Who knew that there would be may more good releases not on 9/11. Weird. Anyway, there is almost too much good stuff. Canadian shred gods, metalcore reuniters, throwback metal, tech, djent, more, more, and more! To the metals…
Annihilator – Suicide Society 
Genre: Thrash
Origin: Vancouver, Canada
Label: UDR
Buy now on Amazon.com
One of my favorite thrash bands is here once again to shred your face off. Mainman Jeff Waters is back on vocals, so that means there's been some Annihilator member swaps since the last record. Typical for the band at this point. This record, like all their others, is a guitar masterclass.
[youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BDDdAugQZxs[/youtube]
Atreyu – Long Live 
Genre: Metalcore
Origin: Orange County, California
Label: Spinefarm
Buy now on Amazon.com
Probably one I'll get a little heat for including, oh well. The incredibly influential (for better or worse) metalcore band reunited out of nowhere and sound much different than I remember, but maybe I didn't listen much in the first place. Probably won't win over haters with this comeback, but said haters should probably still respect the musicianship that these guys have always had.
[youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3xw1vt1IS2c[/youtube]
The Black Dahlia Murder – Abysmal 
Genre: Melodic death metal
Origin: Detroit, Michigan
Label: Metal Blade
Buy now on Amazon.com
Speaking of musicianship, here is another stellar album from the consistently awesome Black Dahlia Murder. Start to finish this thing shreds, crush, melt's faces, or whatever you want to call "is quite good." I highly recommend the opening track "Receipt" should you inexplicably have doubts about this record. Full review from Sol here.
[youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5OMiJNgWbI0[/youtube]
Christian Mistress – To Your Death 
Genre: Heavy metal
Origin: Portland, Oregon
Label: Relapse
Buy now on Amazon.com
Now to slow things down and pay homage to metal of yesteryear. This is fist in the air, leather vest wearing heavy metal at it's finest. Harmonious, catchy, and just downright solid. Full review from Kevin here.
[youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YPIOa-FPniA[/youtube]
Horisont – Odyssey 
Genre: Stoner
Origin: Gothenburg, Sweden
Label: Rise Above
Buy now on Amazon.com
I sort of feel like I could copy and paste everything I said about Christian Mistress and apply it to this band and be just as stoked about it. These guys certainly go one step further and adapt the old metal aesthetic bit more, and even add some classic sounding organ. More Deep Purple influence than Judas Priest, I suppose (Despite the included song literally saying "Some heads are gonna roll" in the lyrics).
[youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uGPRnZGufjs[/youtube]
Leaves' Eyes – King Of Kings 
Genre: Symphonic metal
Origin: Stavanger, Norway
Label: AFM
Buy now on Amazon.com
Every record is essentially the same with Leaves' Eyes. That is so say that I know I'm getting a melodic, haunting, bombastic symphonic record that I'm going to crank before I do to battle with the day. Side note: if you're unfamiliar, this is Liv Kristine's band (the one that wasn't Dani Filth on "Nymphetamine") and ex-Theater of Tragedy.
[youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GWQQ1Gxo7sc[/youtube]
Metal Allegiance – Metal Allegiance 
Genre: Heavy metal
Origin: Various
Label: Nuclear Blast
Buy now on Amazon.com
I referenced this record last week while discussing the Hollywood Vampires release not realizing that it dropped today, so some of this might seem a bit familiar. Remember that Roadrunner United this from like a decade ago? This record is kinda like that in that it's a revolving group of musicians (with a few core guys per song) releasing new music. Each song is wildly different and seems to cater to the vocalists. Features Mike Portnoy, Alex Skolnick, David Ellefson, Randy Blythe, Troy Sanders (Mastodon), Cristina Scabbia (Lacuna Coil), and a whole lot more.
[youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JMGkSIXHCb0[/youtube]
My Dying Bride – Feel The Misery 
Genre: Doom
Origin: Halifax, England
Label: Peaceville
Buy now on Amazon.com
The international pop sensation has returned with another collection of smile-inducing dance tunes to get your next party jumping! Wait… I'm being informed that this is actually one of the biggest downers both musically and lyrically of the year. I'd have to agree with that, but it's oddly enjoyable. Doooooooooooom, pretty, sad, DOOOOOOOOOM.
[youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4e_c3XAPoUI[/youtube]
Scale The Summit – V 
Genre: Progressive instrumental
Origin: Houston, Texas
Label: Prosthetic
Buy now on Amazon.com
Speaking of guitar masterclasses (from like 45 records ago)… With new drummer in tow, Scale The Summit are making being impossibly good at their instruments sound effortless for the fifth time. The Migration still stands as my favorite from the band, but this one is still pretty incredible.
[youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pl6RAh4dML4[/youtube]
Stratovarius – Eternal 
Genre: Power metal
Origin: Helsinki, Finland
Label: earMusic
Buy now on Amazon.com
Powerful! Like, band on a boulder in front of the ocean without amps powerful! Who needs stinking amps when you have the legacy and might of Stratovarius? Once again they prove that they're one of power metal's best out now, and of all time.
[youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9qoGx8x4ltw[/youtube]
Tesseract – Polaris 
Genre: Djent/Progressive
Origin: Milton Keynes, England
Label: eOne
Buy now on Amazon.com
For a bit, I jumped off the bandwagon when Dan Tompkins did. Then I went to that tour they did with Cloudkicker, and the new guy won me over. Turns out that didn't matter, because Tompkins is back once again fronting the rhythmic progressive machine of soaring melody and atmosphere known as Tesseract. The latest record sounds like the void created when he left was restored, and all is once again right in the djent world. Let's groove. Full review from Riley here.
[youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kkl7CiCghVI[/youtube]
Windhand – Grief's Infernal Flower 
Genre: Stoner/doom
Origin: Richmond, Virginia
Label: Relapse
Buy now on Amazon.com
This band has been getting a ton of play on this site the last couple weeks, and rightfully so. I foresee this fuzzy piece of gold showing up on a lot of end of the year lists. This record is memorable melodies, heavy infections rhythms and fantastic vocals.
[youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l_WJB7KXae8[/youtube]
Also dropping today…
Anfinnsaas – Anfinnsaas (Autumnsongs) – Experimental
Ares Kingdom – The Unburiable Dead (Nuclear War Now!) – Thrash
Atila – V (Signal Rex) – Dark ambient
Big Brave – Au De La (Southern Lord) – Doom/post metal
Blacklisters – Adult (Smalltown America) – Noisy metal
Bleed Someone Dry – Post Mortem Veritas (Fire Was Born) – Metalcore
Blessthefall – To Those Left Behind (Fearless) – Metalcore
Broken Hope – Live Disease at Brutal Assault DVD (Century Media) – Death metal
Chaos Order – Distant Chords Of Disharmony (Blasphemour) – Experimental metal…experimetal
Cropsy Maniac / Burial Ground / Grave Wax / Severed Limbs – Four Paths To Horror Split (HPGD) – Splitcore
Crossfaith – Xeno (Razor & Tie) – Groove metal
Darkyra Black – Fool (Cargo) – Gothic metal
Deep Purple – From the Setting Sun…(In Wacken) (earMusic) – Heavy metal
Deep Purple – …To The Rising Sun (In Tokyo) (earMusic) – Heavy metal
Desakralised – Sapiens Uncrowned (Shiver) – Death metal
Devil City Angels – Devil City Angels (Century Media) – Rock
Funeral Horse – Divinity For The Wicked (Artificial Head) – Stoner
Funeral Throne – Threshold (Blut & Eisen) – Black metal
Gnosis – The Third-Eye Gate (Nuclear War Now!) – Black/death metal
Golden Void – Berkana (Thrill Jockey) – Psychedelic rock
Grift – Syner (Nordvis) – Black metal
Harlott – Proliferation (Metal Blade) – Thrash
Innfight – Boulevard Of Pain (Cargo) – Alt metal
In Twilight's Embrace – The Grim Muse (Arachnophobia) – Death metal
Kill Ritual – Karma Machine (Scarlet) – Thrash
King Heavy – King Heavy (Cruz Del Sur) – Doom
Kraanium – Chronicles Of Perversion (Comatose) – Brutal death metal
Magister Templi – Into Duat (Cruz del Sur) – Doom
Masters Of Metal – From Worlds Beyond (Metalville) – Metal
Moon – Render Of The Veils (Moribund) – Black metal
More To Monroe – Appalachia EP (Roadrunner) – Hardcore?
Movimento d’Avanguardia Ermetico – Torri del Silenzio (Avant Garde) – black metal
Neurotic November – Fighting Words (Victory) – Deathcore, but worse somehow
Of Feather And Bone – Embrace The Wretched Flesh (Good Fight) – Grindcore
One Machine – The Final Cull (Scarlet) – Progressive
Operation Mindcrime – The Key (Frontiers) – Heavy metal
Pneuma Hagion – Trinity I (Nuclear War Now!) – Black metal
Pyogenesis – A Century In The Curse Of Time (AFM) – Alt rock?
Reflections – The Color Clear (eOne / Good Fight) – Progressive
Ritual Killer – Exterminance (Season Of Mist) – Black metal
Serial Butcher – Brute Force Lobotomy (Unique Leader) – Brutal death metal
Seven Witches – The Way Of The Wicked (ILS) – Power metal
Shinedown – Threat To Survival (Atlantic) – Rock
Silverblack – The Grand Turmoil (Sliptrick) – Post-hardcore or something
Skepticism – Ordeal (Svart) – Funeral doom
Stahlmann – Co2 (AFM) – Just sorta sounds like Rammstein
Terminal Function – Clockwork Sky (Willowtip) – Technical Progressive Death Metal
To Die For – Cult (Massacre) – Goth doom
Toseland – Renegade (Metalville) – Rock
Tsar Bomb – Extermians IX:XI (Cimmerian Shade) – Black/death metal
Tsjuder – Antiliv (Season Of Mist) – Black metal
Tyranny – Aeons In Tectonic Internment (Dark Descent) – Funeral doom
Vardan – From The Pale Moonlight (Moribund) – Black metal
Witchsorrow – No Light Only Fire (Candlelight) – Doom
