This week's heavy new releases includes the end of a weirdly high number of album gaps, a hell of a solo debut, and more! To the metals…
Fleshgod Apocalypse – Opera
Genre: Symphonic death metal
Origin: Perugia/Rome, Italy
Label: Nuclear Blast
Buy now on Bandcamp
After a five year gap, Fleshgod Apocalypse are finally back with a new record of epic death metal. While there were some singles over the years, this marks the first full record for drummer Eugene Ryabchenko, guitarist Fabio Bortoletti, and clean vocalist Veronica Bordacchini. The three of them fit right in and help make Opera a grand experience.
Kingcrow – Hopium
Genre: Progressive metal/rock
Origin: Rome, Italy
Label: Season Of Mist
Buy now on Bandcamp
Here's another Italian band, but one with a wildly different vibe. Long time readers know that I have a soft spot for prog, so this one is for me. Kingcrow's first record in six years dabbles in a lot of directions, experiments with rhythmic jumps, and remains pretty catchy. Fans of recent Leprous should give this a shot.
Melt-Banana 3+5
Genre: Experimental rock/metal
Origin: Tokyo, Japan
Label: A-Zap
Buy now on Amazon
Here's another band returning after a hell of an album gap. Save for some collaborations/splits, It's been eleven years for these weirdos. The little I've heard from this so far is unmistakably Melt-Banana. Songs are chaotic and brief as they twist and grind through your mind.
Nile – The Underworld Awaits Us All
Genre: Technical/brutal death metal
Origin: Greenville, South Carolina
Label: Napalm
Buy now on Amazon
Karl Sanders and the boys are back to kick your ass with their tenth album of Egyptian-themed death metal. You'll find a pair of new pals on this one in bassist Dan Vadim Von (Morbid Angel) and guitarist Zach Jeter (Doomsday Revival). This one, of course, features the title everyone is going to be chanting for at shows, "Chapter for Not Being Hung Upside Down on a Stake in the Underworld and Made to Eat Feces by the Four Apes." Love me a long song name, although you rarely see "feces" in the text of a tracklisting. Max's review is here.
Simone Simons – Vermillion
Genre: Symphonic metal
Origin: Hoensbroek, Limburg, Netherlands
Label: Nuclear Blast
Buy now on Amazon
On her first solo outing Epica's Simone Simons is collaborating with Ayreon's Arjen Anthony Lucassen for an expansive, epic, and proggy record. It's still a symphonic metal experience with Simons in the spotlight, but it's definitely got Lucassen's trademarks throughout the music. It also features some guest spots from Mark Jansen (Epica), Alussa White-Gluz (Arch Enemy) and others.
Spectral Wound – Songs Of Blood And Mire
Genre: Black metal
Origin: Montréal, Quebec
Label: Profound Lore
Buy now on Bandcamp
Here's some straight up black metal for you. Pummeling drums, shrieking vocals washed in a void of reverb, and tremolo picking throughout. Some rocking moments to get your head bobbing, but this is largely a well-executed, windmill headbanging record.
Within The Ruins – Phenomena II
Genre: Melodic/technical death metal
Origin: Westfield, Massachusetts
Label: MNRK Heavy
Buy now on Bandcamp
Ten years after the first, Within The Ruins are here with the sequel to Phenomena. II features plenty of heavy-ass grooves, shredding, and melodic flurries. I don't know the lore of the first record to know how they connect, but it's certainly another rad record of the band doing what they do well.
Zeal & Ardor – Greif
Genre: Avant-garde/black metal
Origin: Basel, Switzerland/ New York City
Label: Redacted GmbH
Buy now on Bandcamp
Wrapping this week with another record from Manuel Gagneux's shape-shifting blackened band. Grief is the most personal for the project, yet also feels like the most collaborative with his live band members. Check out Frank's chat with Manuel here to find out more.
Also dropping today…
- All For Metal – Gods Of Metal (Reigning Phoenix) – Heavy metal
- Alleviate – DMNS (Arising Empire) – Technical metalcore/djent
- Bred For Slaughter – Kill For Satan (Horror Pain Gore Death Productions) – Death metal/grindcore
- Buryfication – Gallows Rise (Kvlt und Kaos Productions) – Black/death metal
- Carmeria – Tragédie D’amour (Self-released) – Symphonic power metal
- Chained Saint – Blindside (Patriark Records) – Thrash
- Cypher – Cypher (Wormholedeath) – Progressive metal
- Dampf – No Angels Alive (Silver Lining Music) – heavy metal
- Dead Karma – The Space Camaro (Self-released) – Hard rock
- Demiser – Slave To The Scythe (Blacklight) – Black metal/thrash
- Föhn – Condescending (Hypaethral Records) – Death metal/doom
- Generation Of Vipers – Guilt Shrine (Translation Loss Records) – Progressive Sludge/Post-Hardcore
- Gravenoire – Devant La Porte Des Etoiles (Season Of Mist) – Black metal
- Hatchend – Summer Of ‘69 (Selfmadegod Records) – Death metal/grindcore
- Hellwrath – Sin Eater (Self-released) – Deathcore
- Jeris Johnson – Dragonborn (Scrappy Records) – Heavy metal
- Knife – Live Leather Hounds EP (Napalm) – Blackened speed metal
- Koldbrann – Ingen Skansel (Dark Essence) – Black metal
- Legions Of Doom – All Good Things (Tee Pee Records) – Heavy metal
- M.A.G.S. – Creator (Smartpunk Records) – Garage rock/various
- Morgue Terror – Violent and Murderous Thoughts (Self-released) – Death metal
- Mothica – Kissing Death (Rise) – Alternative rock
- My Fictions – Touch Of Glass (1126 Records) – Metalcore
- Nebülith – Feel Good Music For The End Of The World Vol. 1 (Self-released) – Stoner/doom
- The Oklahoma Kid – Featherminded EP (Arising Empire) – Metalcore
- Paralydium – Universe Calls (Frontiers) – Progressive metal
- Prisoner – House of Cards (Self-released) – Heavy metal
- Rising Insane – Wildfires (Long Branch) – Modern metal
- Scrunchies – Colossal (Learning Curve Records) – Punk/grunge
- Sidewinder – Talons (Wyrmwood Records) – Doom
- Siege Perilous – Creation’s Call (Crunchtronic Records) – Epic heavy metal
- Silvera – World Behind Doors (Mighty Music) – Hard rock
- Mike Tramp – Songs Of White Lion – Vol. II (Frontiers) – Rock
- Uniform – American Standard (Sacred Bones) – Industrial
- Vonavibe – Locked Up (Eclipse Records) – Alternative metal covers
- Warlord – From The Ashes To The Archives – The Hot Pursuit Continues (High Roller) – Heavy/power metal
- Wounded Touch / fallfiftyfeet – Traumatic Entanglement (Smartpunk Records) – Mathcore
