This week’s new heavy metal releases include some apt Halloween albums, a explosive debut, lots of punks covering Lemmy and the boys, and more! To the metals…
Avatar – Don’t Go In The Forest
Genre: Melodic death/alternative metal
Origin: Mölndal, Sweden
Label: Black Waltz
Buy now on Amazon
I can’t think of a more Halloween appropriate band than Avatar (maybe Helloween?). Sweden’s clown-led melodic weirdos are back and hitting the listener from a bunch of different angles. There’s some folk metal, some groove metal, some alt rock, and a lot more. Another varied entry in an already diverse catalog.
Black Cross Hotel – Songs For Switches
Genre: Gothic rock/post-punk
Origin: Chicago, Illinois
Label: SomeoddPilot
Buy now on Bandcamp
It seems like this year – more than ever – The Atlas Moth crew want to do anything but The Atlas Moth. Last month saw the debut of Motherless which features Stavros and on Black Cross Hotel Ragin and Mike have returned with their driving industrial, post-punk outfit with – among others – Marcus from Stabbing Westward. This one is another perfect one for today in particular.
Chat Pile and Hayden Pedigo – In the Earth Again
Genre: Noise metal/avant-garde
Origin: Oklahoma City, Oklahoma/Amarillo, Texas
Label: Computer Students Records
Buy now on Bandcamp
This one is hard to describe. Chat Pile have been leading a new era of angsty noise rock lately and for this album they teamed with avant-garde artist Hayden Pedigo for a more floaty album. Still some dissonance, but what little I’ve heard is oddly pleasant in comparison to the usual CP stuff? Maybe the singles have been misleading.
Despised Icon – Shadow Work
Genre: Deathcore
Origin: Montreal, Quebec
Label: Nuclear Blast
Buy now from Nuclear Blast
Up next we are getting pummeled by the sonic fists of Despised Icon. Their first album in six years is a deathcore masterclass. It’s also full of friends. Those friends include Matt from Kublai Khan TX, Scott from Carnifex, Tom from Chelsea Grin, and Misstiq.Yay friends!
Primitive Man – Observance
Genre: Doom/sludge
Origin: Denver, Colorado
Label: Relapse
Buy now on Bandcamp
What if one day Primitive Man dropped an album that sounded like Owl City? Just happy little beeps and boops about glowing bugs. This is probably as far as you can get from that vibe. Just darkness, heaviness, sadness, anger. All that fun stuff.
Trivium – Struck Dead
Genre: Metalcore
Origin: Orlando, Florida
Label: Roadrunner
Buy now from Trivium
Trivium’s first release of new material is a trip of songs that serve as a farewell to drummer Alex Bent. The songs are in the ballpark of In Waves and Shogun. If the last couple weren’t aggressive enough for you, this might scratch that itch.
Various Artists – Killed By Deaf – A Punk Tribute To Motörhead
Genre: Punk
Origin: Various
Label: BMG
Buy now here
As the title of this suggests this is punk bands covering Motörhead. You’re getting Pennywise, Rancid, Anti-Nowhere League, The Damned (with Motörhead), and more. Motörhead songs have always been pretty punk, so to hear bands take them across that line is pretty cool.
Wiltwither – Pure Light
Genre: Experimental metal
Origin: South Carolina
Label: 3dot
Buy now from 3Dot
If you are a fan of The Callous Daoboys but wish they ditched all the silly parts, you’ll probably dig the debut from Wiltwither. This is an intense and adventurous album. Some deathcore here, some nu metal there, some mathcore there, some pure rage there. All pulled off very well.
