This week's new heavy metal releases include a pair of records from a summer festival mainstay, an album one of our writers gave a perfect ten to, and more! To the metals…
Blackbraid – Blackbraid II
Genre: Black metal
Origin: Adirondack Mountains, New York
Label: Self-released
Buy now from Bandcamp
Happy Friday! Here's some black metal.This band includes traditional Indigenous percussion and flutes to elevate an already solid black metal sound scape. Jeff has a full review here.
Butcher Babies – Eye For An Eye & …Til The World's Blind
Genre: Groove metal
Origin: Los Angeles, California
Label: Century Media
Buy now from Butcher Babies
It's been a decade since the Butcher Babies debuted with Goliath and to celebrate this the band are dropping two full records. One that harkens back to that sound and one that showcases where they are now. The records wind up being a presentation of this act's ability to shift and dabble outside of what is perceived to be their usual sound. Lots to enjoy here if you're a fan. Chad's full review is here.
Lockjaw – Relentless
Genre: Metalcore
Origin: Dallas/Forth Worth, Texas
Label: AISAUS/The Orchard
Buy now from Lockjaw
Next up is a melodic metalcore trip. This record sounds like classic 00's metalcore, and it will scratch a nostalgic itch you didn't realize you had. Heads will bang and high kicks will be performed in the pit.
Nita Strauss – The Call Of The Void
Genre: Heavy metal/shred
Origin: Los Angeles, California
Label: Sumerian
Buy now on Amazon
Nita Strauss is a bad ass. She has guitar chops for days, but songwriting abilities allow her to overcome the shredder cliché of mundane tracks that are just an excuse for someone to wank over. Instead, you get a musically exciting and dynamic record that happens to have oodles of guest vocals like Lzzy Hale (Halestorm), Alissa White-Gluz (Arch Enemy), and Alice Cooper. About half of the songs are sans guests and they are just as exciting.
Will Haven – VII
Genre: Noise metal
Origin: Sacramento, California
Label: minus HEAD Records
Buy now on Bandcamp
Wrapping this week with the noisy underground legends of Sacramento. The band's first album in five years is all rage and atmosphere. It's a hell of a ride. If you want sludge, they have you covered. Hardcore? Yep. Epic black metal? Oddly, yeah. Or at least pretty damn close.
Also dropping this week
- 1476 – In Exile (Prophecy Productions) – Atmospheric rock – Review
- All For Metal – Legends (AFM Records) – Heavy metal
- Bloodbound – Tales From The North (AFM) – Power metal
- Deathroll – Japanese Extreme Metal Art (Wormholedeath) – Black metal
- Demolizer – Post Necrotic Human (Mighty Music) – Thrash
- Eternity – Mundicide (Soulseller Records) – Black metal
- Gutslit – Carnal (Self-released) – Death metal/grindcore
- The Hate Project – Blessed With Malevolence (Seek & Strike) – Deathcore
- Hazing Over – Tunnel Vision (1126 Records) – Metalcore/death metal
- Jaodae – Nest Of Veins (Black Throne Productions) – Progressive metal/sludge
- Kikimora – For A Broken Dime (Frontiers Music s.r.l.) – Progressive/hard rock
- A Life Divided – Down The Spiral Of A Soul (AFM) – "Electro-rock"/hard rock
- Lycanthropy – On The Verge Of Apocalypse (Horror Pain Gore Death Productions) – Grindcore
- Mammuthus – Imperator (Self-released) – Stoner
- Misery Signals – Live: In Isolation (Self-released) – Metalcore
- Nuclear Dudes – Boss Blades (Modern Grievance Records) – Industrial/synth metal
- The Raven Age – Blood Omen (Music For Nations) – Heavy metal
- Emma Ruth Rundle – Engine Of Hell – Live At Roadburn 2022 (Self-released) – Doom folk
- Serpent Corpse – Blood Sabbath (Temple of Mystery Records) – Death metal/punk
- Servant – Aetas Ascensus (MDD Records) – Black metal
- Snuffed On Sight – Smoke (Creator-Destructor Records) – Brutal death metal/hardcore
- Voidmilker – Labyrinthical (Tragedy Productions) – Black metal
- Winterage – Nekyia (Scarlet Records) – Symphonic/power metal
- Withering Scorn – Prophets Of Demise (Frontiers) – Heavy metal
- Wizard Master – Ablanathanalba (Electric Valley Records) – Stoner/doom
When you're done with these new releases, check out these metal documentaries and live videos streaming from our sponsor Thunderflix.
The History of Metal and Horror" is now on Thunderflix!
Prepare to headbang and scream like a possessed banshee as this mind-melting documentary dives into the unholy marriage of bone-crushing metal and spine-tingling horror. Join rock 'n' roll gods like Alice Cooper, Rob Zombie, Corey Taylor, and John 5, along with horror masterminds, as they reveal the sinister secrets of this unholy alliance. This film will make your head spin like a demonic whirlwind, leaving your neighbours contemplating an exorcism. Stream at your own risk.
