This edition includes a bunch of collaborations, lots of melodic doom (in one release), a live release from my hero, and more! To the metals…
The Body & Krieg – The Body & Krieg 
Genre: Sludge/Black metal
Origin: Portland, Oregon/Somers Point, New Jersey
Label: At A Loss
Buy now on Amazon.com
This is more of the intense, dark, experimental, sludginess that The Body is slowly becoming known for. Add in some additional darkness from Krieg, and you've got this dread-inducing gem.
[youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BKCiF6EKMJk[/youtube]
Chron Goblin – Backwater 
Genre: Stoner
Origin: Calgary, Canada
Label: Ripple
Buy now on Amazon.com
This here is straight up stoner rock goodness. Bluesy in that way that way that other Goblin-based bands are (See: Orange Goblin, and others probably), however there are other dynamics tossed in here. If you're looking to get your groove on, look no further.
[youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7-7GAPP0I6w[/youtube]
Dragged Into Sunlight and Gnaw Their Tongues – N.V. 
Genre: Blackened…stuff
Origin: UK/Netherlands
Label: Prosthetic
Buy now on Amazon.com
Is today metal best friend day or something? So many collaboration and split releases. A really cool release though as it seems to be more than just the to bands mashing their sounds together. Each band elevated the other on this.
[youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0Wu0O-ald54[/youtube]
Intronaut – The Direction Of Last Things 
Genre: Progressive sludge
Origin: Los Angeles, California
Label: Century Media
Buy now on Amazon.com
I got to see some of these new songs live when the band opened for Mastodon a few weeks back, and they fucking kill. They have once again one-upped themselves. This release feels like more of everything that works in the setting of Intronaut. Here's Aaron's full review.
[youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jc9mfvBZxdQ[/youtube]
Swallow The Sun – Songs From The North I, II & III 
Genre: Melodic death metal/doom
Origin: Jyväskylä, Finland
Label: Century Media
Buy now on Amazon.com
This album is huge in several ways. First, it is unsurprisingly epic and massive sounding. It is also a TRIPLE album, so it's an epic melodic doom release that will keep you entranced for eternity.
[youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n2gDskxLLMc[/youtube]
Devin Townsend Project – Ziltoid Live at the Royal Albert Hall
Genre: Progressive
Origin: Vancouver, Canada
Label: Inside Out Records
Buy now on Amazon.com
Technically this releases everywhere but where I am today, but the internet is quick and crafty so it'll all be uploaded somewhere before the North American release (Which I have still pre-ordered). Not sure why labels are still doing that. Anyway, this here is my favorite record from last year (or at least the second half which I liked more) live, plus an additional set of Devy's other songs like "Bastard," "Namaste," "Deadhead," and more. It's pretty much Dev being Dev, so it's pretty rad.
[youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Iv9vnQ-bJyc[/youtube]
Also dropping today…
Autopsy – After The Cutting Box Set (Peaceville) – Death meta
Austral / Cold – The Exalted Shadows Of Death Are Dancing Split (Tyrannus) – Black metal
Awe – Providentia (Pulverised) – Black metal
Brick By Brick – This World, My Enemy (Eulogy) – Brickcore
Carved Up – Matador (Crowquill) – Shoegaze/Progressive
Chaos – Mortality Makes The Humanity (Inverse) – Death metal
Cochise – The Sun Also Rises For Unicorns (Metal Mind) – Unicore…Progressive
Corrosive Carcass – Forsaken Lands (Xtreem) – Death metal
Deville – Make It Belong To Us (Fuzzorama) – Stoner
Dimesland – Psycogenic Atrophy (Crucial Blast) – Progressive
Firespawn – Shadow Realms (Century Media) – Death metal
Flying Colors – Live At The Z7 DVD/CD (Mascot) – Progressive
Girlschool – Guilty As Sin (UDR) – Heavy metal
Grave Pleasures – Dreamcrash (Metal Blade) – Stoner/Occult rock
Graveshadow – Nocturnal Resurrection (Mausoleum) – Symphonic metal
The Heavy Eyes – He Dreams Of Lions (Kozmik Artifactz) – Stoner/blues
Hegemon – The Hierarch (Season Of Mist) – Black metal
Insanity – Visions Of Apocalypse (Unspeakable Axe / Dark Descent) – Death metal
Jeff Brown – 23 Years (Mausoleum) – Heavy metal
Kauan – Sorni Nai (Blood) – post-rock
Mirror – Mirror (Metal Blade) – Occult metal
Moloken – All Is Left To See (Temple Of Tortuous) – Atmospheric Sludge Metal
Mortal Scepter – As Time Sharpens The Sentence EP (Unspeakable Axe) – Thrash
Otargos – Xeno Kaos (Kaotoxin) – Black metal
Our Souls Evolve – Self: Consciousness (Famined) – Djent
Revenge – Behold Total Rejection (Season Of Mist) – Death/black metal
Revolted Masses – Age Of Descent (Inverse) – Progressive Death/Thrash Metal
Saint Diablo – Devil Horns And Halos (Eclipse) – Nu-Metal
Stella Lost – Everything Old Is New Again EP (Pavement) – Alternative Metal
Tombstalker – Black Crusades (Shadow Kingdom) – Thrash
Various Artists – Morbid Tales: A Tribute To Celtic Frost (Corpse Flower) – Celtic Frost covers
Vhod – Dreamcleaver (Inverse) – Stoner
Void Of Sleep – New World Order (Aural) – Stoner/sludge
Wrekmeister Harmonies – Night Of Your Ascension (Thrill Jockey) – Experimental
