Greetings from the past dear readers. During the time that I'd normally be getting drunk and writing this weekly forum for your hatred, I'll be in Disneyland frowning and trying to get people in costumes to throw up horns. So this week's edition is coming from way in the past! Anywhoozle, this edition features some power metal, some black metal and the new fucking OPETH! To the metals…
Alraune – The Process of Self-Immolation
Genre: Black metal
Origin: Nashville, Tennessee
Label: Gilead
Buy now on Amazon.com
For those seeking lengthy lo-fi(ish) black metal tunes, one needs to look no further than…Nashville? I didn't expect Nashville to be capable of something so evil, so icy, or so good. Blasting aplenty here, so those that are against symphonies, shoegaze, or pretty melodies should check out Alraune.
Circle II Circle – Live at Wacken (Official Bootleg) 
Genre: Progressive power metal
Origin: Tampa, Florida
Label: Armoury
Buy now on Amazon.com
This band has been around for a bit, and oddly enough I only found out about them while looking through Wacken line-ups. Fans of the band, Savatage, and the likes will probably dig these live renditions of most of the Savatage album The Wake of Magellen. They don't seem to play much original stuff live. They instead pull from Zachary Stevens' past. I wonder if the band just doesn't have faith in their own material, or they simply know what fans will pay to see?
Opeth – Pale Communion 
Genre: Progressive
Origin: Sorskogen, Sweden
Label: Roadrunner
Buy now on Amazon.com
For as much as I was on board for Heritage, I don't go back to it too much these days. Pale Communion continues the band's proggy explorations while leaving out the death metal. Long time fans crying for heaviness will probably still not like this, but I hear a lot more to bite into than Heritage here. I can't turn then record off actually. Proggy in all the best ways, memorable, and beautiful. While I too miss the heaviness at times, this record has everything else I love about the band turned up to 11, so I barely notice the lack of death metal this time.
Machinae Supremacy – Phantom Shadow 
Genre: Power metal
Origin: Lulea, Sweden
Label: Spinefarm
Buy now on Amazon.com
This is the kind of album I hope for when I decide I need new power metal in my life. This album soaring in every way, but it is adventurous in the sound. There are moments of 8-bit, electronica, progressive rock and more weaving in and out of this epicness. Highly recommended for those left with more to be desired from the latest DragonForce.
Also dropping today…
Adrenaline Rush – Adrenaline Rush (Frontiers)
Along Came a Spider – Resurgence (Standby)
Bastard Sapling – Instinct Is Forever (Gilead)
Blackwolfgoat – Drone Maintenance (Small Stone)
English Dogs – The Thing With Two Heads (Candlelight)
Famous Last Words – Council of the Dead (InVogue)
Force of Darkness – Absolute Verb of Chaos and Darkness (Hells Headbangers)
Invent, Animate – Everchanger (Tragic Hero)
Motorhead – Aftershock Tour Edition (UDR))
Sea of Bones – The Earth Wants Us Dead (Gilead)
Thousand Foot Krutch – Oxygen: Inhale (TFK)
X-Drive – Get Your Rock On (Frontiers)
