This week's new heavy metal releases include the return of the saddest boys in prog, a sludge/synthwave cocktail, melodic thrash, and more! To the metals…
Betraying The Martyrs – Silver Lining
Genre: Symphonic metalcore/deathcore
Origin: Paris, France
Label: Out Of Line Music
Starting this week with the new chapter of Betraying The Martyrs. The band are no stranger to lineup shifts, but a vocalist is always an adjustment. Long time fans may need to get used to new vocalist Rui Martins here, but I feel like he kills it. He pairs well with Victor Guillet. If you're unfamiliar with the band and a fan of grand choruses paired with big ol' grooves, then this would be a good starting point for the band.
Coheed and Cambria – Vaxis II: A Window Of The Waking Mind
Genre: Progressive rock
Origin: Nyack, New York
Label: Roadrunner
I was prepared to come her and offhandedly say that Coheed does what Coheed does here and more on. And I say that as a fan. However, the band are experimenting here in interesting ways to the extent that they haven't done since The Afterman albums. You're still getting catchiness, proggy rhythms, and high concept space epic lyrics. This time there is also some synthwave dabbling, some dance grooves, and lots of atmosphere in the middle of the record. Jordan has a review here.
Darkane – Inhuman Spirits
Genre: Melodic death metal/thrash
Origin: Helsingborg, Sweden
Label: Massacre
Sweden's long-running melodic thrashers haven't put out an album in almost a decade, and that break ends here. Inhuman Spirits is a record of epic, speedy metal rippers. They seem real pissed on this one.
Final Light – Final Light
Genre: Experimental/electronic
Origin: Umeå, Sweden/Paris, France
Label: Red Creek
Cult of Luna's mainman Johannes is teaming up with Perturbator for a record that sounds exactly like you'd imagine from the pair. This is massive soundscapes, digital instrumentation, slow heaviness, and low bellowing roars. Not a combination I saw coming, but a very successful one.
Horned Wolf – Become Like They Are
Genre: Progressive sludge/melodic death metal
Origin: Kansas City, Missouri
Label: Self-released
Horned Wolf's debut sees a wild mix of melodic death metal, metalcore, sludge, stoner, and hard rock. Vocalist Sav MangelsDorf is one of the most dynamic I've heard in a while. They easily shift from emotional In This Moment-esque cleans to demonic shrieks. This is an act I hope to hear a lot more from in the future.
Porcupine Tree – Closure/Continuation
Genre: Progressive rock
Origin: Hemel Hempstead, England
Label: Music For Nations/Megaforce
Between this and The Mars Volta doing stuff again, it's a great time to be a prog dork. Steven Wilson, Richard Barbieri, and Gavin Harrison came back together after eleven years and the result is unmistakable Porcupine Tree. What a time to be alive. Jordan has a full review here.
Werewolves – From The Cave To The Grave
Genre: Technical black/death metal
Origin: Melbourne, Australia
Label: Prosthetic
Wrapping this week with some straight up metal. Pure aggression and energy here with chaotic riffs, demonic vocals, and so much kick drum. This is the band's third album in as many years, and it's impressive that they're able to drop so much good shit so quickly.
Also dropping today…
- 10,000 Years – III (Death Valley Records) – Stoner
- Alestorm – Seventh Rum Of A Seventh Rum (Napalm) – Folk metal
- Alexisonfire – Otherness (Dine Alone) – Post-hardcore
- Aximoa – Sepsis (Translation Loss Records) – Black metal/grindcore
- Black Stone Cherry – Live From The Royal Albert Hall… Y'all (Mascot) – Hard rock/Southern metal
- BongBongBeerWizards – Ampire (Electric Valley Records) – Sludge/drone
- Candy – Heaven Is Here (Relapse) – Hardcore
- Classless Act – Welcome To The Show (Better Noise) – Rock
- Dali Van Gogh – New Blood, Old Wounds (Wormholedeath) – Hard rock
- Dawn of Destiny – Of Silence (El Puerto Records) – Power metal
- Dying Desolation – Midnight (Dying Desolation) – Alternative metal
- Emery – Rub Some Dirt On It (Tooth & Nail) – Post-hardcore/alternative
- Enchantment – Cold Soul Embrace (Transcending Records/Cosmic Key Creations) – Death metal/doom
- Fairweather – Deluge (Equal Vision Records) – Post-hardcore/punk
- Fallen Sanctuary – Terranova (AFM) – Melodic power metal
- Guillotine A.D. – Born To Fall (M-Theory) – Death metal
- Hats Barn – Y.a.HW.e.H (Osmose Productions) – Black metal
- The Hellacopters – Through The Eyes Of The Hellacopters EP (Nuclear Blast) – Garage rock
- Hush – The Pornography of Ruin (Self-released) – Sludge
- Khold – Svartsyn (Soulseller) – Black metal
- Knoll – Metempiric (Self-released) – Grindcore
- Kollaps – Until The Day I Die (Cold Spring Records) – Post-industrial
- Limbs – Coma Year EP (UNFD) – Post-hardcore
- Mine Collapse – Delusions (Nefarious Industries) – Sludge/noise
- Mirror Queen – Inviolate (Tee Pee) – Heavy metal
- Mystery Dudes – Exit Through the Wormhole (Electric Valley Records) – Stoner/psychedelic
- Our Dying World – Hymns of Blinding Darkness (Self-Released) – Melodic metal
- Paganizer – Beyond The Macabre (Transcending Obscurity) – Death metal
- Pathos & Logos – Cult (Self-released) – Progressive
- Philosophobia – Philosophobia (Sensory) – Progressive metal
- Profiler – Profiler (SharpTone Records) – Nu metal/hard rock
- Projected – Hypoxia (Rat Pak) – Alternative metal
- Radian – Discordian (Elburno Records) – Doom/sludge
- Rebel Priest – Lesson In Love (Thundermoose Entertainment) – Heavy metal/hard rock
- RXPTRS – Living Without Death's Permission (Metal Blade) – Hardcore/hard rock
- Saor – Origins (Season Of Mist) – Atmospheric folk/black metal – Full review
- Serpent Spawn – Crypt Of Torment (Iron Bonehead Productions) – Death metal
- Veter Daemonaz – Muse Of The Damned (Osmose Productions) – Black metal
- Victorius – Dinosaur Warfare Pt. 2 – The Great Ninja War (Napalm) – Power metal
- Volcandra – Border World EP (Prosthetic) – Melodic black metal
