This week's new heavy metal releases include re-recorded groove metal classics, a whole lot of Soundgarden covers, epic prog, and more! To the metals…
Auralayer – Thousand Petals
Genre: Doom/prog
Origin: Greenville, South Carolina
Label: King Volume Records
Buy now on Bandcamp
If you're a fan of trippy Mastodon, the riffs of The Sword, and the melodies of recent Torche, then you should get to cranking Thousand Pedals now. They're proggy, they're psychedelic, and they bring the riffs.
Cavalera – Morbid Visions & Bestial Devastation
Genre: Groove metal/thrash
Origin: Phoenix, Arizona
Label: Nuclear Blast
Buy now Amazon Morbid Visions – Bestial Devasation
Brothers Max and Iggor Cavalera seem pretty set on never returning to Sepultura, but they have no qualms bringing back Seplultura to them. Today sees the brothers releasing their own recordings of two of the earliest Sepultura releases. It's kind of like Taylor's Version, but thrashier. J. Andrew's full review is here.
Edge Of Paradise – Hologram
Genre: Hard rock/modern metal
Origin: Los Angeles, California
Label: Frontiers
Buy now on Amazon
Now for something a little more… futuristic, maybe? Hologram features a blend of shredding guitars, danceable synth-led rhythms, and soaring choruses. This might be the catchiest release of the week.
Evile – The Unknown
Genre: Thrash
Origin: Huddersfield, England
Label: Napalm
Buy now on Bandcamp
Now we have the second entry in the Ole Drake-fronted era of Evile. While still thrash at its core, this has some chunky mid-tempo jams that will get a head bobbing. In terms of song structures, this sort of feels like their Black Album.
The Mighty Fall – Filmed On Location
Genre: Hardcore
Origin: Providence, Rhode Island
Label: Self-released
Buy now on Bandcamp
I first became aware of this band with their EP Look The Part, and since then the band have a shiny new singer and a revamped sound. Filmed On Location is a fun, hardcore, firework show of riffs and rhythms. They're self-described as "New England cowbell hardcore," and they'll get you moving.
Preacher – Blur
Genre: Metalcore
Origin: Reno, Nevada
Label: Self-released
Stream here
Preacher are a band I caught live last year and was impressed by their fresh take on modern metalcore. There's tons of melody mixed with riffs and breakdowns and you'd hope from a band of their ilk. The band then elevates the songs with piano and synth runs that sound like you're discovering treasure in a video came while getting hit with an emotional sonic wall.
Various Artists – Superunknown Redux & Best Of Soundgarden
Genre: Soundgarden covers
Origin: Various
Label: Magnetic Eye
Buy now Bandcamp Superunknown – Best Of
After the success of their artists take on Alice In Chains, Black Sabbath, and AC/DC Magnetic Eye are now dipping back into the Seattle grunge scene with a couple tributes to Soundgarden. This time you're getting unique takes from Witch Ripper, Marissa Nadler, Frayle, Spotlights, and many, many more. One record is all of Superunknown and the second includes covers of "Outshined," "Jesus Christ Pose," "Burden In My Hand," and other classics from the catalog.
Voyager – Fearless In Love
Genre: Progressive metal
Origin: Perth, Australia
Label: Season Of Mist
Buy now on Bandcamp
Wrapping this week with some ethereal, djenty prog. This is catch as hell, groovy as hell, and features a frontman with a keytar. They're like if Periphery and Leprous smooshed together and plopped out some Australian offspring. Hell yeah.
Also dropping this week
- Ascend The Helix – Spiral Of Reflection (Self-released) – Groove/progressive metal
- Calligram – Position | Momentum (Prosthetic) – Black metal/hardcore
- Cavern Deep – Breach (Bonebag Records) – Doom/stoner
- Cel Damage – No Volume (Silent Pendulum Records) – Grindcore/experimental
- Chamber – A Love To Kill For (Pure Noise Records) – Metalcore/mathcore
- Constant Hell – Constant Hell (Self-released) – Grindcore/d-beat
- Crown Magnetar – Everything Bleeds (Unique Leader Records) – Deathcore
- A Dark Halo – Omnibus One (Self-released) – Progressive/"cyber" metal
- Deitus – Irreversible (Candlelight) – Black metal
- Desekryptor – Vortex Oblivion (Blood Harvest Records) – Death metal
- The Devil's Trade – Vidékek vannak idebenn (Season of Mist) – Doom/folk
- Eleine – We Shall Remain (Atomic Fire) – Dark symphonic metal
- End Reign – The Way Of All Flesh Is Decay (Relapse) – Hardcore
- Exsanguination – Burial Rites (Horror Pain Gore Death Productions) – Death metal
- Fallstar – Sacred Mirrors (Facedown Records) – Metalcore
- Freedom Call – The M.E.T.A.L. Fest (Napalm) – Power/heavy metal
- Houston – Relaunch III (Frontiers) – AOR
- Inhumed – Feasted Upon Like Carrion (Self-released) – Death metal
- Kim Dracula – A Gradual Decline In Morale (Order Of The Snake) – Trap metal/hardcore
- Kikimora – For A Broken Dime (Frontiers) – Progressive rock
- LanzerRath – Metagalactic Domination (Northern Spire Productions) – Black metal
- Moodring – Your Light Fades Away (UNFD) – Alternative metal
- The Neal Morse Band – An Evening Of Innocence & Danger: Live In Hamburg (InsideOut) – Progressive rock
- Nuclear Remains – Dawn Of Endless Suffering (Maggot Stomp) – Brutal death metal – Full stream
- Quiet Man – The Starving Lesson (Self-released) – Psychedelic/sludge
- Radiant Knife – Pressure (Self-released) – Progressive metal/sludge – Full stream
- Robledo – Broken Soul (Frontiers) – Hard rock
- Scream Maker – Land Of Fire (Frontiers) – Heavy metal
- Sludge Keeper – Slough Of Despair (Selfmadegod Records) – Death metal
- Tailgunner – Guns For Hire (Fireflash) – Heavy metal
- Valletta – Come Alive (Self-released) – Groove/heavy metal
- Vendetta – Black As Coal (Massacre) – Thrash
- Winterstorm – Everfrost (AFM) – Power/folk metal
When you're done with these new releases, check out these metal documentaries and live videos streaming from our sponsor Thunderflix.
Heavy Trip
Embark on a wild journey with this uproarious comedy as a Finnish metal band sets out for fame at a legendary festival. Hilarity ensues in unexpected encounters, epic twists, and a killer soundtrack.
Kittie – Live At The London Music Hall
Kittie has clawed their way back to the stage for the first time since 2013, and they're here to thrash! This 20th-anniversary reunion is like witnessing a supernova of metal. With line-ups from multiple eras, it's a relentless barrage of heavy, fast, and aggressive metal. This ain’t your grandma’s cat show – it's Kittie in full roar, tearing up the stage! Get ready to lose your mind (and possibly your voice)!
Andre Matos – Maestro Do Rock – Episode 1
Gather ‘round, headbangers, the heavy metal heavens have cracked open to send us an epic sonic treasure! Andre Matos, Brazil's Rock God, is strutting through Thunderflix with an opera of riffs and a mane that would make a lion jealous. Crank it up and feel the spirit of the maestro! Get ready to samba in a mosh pit as Andre’s divine voice shakes your very soul!
