This edition include wacky guitar frettery, a fruit themed album cover, spookiness, and more! To the metals…
Archspire – Relentless Mutation 
Genre: Technical death metal
Origin: Vancouver, Canada
Label: Season Of Mist
Buy now on Amazon.com
Let's begin this week's release round up some metal that's so heavy that you'll want to rip your own face off (see the album cover). I can say that I haven't really heard anything like this album. Sure, there is a ton of tech death out there, and a lot of it begins to run together for me, but the guitar work on this album is fucking weird. The tones and effect choices make it sound like anything but a guitar while still shredding. It's distracting, but in a way I'm into. J. has a review and stream here.
[youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1lsnTQyGI78[/youtube]
Cradle Of Filth – Cryptoriana: The Seductiveness Of Decay 
Genre: Symphonic gothic metal
Origin: Ipswich, England
Label: Nuclear Blast
Buy now on Amazon.com
Unpopular opinion in 2017: Cradle of Filth is rad, and so is this album. Sure, they are cheesy and ridiculous, but so many bands are. Cryptoriana, is the best CoF record since Godspeed on Devil's Thunder and there's just something about it hitting me the right way. Also, if you decide to buy it, splurge on the deluxe edition for the cover of Annihilator's "Alison Hell." Sol has a full review here.
[youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DNRIaeg6EyY[/youtube]
King Parrot – Ugly Produce 
Genre: Thrash/grindcore
Origin: Melbourne, Australia
Label: Housecore/Agonia
Buy now on Amazon.com
I can sense a good number of you rolling your eyes after my last blurb, so here's some angry Australian metal to make up for it. Like most grind (or in this case grind-infused) records, the songs are brief, relentless, and feedback laden. If you want some hardcore in your day, push past this album's cover of an apple with a face or something and enjoy. Kevin has a review here.
[youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XIvj-hGeG-w[/youtube]
The Living – The Living 
Genre: Atmospheric rock
Origin: San Francisco, California
Label: self
Buy now from Bandcamp.com
Now for something more on the rock side, but a rock side with cool shit going on. The Living bring spacey guitars, tons of atmosphere, and vocals that remind me of The Cult together to create a really enjoyable ethereal rock record. It's also a bit proggy, so they had my attention for several reasons.
[youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nyQLc9HE_dA[/youtube]
Mastodon – Cold Dark Place EP 
Genre: Sludge/Progressive
Origin: Atlanta, Georgia
Label: Reprise
Buy now on Amazon.com
It's only been about six months since Mastodon gifted us The Emperor of Sand and now they're dropping another EP. We must have been really good to deserve to be treated so well. Cold Dark Place doesn't just feel like left over songs from Emperor either. Like every Mastodon release, this EP has it's own personality.
[youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u44bs_Cwoms[/youtube]
Satyricon – Deep Calleth Upon Deep 
Genre: Black metal
Origin: Oslo, Norway
Label: Napalm
Buy now on Amazon.com
Best pals Satyr and Frost are back with another record of grim spookiness. Their ninth record features all the upbeat hits of today like "Black Wings and Withering Gloom," "To Your Brethren in the Dark," and who can forget "Burial Rite." So don your corpse paint, get out there and make something of today with this as your soundtrack.
[youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jMEaLSizXXM[/youtube]
Chelsea Wolfe – Hiss Spun 
Genre: Experimental/Doom
Origin: Roseville, California
Label: Sargent House
Buy now on Amazon.com
While not technically "metal," Chelsea Wolfe has released another heavy as fuck album. Darkness and emotion are all turned to eleven on Hiss Spun, one of her best releases, if not the best, in her career. Aaron Turner of Isis fame and Troy Van Leeuwen from Queens of the Stone Age both pop on here too, so that's neat. Check out Dan's full review here.
[youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2sb5TszDqYE[/youtube]
Wolves In The Throne Room – Thrice Woven 
Genre: Black metal
Origin: Olympia, Washington
Label: Artemisia
Buy now on Amazon.com
After their 2014 ambient album Celestite, Wolves in the Throne Room are back with their trademark Pacific Northwest atmospheric black metal sound. So if you missed the blast beats, nods to OG black metal, and the Weaver boys being angry, then Thrice Woven will be the record to bring you back to the pack. Pack, because wolves. Get it?
[youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y1EOSgJwSY8[/youtube]
Also dropping today…
Acephalix – Decreation (20 Buck Spin) – Death metal
Brant Bjork – Europe ’16 (Napalm) – Stoner
Circa Survive – The Amulet (Hopeless) – Post hardcore
Counterparts – You’re Not You Anymore (Pure Noise) – Hardcore
Diablo Blvd. – Zero Hour (Nuclear Blast/Metalville) – Hard rock
Frank Iero and the Patience – Keep The Coffins Coming EP (BMG/Vagrant) – Alt rock
Implore – Subjugate (Century Media) – Blackened death metal
Kaipa – Children Of The Sounds (Inside Out) – Progressive
Matt Cameron – Cavedweller (Migraine) – Rock
Monarch – Never Forever (Profound Lore) – Sludge/drone
Otherwise – Sleeping Lions (Century Media) – Hard rock
Sons Of Texas – Forged By Fortitude (Razor & Tie) – Rock
Ufomammut – 8 (Neurot) – Stoner/Psychedelic
Vacivus – Temple Of The Abyss (Profound Lore) – Death metal
Vulture Industries – Stranger Times (Season of Mist) – Avant garde/progressive
With The Dead – Love From With The Dead (Rise Above) – Stoner/doom
