This week's new heavy metal releases include uplifting songs about the end of the world, ritual metal, a Mass supergroup, and more! Check out a handful of the below releases at our Gimme Metal store, and as always – to the metals…
Frayle – Skin & Sorrow
Genre: "Ritual metal"/doom
Origin: Cleveland, Ohio
Label: Aqualamb Records
Buy now on Bandcamp.
Starting a very diverse week with some slow, haunting stuff. Frayle's second album of self-proclaimed "ritual metal," has crushing moments, but is very much anchored in atmosphere. The theatrics of this band combined with overall solid songwriting will probably (and rightfully) propel this band to great things.
Gaerea – Mirage
Genre: Black metal/experimental
Origin: Porto, Portugal
Label: Season Of Mist
Speaking of songwriting chops and theatrics, here is the latest from these masked black metallers. This is evil, epic, and more varied than ever. Jeff has a full review here and Frank chats with the band here. You can also get Mirage here on vinyl and CD through Gimme Metal.
KEN Mode – Null
Genre: Noise rock/experimental metal
Origin: Winnipeg, Manitoba
Label: Artoffact
Buy now on Bandcamp or get Null here on vinyl and CD through Gimme Metal.
Four years after Loved, KEN Mode have returned with a new member in the mighty multi-instrumentalist in Kathryn Kerr. Noise and rage are still front and center, but Kerr is shaking things up with saxophone flurries, synth sections, and more. These are not elements I ever expected from this band, but this is a very cool move for this already cool band.
Living Wreckage – Living Wreckage
Genre: Thrash/heavy metal
Origin: Easthampton, Massachusetts
Label: M-Theory
This band is a Massachusetts supergroup of sorts. They've got Matt and Jonathan from Shadows Fall, Matt from Downpour, Jon from Let Us Prey, and former Death Ray Vision vocalist Jeff (who mostly seems there to shake up their whole Jon/Matt thing). Together they create a melodic, thrashy, metalcore-y sound that is sorta like Avenged Sevenfold mixed with Shadows Fall. Get Living Wreckage here on vinyl through Gimme Metal.
Petbrick – Liminal
Genre: Experimental
Origin: England/Brazil
Label: Neurot Recordings/Rocket Recordings
Buy now on Bandcamp.
Iggor Cavalera and Wayne Adams have returned with another album of chaos. Like much of what they've done together this is industrial noise, and it's just so abrasive. Steven von Till (Neurosis), Jacob Bannon (Converge), and others make cameos on this too. So much going on here. Shaun wrote up a full review here.
Razor – Cycle Of Contempt
Genre: Speed metal/thrash
Origin: Guelph, Ontario
Label: Relapse
Long-time fast boys Razor have returned with their first album of new material in twenty-five years! It's a ripper too. Look at that album cover. You know what this is going to sound like, and it doesn't disappoint. Get Cycle Of Contempt here on vinyl through Gimme Metal.
SpellBook – Deadly Charms
Genre: Heavy metal/hard rock
Origin: York, Pennsylvania
Label: Cruz del Sur Music
Buy now from Cruz del Sur or get Deadly Charms here on vinyl or CD through Gimme Metal.
Now how about some spooky riffs? What I've heard of this record sounds like deep-cut Black Sabbath mixed with Deep Purple. Judging by the band's whole vibe, I'd wager this was intentional, and they nailed it.
Stratovarius – Survive
Genre: Power metal
Origin: Helsinki, Finland
Label: earMusic
On their first album in seven years these power metal masters try to give you some empowering metal about how the world is ending around us. It's an interesting juxtaposition, but I'd say it's successful. Even when Timo sings, "There's no returning, Our world is on fire" IMMEDIATELY followed but, "We can turn this world around," I find myself ignoring the bad part and thinking we can turn things around. Chad's review is here. You can get Survive here on two different vinyl variants through Gimme Metal.
Venom Inc. – There's Only Black
Genre: Heavy/blackened metal
Origin: Newcastle upon Tyne, England
Label: Nuclear Blast
On their second album under the Incorporated banner, this trio are bringing some blackened, thrashy, heaviness. They seem really pissed this time. More than usual for them. Anyway, If you dug their last outing, or some of the non-Cronos era Venom records, you'll dig this. Get There's Only Black on here on vinyl through Gimme Metal.
Also dropping today…
- As Paradise Falls – Madness/Medicine (Eclipse Records) – Deathcore
- Banco del Mutuo Soccorso – Orlando: Le Forme dell’Amore (InsideOut) – Progressive rock
- Band Of Spice – How We Play The Game (Scarlet) – Stoner/hard rock
- Blodskam – Ave Eva (Suicide Records) – Black metal
- Celestial Grave – Vitriolic Atonement (The Sinister Flame) – Black metal
- Condemned AD – Following A Failing Leader (Wormholedeath) – Thrash
- Crone – Gotta Light? (Prophecy) – Hard/atmospheric rock
- Eternal Closure – At the Center of It All – Chapter I (Self-released) – Metalcore
- Eva Under Fire – Love, Drugs & Misery (Better Noise Music) – Hard rock/melodic metal
- Freedom Hawk – Take All You Can (Ripple) – Heavy metal/stoner
- Gematria – Gematria II: The Spindle Of Necessity (Nefarious Industries) – Progressive metal/avant-garde
- Gutvoid – Durance Of Lightless Horizons (Blood Harvest Records) – Death metal
- Hail Conjurer – Earth Penetration (Bestial Burst/Signal Rex) – Post-metal/doom
- Harvest Of Ash – Ache And Impulse (Horror Pain Gore Death Productions) – Doom
- Invictus – Unstoppable (MNKR Heavy) – Groove metal
- Kaledon – Legend Of The Forgotten Reign – Chapter VII: Evil Awakens (Beyond The Storm Productions) – Power metal
- Kid Kapichi – Here's What You Could Have Won (Spinefarm) – Hard rock/experimental
- Kings Of Mercia – Kings Of Mercia (Metal Blade) – Heavy/progressive metal
- Live Burial – Curse Of The Forlorn (Transcending Obscurity Records) – Death metal
- Meridian – The Fourth Dimension (From The Vaults) – Heavy metal
- Mindivide – Fragments (My Kingdom Music) – Gothic metal
- Mo'ynoq – A Place For Ash (Self-released) – Black metal
- Moonspell – From Down Below – Live 80 Meters Deep (Napalm) – Gothic metal
- Nordjevel – Gnavhol (Indie) – Black metal
- Novelists – Déjà Vu (Out of Line Music) – Metalcore
- Orthodoxy – After Ignis (The Sinister Flame) – Death metal
- Otus – Torch (Time to Kill Records) – Sludge/doom
- OvO – Ignoto (Artoffact) – Experimental/noise
- The Soft Moon – Exister (Sacred Bones Records) – Industrial/darkwave
- Sonja – Loud Arriver (Cruz del Sur Music) – Gothic rock/heavy metal
- Space Of Variations – Imago (Napalm) – Metalcore
- Strom – Strom (Black Lodge Records) – Hard rock/heavy metal
- Sundrowned – Glacious (Fysisk Format) – Atmpspheric/post-black metal
- Talas – 1985 (Metal Blade) – Heavy metal
- Upon Wings – Last Love EP (Sword of the Spirit Records) – Hard rock
- Virgil & Steve Howe – Lunar Mist (InsideOut) – Progressive
- Willow – COPINGMECHANSIM (Roc Nation) – Rock/pop
- Writhing – Of Earth & Flesh (Everlasting Spew Records) – Death metal
- The Wonder Years – The Hum Goes On Forever (Hopeless Records) – Pop punk
