As you're reading this, I'm an a lengthy journey across all of California. If you see an exhausted tiny bearded man in a Honda, wave at me. This edition includes a super-supergroup, some Russian Turbo Polka (because fuck you, it's my post), occult-y rock stuff, and more! To the metals…
Kataklysm – Of Ghosts And Gods 
Genre: Melodic death metal
Origin: Montreal, Canada
Label: Nuclear Blast
Buy now on Amazon.com
Pretty straight forward, heavy, and inoffensive death metal. Has some solid grooves and memorable melody, but it's all rather familiar. A buy if your a fan, probably a stream otherwise.
[youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V-KME77Pi60[/youtube]
Russkaja – Peace, Love and Russian Roll 
Genre: Russian Turbo Polka
Origin: Vienna, Austria
Label: Napalm
Buy now on Amazon.com
File under bands unlike anything else. Not quite metal, but this band combines the attitude of a punk outfit with the chaos of a band like Gogol Bordello, and the horn section of your skankiest ska bands out there. Even still, this band weaves in and out of surf rock, ska, punk, and some thashier moments.
[youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y9B9pvdtuns[/youtube]
Teenage Time Killers – Greatest Hits Vol. 1 
Genre: Hard rock/heavy metal
Origin: Los Angeles, California…and all over really
Label: Rise
Buy now on Amazon.com
This is a supergroup collaboration event. Features members of Lamb of God, Slipknot, Foo Fighters, Clutch, Dead Kennedys, Prong, Red Fang, Eyehategod, Corrosion of Conformity, BL’AST, Municipal Waste, and many more. Must respect to Mike Murphy and Reed Mullin for putting together and awesome collection of artists and songs.
[youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0APpo2vEikY[/youtube]
Xandria – Fire & Ashes 
Genre: Symphonic metal
Origin: Bielefeld, Germany
Label: Napalm
Buy now on Amazon.com
Xandria have long been an epic band that doesn't stray too much from their working formula, and this EP is additional songs in the realm of their last record Sacrificium. HOWEVER, this does feature a cover of an under-appreciated artist that really deserved more coverage. That artist…Meat Loaf. Xandria, too, would anything for love, but they won't do that.
Year Of The Goat – The Unspeakable 
Genre: Occult stoner
Origin: Norrköping, Sweden
Label: Napalm
Buy now on Amazon.com
While looking this band up I learned something. I was not paying attention at all, and missed that 2015 is the year of the sheep/goat. This band should really release an album every year of the goat. That'd be a pretty rad gimmick. Random thought aside, this band is a really cool blend of 70's psychedelic rock, modern stoner and bombastic soaring rock (I even want to compare the vocal style to Muse). They're Purson, Bigelf, or Ghost adjacent so you'll probably dig this record.
[youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hQWAeA2ncAg[/youtube]
Also dropping today…
Against The Grain – Road Warriors (Self-Destructo) – Thrash
Alfahanne – Alfapokalypse (Candlelight) – "Alfapocalyptic Rock"
Barshasketh – Ophidian Henosis (Blut & Eisen) – Black metal
Finger Eleven – Five Crooked Lines (Bicycle) – Alt rock
Fully Consumed – Incendium (Art Consumed) – Technical death metal
Godhunter vs. Destroyer of Light – Engsville Split (Battleground/Heavy Friends) – Doom
Grusom – Grusom (Kozmik Artifactz) – Stoner
Iron Kingdom – Ride For Glory (Tridroid) – Heavy metal
Perversor – Anticosmocrator (Hells Headbangers) – Blackened thrash
Saint Asonia – Saint Asonia (RCA) – Rock
Scissortooth – Novagomorrah (Galy) – Thrash
Shroud Of The Heretic – Unorthodox Equilibrium (Iron Bonehead) – Death metal
Skialykon – Vestigio (Naturmacht) – Atmospheric black metal
Suis La Lune – Distance / Closure EP (Top Shelf) – Post metal
Tornado – Black President (Aural) – Thrash
Tearless – Step Into Darkness (Aural) – Gothic metal
Whispering Woods – Perditus et Dea (Loud Rage) – Symphonic goth metal
