This edition includes head wear-themed thrash, the second (maybe third) coming of 90's icons, stoner jams of varying intensities, and more! To the metals…
The Crown – Cobra Speed Venom 
Genre: Melodic death metal/thrash
Origin: Trollhättan, Sweden
Label: Metal Blade
This record is a bludgeoning in sonic-form. There is quite a bit of diversity here too. Sure you have you thrash base, but the moments of technicality, hardcore, and melodic moments give this life. The Crown are un-fuck-with-able on this album.
[youtube=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PCe9qtABof8][/youtube]
Earthless – Black Heaven 
Genre: Psychedelic/stoner
Origin: San Diego, California
Label: Nuclear Blast
If The Crown were too intense for you, or you just want some smokier jams to space out to, look no further than Black Heaven. This album is worship of riffs, fuzz, and grooves. Fans of The Sword, mid-era Black Sabbath, and the likes need to give this a listen. Read a full review by Kevin here.
[youtube=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0QvV3J5buvk][/youtube]
King Witch – Under The Mountain 
Genre: Doom
Origin: Edinburgh, Scotland
Label: Listenable
King Witch, like Earthless are a smokey, riff-worshiping group, but they are bringing the heavy, and some story telling tendencies. The vocals of Laura Donnelly have a bit of a classic rock flair to them, and they pair perfectly with the heavy intensity of the band. This is one of the stronger debut records in this genre I've heard.
[youtube=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nuK2Qhjzq5g][/youtube]
Rivers Of Nihil – Where Owls Know My Name 
Genre: Technical death metal
Origin: Reading, Pennsylvania
Label: Metal Blade
Where Owls Know My Name will be a highlight in Rivers of Nihil's career, maybe THE highlight of their career. Technicality, melody, heaviness, and song-writing chops are all at eleven. It's like if Fallujah turned down the reverb or if Black Crown Initiate called in a friend with saxophone occasionally. Michael has a full review here.
[youtube=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zx-r8M6hMbk][/youtube]
Stone Temple Pilots – Stone Temple Pilots 
Genre: Grunge/rock
Origin: San Diego, California
Label: Play Pen Music/Rhino Entertainment
With a new singer in Jeff Gutt (ex-Dry Cell), Stone Temple Pilots are back with their unmistakable driving rock sound. The new guy really, REALLY sounds like Scott Weiland most of the time, and while the Chester Benington years were interesting, this is the voice they need. I kinda thought the band was done, but this album proved me wrong.
[youtube=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F9wln-KgIeA][/youtube]
Susperia – The Lyricist
Genre: Melodic death metal/thrash
Origin: Haslum, Norway
Label: Agonia
I'm pretty late to this party (like almost twenty years late), but Susperia are pretty sweet. They have the intensity of Amon Amarth coupled with the musical diversity of Arcturus, and the hair of 90's Bon Jovi. The combination is really cool, and so if The Lyricist.
[youtube=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wsPCXas5oys][/youtube]
Also dropping today…
As Oceans – Still Miles To Go (Primitive Ways Records) – Melodic death metal
Black Foxxes – Reiði (Spinefarm) – Rock
Black Wizard – Livin' Oblivion (Listenable) – Stoner/doom
Casey – Where I Go When I Am Sleeping (Rise Records/Hassle Records) – Hardcore
Deconstructing Sequence – Cosmic Progression: An Agonizing Journey Through Oddities of Space (Via Nocturna) – Extreme experimental metal
Ektomorf – Fury (AFM) – Groove metal
Eyes of the Sun – Chapter I (Blacklight Media) – Sludge/doom
Forbidden Seasons – Promise (This Is Core) – Metalcore/post-hardcore
Green Druid – Ashen Blood (Earache) – Doom
Gygax – Second Edition (Creator Destructor) – Psychedelic/stoner
Hell To Pay – Bliss (GTR Records) – Hardcore
High Reeper – High Reeper (Heavy Psych Sounds) – Stoner
Jirm – Surge Ex Monumentis Small Stone Recordings) – Stoner
Marijannah – Till Marijannah (Pink Tank Records) – Doom/stoner
Monotheist – Scourge (Prosthetic Records) – Technical death metal
Northlane – Analog Future (Rise/UNFD) – Metalcore
North Hammer – Stormcaller (self) – Melodic death metal
On Thorns I Lay – Aegean Sorrow (Alone) – Melodic doom/death metal
Owl Maker – Path of the Slain (self) – Stoner/hard rock
Twingiant – Mass Driver (Sludgelord) – Stoner
