This week’s new heavy metal releases include hard to nail down bands, grooves, metaled up movie songs, and more! To the metals…
The Acacia Strain – You Are Safe From God Here
Genre: Deathcore/metalcore
Origin: Chicopee, Massachusetts
Label: Rise
Buy now The Acacia Strain
In 2023 The Acacia Strain dropped two records. One sludge and the other chaotic hardcore/deathcore. You Are Safe From God Here sees the band returning to a more balanced approach rather than separating. It’s heavy as fuck, just like you’d hope though.
Bonginator – Retrodeath
Genre: Death metal
Origin: Boston, Massachusetts
Label: Testimony Records
Buy now on Bandcamp
With a name like “Bonginator” you’d expect a sludge/stoner sound, right? Nah. Retrodeath is a nod to classic horror or 80’s films with music of the time infused into death metal. It’s very fun to hear those digital rototom things in a grinding metal section. They brought a lot of friends to help them party on this like members of Big Ass Truck, Belushi Speed Ball, and more.
Conjurer – Unself
Genre: Sludge/post-metal
Origin: Rugby, Warwickshire, England
Label: Nuclear Blast
Buy now on Bandcamp
Conjurer’s third record hits like a steamroller. It’s not a fast one, but it’ll still flatten you. When a song builds to a melodic moment, good golly does it hit.
Galactic Empire – Cinemetal
Genre: Movie scores, but metal
Origin: Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Label: Pure Noise Records
Buy now of Bandcamp
There was a time when Galactic Empire played Star Wars metal, then it was also John Williams metal (so you got Jurassic Park and Indiana Jones). Lately they’ve just been doing whatever, so on album number four they’re expanding their whole thing even further by covering stuff from Avengers, Pirates if the Caribbean, Batman, and beyond. It makes the outfits make less and less sense, but who cares. It’s super fun.
Leprous – An Evening Of Atonement
Genre: Progressive metal/rock
Origin: Notodden, Vestfold og Telemark, Norway
Label: InsideOut
Buy now on Bandcamp
I am a big Leprous fan, but one thing I think their latest albums doesn’t quite capture is how much of a force they really are. This live record showcases recent material and shows that it still hits like the early stuff when they’re on a stage. See them in person if you have a chance, but if you can’t this is the next best thing.
Serj Tankian – Covers, Collaborations & Collages
Genre: Alternative/nu metal
Origin: Los Angeles, California
Label: Serjical Strike
Buy now from Serj
Sometimes the title of a record does all my work for me. This is one of those times. Serj’s latest collection of songs is sort of a compilation, but it’s sort of an album. There are guests like Canadian mouse-themed knob turner Deadmau5, New Zealand singer Bic Runga, and Spanish composer Lucas Vidal and there are covers of songs you’re probably not super aware of.
Soulfly – Chama
Genre: Groove metal/thrash
Origin: Phoenix, Arizona
Label: Nuclear Blast
Buy now on Amazon
One of the Max Cavalera family bands is hitting you with some grooves on album number thirteen. You know what you’re in for with a Soulfly record, so ready your head to be banged. Todd Jones from Nails is on a song and that one is extra heavy.
Sumo Cyco – Neon Void
Genre: Alternative/modern metal
Origin: Toronto, Canada
Label: Self-released
Buy now from Sumo Cyco
Man, this is some catchy stuff. This has some metalcore anthems, groove metal…well, grooves, and pop hooks. It’s hard to perfectly nail down their sound and I think that’s a point in their favor.
Vowws – I’ll fill your house with an army
Genre: Shoegaze/experimental
Origin: Los Angeles, California
Label: Out Of Line Music
Buy now on Bandcamp
Like Sumo Cyco, the new Vowws record is hard to nail down. This has some new wave, showgaze, and some whatever Puscifer-is-up-to vibes to it. I guess they call it “death pop,” and sure, I hear that. Whatever it is, it’s rad and probably my favorite thing this week.
