This week's new heavy metal releases include dread-inducing cello, stuff you can actually dance to, and more!
To the metals…
Heaven Shall Burn – Of Truth And Sacrifice
Genre: Melodic death metal/metalcore
Origin: Weimar, Germany
Label: Century Media
Starting this week strong. Heaven Shall Burn went all out on their first record in four years with nineteen tracks over two discs. There is A LOT of Heaven Shall Burn here, so fans of super catchy melodic death metal will have a lot to enjoy. I must also praise them for including signature earplugs in one of their presale options. Ear safety is important guys.
Lucifer – Lucifer III 
Genre: heavy metal/doom
Origin: Berlin, Germany/London, England
Label: Century Media
On Lucifer III, Lucifer's third album, they are again bringing the slightly spooky rock jams throwback jams. This album comes so close to having one of my favorite metal tropes. There is a song on this album called "Lucifer." So There's a song by Lucifer, called "Lucifer," from the album Lucifer…III. Damn. So close.
Helen Money – Atomic 
Genre: Experimental
Origin: Los Angeles, California
Label: Thrill Jockey
Here's an emotional journey for you. Helen Money has a hell of a resume with appearances on albums by Anthrax, Russian Circles, Disturbed and more. This is her fifth solo album that's just Alison Chesley (the real name of Helen Money) and her cello taking you on dark trips with effect pedals, loops, and overwhelming atmosphere.
Master Boot Record – Floppy Disk Overdrive 
Genre: Synth metal
Origin: Rome, Italy
Label: Metal Blade
Synthwave and metal have been in cahoots for a little while now, so naturally here is a blend of the two. Master Boot Record has moments that remind me of stuff like Magic Sword or Dance With The Dead, but there's a bunch of old computer noises thrown in that make this a tad disjointed in the best way.
Myrkur – Folkesange 
Genre: Folk
Origin: Nordsjælland, Denmark
Label: Relapse
Amalie Bruun, the pop singer in Ex Cops turned atmospheric black metal Myrkur has slowly been inching her way towards a full-on folk album, and here it is. There was albums an element of this sort of thing in her Myrkur project, but this is all choirs, strings, and traditional instrumentation. It's not heavy and all, but really quite beautiful.
New Primals – Horse Girl Energy 
Genre: Noise/dance punk
Origin: Minneapolis, Minnasota
Label: Learning Curve Records
I was really intrigued by this band because of the album title Horse Girl Energy, because what the fuck is that? I still don't totally know, but I found a cool band while trying to figure that out. This band sounds like if you smashed Modest Mouse and Cave In together. It's weird, abrasive, and wildly interesting.
Also dropping today…
- The Acacia Strain – E 7" (Rise Records) – Metalcore/deathcore
- Art Of Shock – Dark Angeles (Century Media) – Heavy metal/thrash
- Constrict – No Eden (Flatspot Records) – Hardcore
- Death on Fire – Ghost Songs (Self-released) – Death metal
- Escuela – Grind Indoctrination (Armageddon Label/To Live A Lie) – Grind
- Eye Flys – Tub Of Lard (Thrill Jockey) – Noise rock
- Fool's Ghost – Dark Woven Light (Prosthetic) – Goth/dark rock
- Gouge Away – Consider 7" (Deathwish Inc.) – Punk
- Grift – Budet (Nordvis) – Black metal
- Hallas – Conundrum (Napalm Records) – "Swedish Adventure Rock"
- Hyborian – Volume II (Season Of Mist) – Sludge
- Kavorka – Internal Rituals (Self-released) – Stoner metal
- King Buffalo – Dead Star (Self-released) – Heavy psych
- Lost Legacy – In The Name of Freedom (Pure Steel Records) – Power metal
- Malokarpatan – Krupinské ohne (Invictus Productions) – Avant-garde black metal
- Medico Peste – The Black Bile (Season Of Mist) – Black metal
- Neck Of The Woods – The Annex Of Ire (Pelagic Records) – Progressive death metal
- Nite – Darkness Silence Mirror Flame (Creator Destructor Records) – Blackened heavy metal
- O Zorn! – Your Killer (Seeing Red Records) – Sludge/post-metal
- Raider – Guardian of The Fire (Self-released) – Thrash/death metal
- Sons of Disaster – Cursed (Mottow Soundz) – Heavy metal/punk
- Sweven – The Eternal Resonance (Van Records) – Progressive metal
- Tethra – Empire Of The Void (Black Lion Records) – Death metal/doom
