Oh boy. Slow week already, and this is only the second week of me writing this thing in 2015. This edition includes black metal fellas being black metal, a couple bands of very different proggy dorks and more. To the metal…
Marilyn Manson – Pale Emperor
Genre: Marilyn Manson
Origin: Los Angeles, CA
Label: Concord Music Group
This may just be Marilyn Manson's best album in a decade. Re-focused, and re-energized, Manson is delivering some quality work. Don't believe us? Stream the album for yourself.
Angra – Secret Garden 
Genre: Power Metal
Origin: Sao Paulo, Brazil
Label: Ear Music
Buy now on Amazon.com
Fans of Angra know what to expect from these guys. You're getting epic power metal in the realm of Rhapsody of Fire and Stratovarius but with Brazilian infused. Great musicianship as always, and they're still keep things fresh after almost a quarter of a century.
Arcane – Known/Learned 
Genre: Progressive
Origin: Brisbane, Australia
Label: Sensory
Buy now on Amazon.com
This is the third release of a fantastic melodic prog band. Think Leprous but a bit calmer, but with moments that sound a bit like Dream Theater and Opeth. The Australian band also shares vocalists with Caligula's Horse. Jim Grey continues to kill it here.
Marduk – Frontschwein
Genre: Black metal
Origin: Norrkoping, Sweden
Label: Century Media
Buy now on Amazon.com
A solid album of no frills, war themed black metal from one of the OGs. Just skimming the lyrics posted on the Metal Archives make it seem like every song is about war. Gotta love classic black metal dynamics eh?
Raunchy – Vices.Virtues.Visions 
Genre: Melodic death metal
Origin: Copenhagen, Denmark
Label: Massacre
Buy now on Amazon.com
Raunchy are a band that has always walked the line between melodic death metal akin to Soilwork and that metalcore that makes its way onto Warped Tour, so I find them overlooked by both camps. Some of their stuff is pretty solid though. What I've heard of this new record is pretty par for their course. Melodic at time, heavy at time, but catchy throughout.
Also dropping today…
Alpha Tiger – Identity (SPV)
Armageddon – Captivity & Devourment (Listenable)
Biotoxic Warfare – Lobotomized (Slaney)
Breathless – Return To Pangea (Xtreem)
Bullet – Storm of Blades (Metalville)
Caina – Setter of Unseen Snares (Broken Limbs)
Chapel of Disease – The Mysterious Ways of Repetitive Art (FDA Rekotz)
Crack House – The Hits Just Keep On Coming EP (HPGD)
Dead City Ruins – Dead City Ruins (Metalville)
Garotting Deep / For – Void Asceticism Split (Iron Bonehead)
Gnosis – The Third-Eye Gate (Nuclear War Now!)
Implode – Terra Pericoloa: I of Everything Chapter II EP (Cramada)
Lectern – Fratricidal Concelebration (Sliptrick)
Lonewolf – Cult of Steel (Massacre)
Mellowtoy – Lies (Scarlet)
Messiah's Kiss – Get Your Bulls Out! (Massacre)
Midnight Bullet – Lose My Face (Inverse)
Nachtreich / Spectral Lore – The Quivering Lights Split EP (Bindrune)
Obscure Infinity – Perpetual Descending Into Nothingness (FDA Rekotz)
Satan's Host – Pre-Dating God Parts 1 & 2 (Moribund)
Serious Black – As Daylight Breaks (AFM)
Simus – Vox Vult (Bakerteam)
UFO – Showtime Blu-ray (SPV)
Vardan – Verses From Ancient Times (Moribund)
Voices of Destiny – Crisis Cult (Massacre)