Also dropping this week…
Aephanemer – Utopie (Napalm) – Melodic death metal
Archaic Thorn – Malicious Spears (High Roller) – Death metal
Aviana – Void (Arising Empire) – Metalcore/djent
Barren Path – Barren Path (Willowtip Records) – Deathgrind
Bastard Cröss – Crossripper (Morbid and Miserable) – Blackened punk
Believe In Nothing – Rot (Church Road Records) – Black metal/sludge
Black Soul Horde – Symphony Of Chaos (Vinyl Store) – Sludge
Bloody Moon – Lost & Damned (Bloody Moon) – Blackened melodic death metal
Bloom – The Light We Chase (Pure Noise Records) – Melodic hardcore
Boum Patat – Ma Belgitude (Wormholedeath) – “Electro-fun”
Stephen Brodsky – Cut To The Core Vol. 1 (Pax Aeternum) – Acoustic hardcore covers
Burned In Effigy – Tyrannus Aeternum (Self-released) – Melodic death metal
Cemican – U k ‘u’ uk’ankil Mayakaaj (M-Theory) – Folk/death metal
Laura Cox – Trouble Coming (earMusic/Verycords) – Rock
Creeper – Sanguivore II: Mistress of Death (Spinefarm) – Groove metal/thrash
Danheim – Heimferd (Season Of Mist) – Folk
Defecto – Echoes Of Isolation (Frontiers Music Srl) – Progressive metal
Embraced By Darkness – Ex Inferis (Non Serviam Records) – Black metal
Empire Drowns – Endless Nights (Mighty Music) – Gothic metal/doom
Flesia – Achterbahnekstase (Cultkill Music) – Black metal
Gazpacho – Magic 8-Ball (Kscope) – Progressive rock
Going Off – Kill List II (Self-released) – Hardcore
Gumm – Beneath The Wheel (Convulse Records) – Post-hardcore/melodic hardcore
Hades Of Deep Water – The Years On Borrowed Time (Meuse Music Records) – Death metal/doom
Harkon – Love And Vore (Doc Gator Records) – Progressive metal
Hope Deferred – Darkness Remains (The Charon Collective) – Death metal
Howling Giant – Crucible & Ruin (Magnetic Eye) – Stoner metal
Inferisium – In Hell (Self-released) – Death metal
King 810 – Rustbelt Numetal (Self-released) – Nu metal/metalcore
Liminal Spirit – Unwell (Self-released) – Doom
Lunatic Soul – The World Under Unsun (InsideOut) – Progressive metal
Duff McKagan – Lighthouse: Live From London (Blood Meridian) – Rock
Moonspell – Opus Diabolicum (Napalm) – Gothic metal
Mystic Circle – Hexenbrand 1486 (Rock Of Angels) – Melodic blackened death metal
Newbreed – Outlaw (Selfmadegod Records) – Progressive metal
ODC – Twisted Love (BLKIIBLK) – Alternative metal
One Of Nine – Dawn Of The Iron Shadow (Profound Lore) – Melodic black metal
Orm – Guld (Indisciplinarian) – Melodic black metal
The Other – Alienated (Massacre) – Gothic rock
Outlaw – Opus Mortis (AOP Records) – Black metal
Pile Of Knives – Driven By The Blade (POK) – Death metal
Precious Blood – False Prophets (Self-released) – Doom
The Pretty Reckless – Taylor Momsen’s Pretty Reckless Christmas (Fearless) – Christmas music
Saint Agnes – Your God Fearing Days Are About To Begin (Spinefarm) – Rock
Sakna – De Syv Dødssynde (Hypaethral Records) – Folk/doom
Sarayasign – Shadows Of The Dying Light (Black Lodge Records) – Heavy metal
Smash Into Pieces – ArmaHeaven (Self-released) – Pop/alternative metal
Solence – Angels Calling (Better Noise) – Electro-rock
Spite – New World Killer (Rise) – Hardcore
Stillbirth – Survival Protocol (Reigning Phoenix) – Death/surf metal
Takomaha – American Basements (Loyal Blood Records) – Noise/drone
Tapeworm Electric – Moonshine (Pitch Black Records) – Heavy metal
Unprocessed – Angel (Self-released) – Progressive metal
Various Artists – Spaceship Landing: A Tribute To Kyuss (Witching Buzz) – Kyss covers/desert rock
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