Also dropping this week…
Adept – Blood Covenant (Napalm) – Metalcore/post-hardcore
Aduanten – Apocryphal Verse (Nameless Grave Records) – Melodic death metal
Arcane Tales – Ancestral War (Broken Bones Promotion & Productions) – Power metal
Ars Onirica – 2.5 Nighttime (Ardua Music) – Melodic death metal/doom
Arsenic Kitchen – Handbook For The Recently Deceased (Self-released) – Hard rock
Gus Baldwin – Gus Baldwin (Permanent Teeth) – Punk/singer-songwriter
Big Wreck – The Rest Of The Story (Sonic Unyon Records) – Post-grundge
Blackshape – Prismer I (Papercut Recordings) – Atmospheric post-metal
Born Divided – Chronicle of a Shipwreck (Self-released) – Progressive black metal
Brainwave – Ill Intent (Self-released) – Hardcore/crossover
Breath – Brahman (Argonauta Records) – Doom
Cemetery Moon – Dominion Of Ashes (Self-released) – Black metal
Centinex – With Guts and Glory (Black Lion Records / Sound Pollution) – Death metal/punk
Coldrain – Optimize (Century Media) – Metalcore/post-hardcore
Dayseeker – Creature In The Black Night (Spinefarm) – Post-hardcore/metalcore
Deteriorot – Awakening (Xtreem Music) – Death metal
Devastrosity – Eviscerating Desolation (Comatose Music) – Brutal death metal
Disfiguring The Goddess – Galopogos (Self-released) – Deathcore
Doro – Warriors Of The Sea (Rare Diamonds) – Heavy metal
Downswing – And Everything Was Dark (MNRK) – Modern/groove metal
Drofnosura – Ritual Of Split Tongues (Transcending Obscurity) – Sludge
Elepharmers – Western Wilderness (Electric Valley Records) – Stoner metal/psychedelic
Elettra Storm – Evertale (Scarlet) – Power metal
Fatal Portrait – An Elusive Instinct For Lascivia Redvx (Black Lion Records) – Black metal
Glasya – Fear (Scarlet) – Symphonic metal
Goatfather – House Of The Rising Smoke (Argonauta Records) – Stoner
Hail The Sun – cut. turn. fade. back. (Equal Vision) – Progressive/post-hardcore
Heavy Pettin – Rock Generation (Silver Lining Music) – Heavy metal
Hostilia – Face the Fire (Hammerheart) – Thrash
In Lieu – Hooligan (Learning Curve Records) – Noise rock
Jet Jaguar – Severance (Steamhammer/SPV) – Heavy/speed metal
Juliet Ruin – Regime (Self-released) – Metalcore
Karate Steve – Time Under Tension (Self-released) – Hardcore/melodic death metal
Mammoth – The End (BMG) – Hard rock
Leah Martin-Brown – Love & Other Crimes (Frontiers) – Rock/pop
Liv Moon – The Land of Spirits (Walküre Records) – Symphonic/power metal
Mastiff – For All The Dead Dreams (Church Road Records) – Doom/sludge
Mos Generator – Live At Roadburn Festival 2008 (Savant Guarde) – Heavy/stoner metal
Necronemesis / Gangrenesia – Putrid Sanctity (Horror Pain Gore Death Productions) – Death metal
Nine Treasures – Seeking The Absolute (Metal Blade) – Folk metal
Old Year – No Dissent (Apocalyptic Witchcraft) – Death metal/doom
Our Oceans – Right Here, Right Now (Long Branch) – Progressive rock
Outerburst – Witchcraft (Self-released) – Melodic groove metal
Phaeton – Neurogenesis (INB Music) – Progressive metal
Psychonaut – World Maker (Pelagic) – Post-metal
Reverya – Afflication In Blood (Self-released) – Progressive metal
Ronnie Romero – Backbone (Frontiers) – Hard rock
Scorching Tomb – Ossuary (Time To Kill Records) – Death metal
Shiraz Lane – In Vertigo (Frontiers) – Rock
Sinister Days – Disconnect Society (Self-released) – Hardcore
Speed – All My Angels (Flatspot Records/Last Ride Records) – Hardcore
Spøgelse – Spøgelse II (Welfare Sounds & Records) – “Drunk n roll”
Seraina Telli – Green (Metalville) – Hard rock/heavy metal
Something Is Waiting – Livelick (Learning Curve Records) – Noise/heavy metal
Them – Psychedelic Enigma (Steamhammer) – Heavy metal
Torture Hammer – Torture Hammer (Creator-Destructor Records) – Death metal
Tuesday The Sky – Indoor Enthusiast (Metal Blade Records) – Progressive metal/shred
Valletta – Bitter Lucid Truth (Lifeforce Records) – Black metal
Various Artists – Can’t Get Enough: A Tribute To Bad Company (Primary Wave Music) – Bad Company covers
Warrant – The Speed Of Metal (Massacre Records) – Glam rock
Wino – Create Or Die (Ripple) – Doom/hard rock
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