This week's new heavy metal releases include straight ahead Frank Sinatra covers, flamingo worship, uncle rock, aunt rock, and more! To the metals…
Baest – Justitia
Genre: Death metal
Origin: Aarhus, Denmark
Label: Century Media
Buy now from Century Media
Getting this week started with some rowdy death metal. This EP comes after last year's celebrated Necro Sapiens, and it keeps that vibe and energy going with throwback death metal with a lil OG heavy metal fun thrown in. This includes a couple guest spots from Sven from Aborted and Trevor from The Black Dahlia Murder and a cover of Entombed's "Second To None."
Decapitated – Cancer Culture
Genre: Death/groove metal
Origin: Krosno, Poland
Label: Nuclear Blast
While grooves are still intact, the aggression of this band feels pushed to the front this time. Even when very melodic, the rhythm section cannot hold back hitting hard. This is another record with some guests. Cancer Culture includes Jinjer's Tatiana Shmayluk and the foreman of Vogg's side-gig in Machine Head, Robb Flynn.
Def Leppard – Diamond Star Halos
Genre: Glam/hard rock
Origin: Sheffield, England
Label: Ume
Like it or not Def Leppard are an important band in the heavy metal landscape and they're back with their first album in seven years. The melodies will get in your head and the jams will get your aunt dancing on the kitchen counter. It's a fun record and if you dug those big 80's records, you'll probably enjoy this enough.
IATT – Magnum Opus
Genre: Extreme/progressive metal
Origin: Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Label: Black Lion Records
Ok, back to heavy stuff. IATT (fka? aka? I Am the Trireme) mix technicality and weirdness into a dark sound. They're like if Ne Obliviscaris had a short attention span. You're also getting some sax and violin on a few tracks. More of both of these in metal, please.
Michael Schenker Group – Universal
Genre: Hard rock/heavy metal
Origin: Sarstedt, Germany
Label: Atomic Fire
Earlier we had a moment for aunt rock, not how about some uncle rock? This one comes on the heels of last year's Immortal, and there is a ton of cool shit going on with this one. The backing band features folks from Rainbow which leads to a tribute to Dio on "A King Has Gone," and there are features from Helloween's Michael Kiske, Primal Fear's Ralf Scheepers, and lots more. This one is sure to get you uncle dancing on the kitchen counter?
Mark Tremonti – Mark Tremonti Sings Sinatra
Genre: Frank Sinatra covers
Origin: Detroit, Michigan
Label: NDSS
File this album under combinations of words I never expected. As the header of this blurb says Mark Tremonti (ex-Creed, Alter Bridge, solo) sings Frank Sinatra songs. They're straight up big band swing covers too. And you know what? He fucking kills it. It's not at all something I thought I needed, but I'm really feeling it.
Trollfest – Flamingo Overlord
Genre: Folk metal
Origin: Oslo, Norway
Label: Napalm
Gonna end weird this week with the latest from Trollfest. These Norwegian folk metal loons are paying tribute to their Flamingo Overlord(s) on this one as includes four tracks that mention the pink bird in the song's title. There might be more nods that I don't know about but I don't have all the lyrics in front of me. This is another really fun one that I wasn't expecting to enjoy so much, but now I'm looking into how to befriend a flamingo.
Also dropping today…
- Bekmork – The Path Nocturnal (Horns High Records) – Black metal
- Belushi Speed Ball – What, Us Worry? (sonaBLAST! Records) – Crossover thrash
- Besvärjelsen – Atlas (Magnetic Eye Records) – Psychedelic/doom
- Black Lung – Dark Waves (Heavy Psych Sounds) – Psychedelic/doom
- Black Void – Antithesis (Nuclear Blast) – Punk/black metal
- Brutality – Sempiternity (Emanzipation) – Death metal
- Cadaver Coils – Offerings Of Rapture And Decay (Iron Bonehead Productions) – Death metal
- Cadaveria – Emptiness (Time To Kill Records) – Symphonic black metal/industrial
- Church Of Disgust – Weakest Is The Flesh (Hells Headbangers) – Death metal
- Clayshaper – Vampiric (Self-released) – Progressive/melodic death metal
- Crematory – Inglorious Darkness (Napalm) – Gothic metal
- Cult Of The Night – Dance of the Witches (Self-released) – Speed metal/thrash
- Dead Waves – Abandoned Children (Entheon Records) – Experimental/doom
- Deos – Furor Belli (Wormholedeath) – Black/death metal
- Electric Mountain – Valley Giant (Electric Valley Records) – Desert rock
- Evil – Book Of Evil (From The Vaults) – Heavy metal
- Fireproven – Epilogue (Fireproven) – Progressive/melodic death metal
- Gramma Vedetta – The Hum Of The Machine (Mandrone) – Heavy metal/stoner
- Healing Magic – Volume I: Fire (Blood Blast Distribution) – Stoner/sludge
- Hifiklub & Scorpion Dagger – ScorpKlub I & II Original Soundtracks (Electric Valley Records) – Experimental
- Hollow Front – The Price Of Dreaming (UNFD) – Metalcore
- Holocausto Cannibal – Crueza Ferina (Selfmadegod Records) – Goregrind/death metal – Full album stream
- Honeybee – Honeybee (The Swingin' Pipe Records) – Hard rock
- Lord Belial – Rapture (Hammerheart) – Melodic black/death metal
- Low Gear – Siktunes Redux (WormHoleDeath Records) – Hard rock/groove metal
- Simon McBride – The Fighter (earMusic) – Rock
- Mournful Congregation – The Exuviae Of Gods – Part I EP (Osmose) – Doom
- Orochen – Anthroposcenic (Suicide Records) – Post-metal
- Peth – Merchant of Death (Electric Valley Records) – Stoner/heavy metal
- Sacrifizer – Le Diamant De Lucifer (Osmose Productions) – Speed metal
- Sarayasign – Throne of Gold (Sound Pollution) – Progressive/power metal
- Scary Kids Scaring Kids – Out Of Light (Velocity Records/Equal Vision Records) – Post-hardcore
- Sensory Amusia – Breed Death (Lacerated Enemy Records) – Death metal/deathcore
- Shed The Skin – Thaumogenesis (Hells Headbangers) – Death metal
- Smoke Or Fire – Beauty Fades (Iodine Recordings) – Punk
