Most weeks I peak ahead to see just how much good stuff is coming out, and didn't this week for some reason. I was blindsided but just how much great shit is coming out today. This week's edition includes thrash legends, future thrash legends, everyone's favorite (or favorite to hate) legend turned reality star and more! To the metals…
The Acacia Strain – Coma Witch
Genre: Deathcore
Origin: Chicopee, Massachusetts
Label:Rise
Buy now on Amazon.com
Vincent Bennett and (some new) pals have returned with a collection of groovy deathcore-ish songs lead by two new guitarists. From the little I knew about this band before this album, I don't think there is much to alienate existing listeners here. So good news to fans and non-fans along. Stream it here.
Ancient VVisdom – Sacrificial
Genre: Austin, Texas
Origin: Melodic Doom
Label: Magic Bullet
Buy now on Amazon.com
Texas's favorite band of doomy death rockers are here with the follow-up to their acclaimed album, Deathlike. While I admit that I'm not looking super hard, I'm not finding any samples other than this one. The rest of this record has potential to have some twists as this song is pretty different than previous efforts. I'm looking forward to exploring this one further.
Baptists – Bloodmines
Genre: Hardcore
Origin: Vancouver, Canada
Label: Southern Lord
Buy now on Amazon.com
This is Baptists doing what Baptists does. This is noisy, chaotic Canadian hardcore.
Exodus – Blood In, Blood Out
Genre: Thrash
Origin: Richmond, California
Label: Nuclear Blast
Buy now on Amazon.com
10 years after his (second) departure from the band Steve Souza has returned bringing his classic thrash vocals back to Exodus. This album also features a rather interesting groups of guests including Chuck Billy of Testament, Dan The Automater, and some guy named Kirk Hammett working a wah pedal. Stream it here.
Inter Arma – The Cavern EP
Genre: Progressive Doom
Origin: Richmond, Virgina
Label: Relapse
Buy now on Amazon.com
Until this EP, Inter Arma was a band I enjoyed fondly from a distance. I dug what they were doing when I heard it, but didn't go back much for whatever reason. However, this 45-minute single song EP is a masterpiece. It's heavy, beautiful, melodic, progressive, and even a bit folksy. I love it and just want it to never end.
The Melvins – Hold It In
Genre: Heavy metal
Origin: Montesano, Washington
Label: Ipecac
Buy now on Amazon.com
Sometimes-stoner, sometimes-doom, sometimes-punk, but always Melvins. These guys continue to prove they're one of the most eclectic bands ever. So much going on as always. I particularrly enjoy the almost-Celtic feeling in "The Bunk Up." ALSO! There are some Butthole Surfers on this one.
Ozzy Osbourne – Memoirs of a Madman DVD/CD
Genre: Heavy metal
Origin: Birmingham, England
Label: Epic
Buy now on Amazon.com
Pretty much everything you'd expect (and probably want) from a single-disc Ozzy collection. You'll unfortunately get that Kelly version of "Changes" if you get this. Everything else is here though. A good place to start for a kid just discovering Ozzy.
Pig Destroyer – Mass & Volume EP
Genre: Grindcore
Origin: Alexandria, Virginia
Label: Relapse
Buy now on Amazon.com
This band is way sludgier than I remember. A pretty interesting experiment in a different direction. Not a lot of grind, not a lot of core, but they sure bring the doooooooom.
Rings Of Saturn – Lugal Ki En
Genre: Technical deathcore
Origin: Bay Area, California
Label: Unique Leader
Buy now on Amazon.com
Techy and pretty atmospheric. Way less breakdown nonsense than before. I enjoy that much of it. Nate has a full review praising this album here.
Revocation – Deathless
Genre: Technical death metal
Origin: Boston, Massachusetts
Label: Metal Blade
Buy now on Amazon.com
These guys just keep pumping out solid albums. It's everything you love from the band without a sense of a band stagnating. Nate has a full review here.
Scar Symmetry – The Singularity (Phase 1 – Neohumanity)
Genre: Melodic death metal
Origin: Avesta, Sweden
Label: Nuclear Blast
Buy now on Amazon.com
This will be the first of what surely will be an epic, melodic trilogy of one of Sweden's finest. This might be the thing to bring back those that left with Christian Älvestam in 2008. I'd suggest these folks give this one a listen.
