This week's new heavy metal releases include nasty death metal, sad doom, cop cosplay, and more! To the metals…
200 Stab Wounds – Manual Manic Procedures
Genre: Death metal
Origin: Cleveland, Ohio
Label: Metal Blade
Buy now on Bandcamp
Between the name and the album art, you know what you're getting into with Manual Manic Procedures. This is a heavy, violent, and evil sonic explosion of death metal. At some point in this column, I said something to the effect that we're in another golden age of death metal, and this is another entry into that golden age. J. Andrew's review is right here.
Aberrance – Son of Dirt
Genre: Death/groove metal
Origin: Paradise, California
Label: Silence Pendulum
Buy now on Bandcamp
In the mood for some more nasty death metal? Well, great news! On the first Aberrance record in seven years, these NorCal lads are bringing you guttural vocals, crushing drums, and hefty grooves. Hits like a brick, and keeps on hitting.
Amarok – Resilience
Genre: Sludge/doom
Origin: Chico, California
Label: Vulture Print/Vendetta Records
Buy now on Bandcamp
With Resilience, we're sticking to the greater NorCal area, but slowing things waaaaaaaaaaaaay the hell down, and getting heavy in more way than one. Sure this is heavy as fuck doom, but it partially inspired by the California wildfires that wrecked their area a bit ago.
Nothing More – Carnal
Genre: Alternative/progressive metal
Origin: San Antonio, Texas
Label: Better Noise
Buy now on Bandcamp
Now for a complete shift in tone across the board. Like every Nothing More record this album includes anthemic earworms and massive grooves throughout. This one is full of guests. You're getting David Draiman (Disturbed), Sinizter, and Eric V (I Prevail).
White Stones – Memoria Viva
Genre: Progressive death metal
Origin: Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain
Label: Reigning Phoenix Music
Buy now on Amazon
On Memoria Viva, Opeth's Martín Méndez is back once again with his death metal sidepiece. Unsurprisingly, rhythmic weirdness is the star here, but it's also just an odd album that keeps you guessing. Those that still miss the death metal side of Opeth (and still haven't given this band a shot for some reason) should hop on now.
X-Cops – Xcab
Genre: Thrash/crossover
Origin: Richmond, Virginia… I think?
Label: Pit
Buy now on Bandcamp
Taking this week in for a landing with a brief but interesting EP. For the unfamiliar, X-Cops is a Gwar offshoot with members past and present performing dressed as police officers instead of alien monsters. It's political while also tongue-in-cheek. This is their first outing in almost thirty years and it's a wild return.
Also dropping this week…
- Alexisonfire – Live Born & Raised 2022, St Catharines ON (Dine Alone) – Post-hardcore
- Altar Of Oblivion – In The Cesspit Of Divine Decay (From The Vaults) – Doom
- Anvil – One And Only (AFM) – Heavy metal
- Banks Arcade – A Muse (UNFD) – Hard rock/modern metal
- Big Sun – Rite De Passage (Mighty Music) – Hard rock
- Bridear – Born Again (Psychomanteum Records) – Power metal/metalcore
- Chaser – Small Victories (Thousand Islands) – Melodic punk
- Louise Patricia Crane – Netherworld (Peculiar Doll Records) – Progressive/folk
- Crocell – Of Frost, Of Flame, Of Flesh (Emanzipation Productions) – Black/death metal
- Crossfaith – AЯK (UNFD) – Electronic metalcore
- Crystal Viper – The Silver Key (Listenable) – Heavy metal
- Devolution – Deceiver, Believer (Close Encounter Records) – Groove metal
- Drift Into Black – Voices Beneath The Rubble (Black Lion Records) – Gothic metal/doom
- The Eternal – Skinwalker (Reigning Phoenix) – Gothic metal/doom
- The Exies – Closure (Self-released) – Rock
- Firewalker – Hell Bent (Triple B Records) – Hardcore
- The God Awful Truth – All That Dark & All That Cold (Dark Trail Records) – Technical deathcore
- Habak – Insania (Persistent Vision Records) – Post-metal/crust
- Hail Spirit Noir – Fossil Gardens (Agonia Records) – Progressive/psychedelic black metal
- Hipoxia – Fragmented Revelations (The Way Of The Hermit) – Doom/drone
- Illdisposed – In Chambers Of Sonic Disgust (Massacre) – Melodic death metal
- Ill Nino – Ill-Mortals Vol. 1 EP (Godsize) – Nu/groove metal
- Imposter – Oblivion Opens (Quality Control HQ) – Hardcore
- Islander – Grammy Nominated (Self-released) – Alternative metal
- Kaipa – Sommargryningsljus (InsideOut) – Progressive rock
- Kybalion – A Crippled Power (Self-released) – Black metal
- Limbonic Art – Opus Daemonical (Kyrck) – Symphonic black metal
- Love Letter – Everyone Wants Something Beautiful (Iodine) – Hardcore
- MakeWar – A Paradoxical Theory Of Change (Fat Wreck Chords) – Pop punk
- My Epic – Loriella (Tooth & Nail) – Hard rock
- Neaera – All Is Dust (Metal Blade) – Melodic death metal/thrash
- Necronomicon Ex Mortis – You and Your Friends Are Dead: Game Over (Self-released) – Melodic death metal
- Nighthämmer – Land Of Fear (Inferna Profundus Records) – Black metal
- Noxis – Violence Inherent in the System (Rotted Life Records) – Death metal
- Pijn – From Low Beams Of Hope (Floodlit Recordings) – Ambient/doom
- Redd Kross – Redd Kross (In the Red) – Rock/punk
- Sabïre – Jatt (Listenable Records) – Heavy metal
- Shade Of Sorrow – Upon The Fields Of Grief (M-Theory Audio) – Melodic death metal
- Shumaun – Opposing Mirrors (Self-released) – Progressive rock
- Slugcrust – Discharge(d) (Terminus Hate City) – Grindcore
- Solar Temple – A Gift That Should Have Been Preserved for the Great Lights (ConSouling Sounds) – Atmospheric black metal
- Split Iris – Bloodred Dusk (Seek And Strike) – Progressive metalcore
- Stillborn – Netherworlds (Black Lodge Records) – Gothic metal/doom
- Sunbomb – Light Up The Sky (Frontiers) – Heavy metal/hard rock
- Sunfall – Les Morts Sont Nés Ici (Out Of Line Music) – Nu-core
- Trog – Horrors Beyond (Self-released) – Death metal
- Warhog – The Dystopian Chronicles Vol. 1 (Self-released) – Heavy metal
- World On Alert – World On Alert (Self-released) – Progressive metal
- Wraith – Fueled By Fear (Prosthetic) – Blackened thrash
