This edition some amazing melodic death metal, lots of feedback, another Thou release somehow, and more! To the metals…
Cast The Stone – Empyrean Atrophy EP 
Genre: Death metal
Origin: St. Louis, Missouri
Label: Agonia
Starting this week with some pretty straight up death metal that has a lot of groove to it. It's been three years since their last release so fans should be happy for the precious twenty-six minutes this provides them. Mark Kloeppel of Misery Index is on guitar duties here, but this definitely has its own vibe.
[youtube=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u2kx8PTf9mc][/youtube]
Circles – The Last One 
Genre: Progressive metal
Origin: Melbourne, Australia
Label: Season Of Mist
This is a prog metal record with just about everything a prog fan would want. Complex rhythms, technical musicianship, catchy melodies, ambiance, and epic vocal delivery are all present here. I'd highly recommend this one for fans of recent releases of both TesseracT and The Contortionist.
[youtube=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TVEecYrT4Xs][/youtube]
Conan – Existential Void Guardian 
Genre: Stoner/doom
Origin: Liverpool, North West England
Label: Napalm
Despite being intensely heavy and fuzzed out in every direction, there is a lot on this record that sticks with me. Like, "Vexxagon" is kind of an ear worm. It shouldn't be catchy, but it is oddly. It's still totally a crushing sludge assault though. Don't let me weird ear worm attraction to this deter you.
[youtube=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HdkJJFrQ9B8][/youtube]
KEN Mode – Loved 
Genre: Hardcore/noise
Origin: Winnipeg, Canada
Label: Season Of Mist
This is quite abrasive. All KEN Mode albums are, but this one seems especially off-putting and noisy. This is another release of whatever this crazy fucking thing is that they do so well.
[youtube=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fxdhocldZuA][/youtube]
Omnium Gatherum – The Burning Cold 
Genre: Melodic death metal
Origin: Karhula, Finland
Label: InsideOut
I feel like melodic death metal bands get weird and/or bad as their careers get up there in age. However, there are a handful of bands in the genre that are aging really, really well. Soilwork is one, and Omnium Gatherum is absolutely another. I was a little blind-sided by how much I enjoy this. Chad has a full review here.
[youtube=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cydhfda6rXI][/youtube]
Steve 'n' Seagulls – Grainsville 
Genre: Country covers of metal songs
Origin: Jyväskylä, Finland
Label: Spinefarm
Steve 'n' Seagulls kill it again. This time they are putting their weird bluegrass/country spin on songs by Van Halen, Pantera, Alice In Chains, Beastie Boys, and more. Fine, this is not metal, but a lot of fun.
[youtube=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5-Tzj7-M0jg][/youtube]
Thou – Magus
Genre: Sludge/doom
Origin: Baton Rouge, Louisiana
Label: Sacred Bones
Thou are like the Buckethead of sludge, aren't they? My guess is that if they don't release new music they'll probably explode (they're like the bus from Speed), so this is their fourth release this year. Frankly, I wouldn't be surprised if I'll be talking about them again before year's end. The craziest part is that it's all been good.
[youtube=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H92lfNY5fLw][/youtube]
Also dropping today…
Alice Cooper – A Paranormal Evening At The Olympia Paris (earMusic) – Rock
Alkaline Trio – Is This Thing Cursed? (Epitaph) – Punk
Beyond The Black – Heart Of The Hurricane (Napalm) – Symphonic metal
Black Mirrors – Look Into The Black Mirror (Napalm Records) – Hard rock/indie
Gillian Carter – This Earth Shaped Tomb (Skeletal Lightning) – Noise/Post-Hardcore
Faustcoven – In the Shadow of Doom (Nuclear War Now!) – Black metal/Doom
Gnaw Their Tongues & Crowhurst – Burning Ad Infinitum: A Collaboration (Crown and Throne Ltd.) – Experimental/noise/doom
Great Leap Skyward – Map of Broken Dreams (Metalopolis) – Progressive metal
Hellion Prime – Terror Of The Cybernetic Space Monster (AFM) – Power metal
Hellish – The Spectre Of Lonely Souls (Unspeakable Axe Records) – Blackened thrash
Infuriate – Infuriate (Everlasting Spew) – Death metal
Krakow – Minus (Karisma Records) – Stoner
Kvlt Of Eblis – Templo de la Serpiente Negra (Morbid Skull Records) – Black metal
Mamaleek – Out of Time (The Flenser) – Shoegaze/Black
Mogwai – Kin (Soundtrack) (Rock Action/Temporary Residence Ltd.) – Post-rock
Monte Pittman – Better Or Worse (Metal Blade) – Rock
Monte Pittman – Between The Space (Metal Blade) – Rock
Palm – To Live Is To Die, To Die Is To Live (EVP Recordings) – Groove metal/thrash
Roseview – The Misery In Me (Tragic Hero Records) – Melodic hardcore
The Secret – Lux Tenebris EP (Southern Lord) – Black metal/grindcore
Set Before Us – Vitae (Eclipse) – Metalcore
Stillbirth – Annihilation Of Mankind (Unique Leader) – Brutal death metal/deathcore
Tornado –Commitment To Excellence (Extreme Metal Music/Rockshots Records) – Thrash
U.D.O. – Steel Factory (AFM) – Heavy metal
The Veer Union – Decade II: Rock & Acoustic (Rock Shop) – Rock
The Vintage Caravan – Gateways (Nuclear Blast) – Stoner
Wheel In The Sky – Beyond The Pale (The Sign Records) – Psychedelic rock