Today Is the Day – Animal Mother
Genre: Noisecore
Origin: Oreland, Maine
Label: Southern Lord
Buy now on Amazon.com
Today is The Day is one of those cult bands I respect more than I enjoy. Because of this I'll admit that I don't know much about them. The little I've heard from this record reminds me of energetic sludge with the adventurous spirit of Fantomas. It's all over the place and a bit disconcerting. This, to me, is what makes this band special to so many.
Also dropping today…
Arabrot – I Modi EP (Fysisk Format) – Sludge
At Dusk – Anhedonia (Broken Limbs) – Depressive black metal
Audio Porn – Midnight Confessions (JK) – Hard rock
Aurin – Catharsis (Pavement) – Rock
Beastmilk – Use Your Deluge EP Re-Release (Magic Bullet) – "Apocalyptic death-rock"
Better Left Unsaid – The Reissues (InGrooves) – Metalcore
Calm Hatchery – Fading Reliefs (Selfmadegod) – Death metal
Cara Neir / Venowl – Split (Broken Limbs) – lo-fi doom?
Chasing Safety – Season Of The Dead (Outer Loop) – Post-hardcore
Climates – Bodyclocks (Artery) – Melodic hardcore
Cognition – Cognition (JK)
Drone – Drone (Metalville) – Melodic death metal
Dystopia – Human = Garbage Re-Release (Tankcrimes) – Sludge/crust
Eden Circus – Marula (Lifeforce) – Atmospheric prog
Favorite Weapon – Sixty Saragossa (Rise) – Post-hardcore
Fleshworld/Gazers/Viscera – Split (Unquiet)
Hang the Bastard – Sex in the Seventh Circle (Siege of Amida / Century Media) – Doom…core?
Heroes of Vallentor – The Warriors Path Part I (Inverse) – Epicness
Horrendous – Ecdysis (Dark Descent) – Experimental death metal
House of Lightning – Lightworker (Translation Loss) – Stoner
Itnuveth – The Way Of The Berserker (Xtreem) – Blackened folk metal
KMFDM – Our Time Will Come (Metropolis) – Industrial
Knight Area – Hyperdrive (Lasers Edge) – Progressive
Kreyskull – Tower Witch (Inverse) – Stoner
Like Monroe – Things We Think, But Never Speak (eOne) – Melodic metalcore
Lunatic Soul – Walking On a Flashlight Beam (Kscope) – Progressive
The Lurking Corpses – Workin' For The Devil (Hells Headbangers) – Heavy metal
Manes – Be All End All (Debemur Morti) – Progressive
Manhack – Dominicide EP (Autumn + Colour) – Brutal death metal
MoE – 3 (Fysisk Format) – Noise
Maplerun – Restless (Pavement) – Post grunge
Mastercastle – Enfer De La Bibliotheque Nationale (Scarlet) – power metal
Menace Ruine – Venus Armata (Profound Lore) – Ambient drone
My Brother The Wind – Once There Was A Time When Time and Space Were One(Free Electric Sound) – "Cosmic rock"
Noturnall – Noturnall (Metalville) – Power metal
Occultation – Silence In The Ancestral House (Profound Lore) – Occult rock
October 31 – Bury the Hatchet (Hells Headbangers) – heavy metal
Old Lines – No Child Left Behind (No Sleep) – Hardcore
Planethard – Now (Scarlet) – Alt metal
Process of Guilt / Rorcal – Split EP (Bleak)
Rebellious Spirit – Obsession (SPV) – modern glam
Riot Horse – This Is Who We Are (Metalville) – blues rock
Sanctuary – The Year the Sun Died (Century Media) – Heavy metal
Sarea – This Is Not Goodbye (Doolittle) – melodic metal
Septycal Gorge – Scourge of the Formless Breed (Comatose) – tech death
Sloths – Twenty Years EP (The Ghost Is Clear) – noise
Starkill – Virus of the Mind (Century Media) – Melodic death metal
Swallowed – Lunarterial (Dark Descent) – blackened doom?
Tarnkappe – Tussen Hun En De Zon (Hammerheart) – black metal
Thy Serpent's Cult – Sedition, Sorcery and Blasphemy (Ordo) – blackened death metal
Transmaniacon – The Darkening Plain (New Heavy Sounds) – doom
Volunteer – Goner EP (Forge Again) – Sludge/grunge
Weed Is Weed – Blunt Force Trauma (Ripple) – Weed
Wormwood – Wormwood (Magic Bullet) – Doom
Zelorage – So You're A Mess (Inverse) – Groove metal
