock
Origin: Jacksonville, Florida
Label: Steamhammer
Buy now from Steamhammer
On weeks like this one I'm… let's say "blessed" with the task of seeing what I can find when it seems like nothing is coming out. These searches lead me to bands like Molly Hatchet. They're a band I've known of, but I don't think I've ever heard. Well, fans of some Southern Fried rock with have some live tunes to drink beer to as you come down from your tryptophan high.
Prong – Age Of Defiance EP 
Genre: Groove metal/thrash
Origin: New York City, New York
Label: SPV/Steamhammer
This EP is just a little something something to hold you over until these legends drop a full-length. You're getting a pair of new tracks, then three live songs. I recommend playing the EP's closer, "Cute Rat," for your favorite local rodent.
Red Death – Sickness Divine 
Genre: Crossover/Thrash
Origin: Washington, D.C.
Label: Century Media
Red Death are a band that pairs pretty well with Prong. You're getting no-frills thrashy goodness, but with a sort of punk spirit to it. This one will get some circle pits going where ever you play it. I recommend at a nursing home or an aquarium.
Teeth – The Curse Of Entropy 
Genre: Doom/death metal
Origin: California
Label: Translation Loss Records
Golly, this wound up being a heavy ass week. Teeth remind me of Gorguts if they were less concerned with sand, and were more into the usual death metal stuff. Like turning your head into a lightbulb and tearing your body apart (?), or whatever's going on in the album's artwork.
(0) – (0)
Genre: Experimental
Origin: Denmark
Label: Napalm Records
Order now from Napalm
So this band is all about mystique. With a name like (0), which is pronounced "Parentes0parentes," they are a pain in the ass to google, so you could say that they have a lot of mystery in that regard. I've been lucky enough to hear this album, and you're getting four tracks of atmospheric metal. Sometimes it's blackened, sometimes it's post-y, but it's always pretty cool.
Also dropping today…
Chained To The Dead – A Gruesome Encounter (Horror Pain Gore Death Productions) – Death metal
Knasterbart – Perlen vor die Säue (Napalm) – Folk rock
Misery Loves Co. – Zero (Black Lodge Records) – Industrial/doom
Zarraza – Rotten Remains (Self-Release) – Groove metal
Also check the Black Friday Record Store Day releases
