This week's new releases include some death metal legends keeping it death metal, some modern acts shaking things up, and more! To the metals…
Autopsy – Ashes, Organs, Blood and Crypts
Genre: Death metal
Origin: Contra Costa County, California
Label: Peaceville
Buy now on Bandcamp
Getting this party started with some of the OG nasty death metal masters. It's only been a year since Morbidity Triumphant, but they back already with more violent metal. Album number nine from them has some cute titles like, "Throatsaw," "Toxic Death Fuck," "Well of Entrails," and more.
Doro – Conqueress – Forever Strong And Proud
Genre: Heavy metal
Origin: Düsseldorf, Germany
Label: Nuclear Blast
Buy now on Amazon
All hail the metal queen! It's been five years since her massive double album Forever Warriors, Forever United and this new record rocks just as hard. She is including a couple covers like she is wont to do and these include Bonnie Tyler's "Total Eclipse of the Heart" and Judas Priest's "Living After Midnight" and the latter includes a guest spot from some young upstart named Rob Halford.
End – The Sin Of Human Frailty
Genre: Blackened hardcore
Origin: New Jersey
Label: Closed Casket
Buy now on Bandcamp
Now for some truly abrasive heaviness. The sophomore effort from these guys is a sonic beating. You wouldn't expect anything less from the band made up of dudes from Counterparts, Fit For An Autopsy, Shai Hulud, Reign Supreme, and new drummer Matt Guglielmo who is a recent addition to The Acacia Strain.
In This Moment – Godmode
Genre: Hard rock/alternative metal
Origin: Los Angeles, California
Label: BMG
Buy now on Amazon
This new In This Moment record is all over the place. The band is, of course, a long, long way from their metalcore-ish start, and this one is another theatrical release that dabbles in nü-metal. There's a guest appearance from Spencer Charnas of Ice Nine Kills which feels right, but then the band covers Björk's "Army Of Me." Didn't see that coming.
Obscura – A Celebration I – Live In North America
Genre: Technical death metal
Origin: Landshut, Germany
Label: Nuclear Blast
Buy now on Bandcamp
Fans of Obscura will probably dig this a lot. While not a proper live show recording, this is a collection of live cuts from throughout the band's 2022-23 tour of North American. They're giving you tracks from Cosmogenesis, Omnivium, Akroasis, Diluvium, and A Valediction, so it's pretty close to covering their entire run. Always impressive to hear these sorts of songs live since they seem impossible to nail.
Poppy – Zig
Genre: Dark pop/pop metal
Origin: Boston, Massachusetts
Label: Sumerian
Buy now on Amazon
Poppy's latest Zig might be the sign that she has just about finished her romance with heavy metal. This is largely a dark pop record with the occasional hard moment that has some of the same characteristics of a Sleep Token, but with industrial or nu metal rather than djent. Still a compelling record that shows another interesting chapter in a compelling artist.
Wargasm – Venom
Genre: Electronic metal
Origin: London, England
Label: Republic
Buy now on Amazon
Speaking of compelling artists, the latest from Wargasm is a hell of a ride. They have some of the catchiest melodies that are paired with some driving, pissed off beats. Venom is like everything from the early 00's at once blended then given a modern remix.
Year Of The Knife – No Love Lost
Genre: Hardcore
Origin: Delaware
Label: Pure Noise
Buy now on Bandcamp
Concluding this week with the latest from Year Of The Knife. They have had rough year, but even without that in mind this release is some of the best modern hardcore I've heard in a while. It's topped of by guest vocals by Devin from Sanguisugabogg and Dylan from Full of Hell on a pair of tracks. Give it a spin and then if you can throw their recovery fund some dough. Max has a full review here.
Also dropping this week…
- Aegrus – Invoking The Abysmal Night (Osmose) – Black metal
- Bacterial Husk – Anthropogenic Ruin (Self-released) – Death metal
- Bayway – World Of Bayway II (DAZE/RTF Records) – Hardcore
- Berzerker Legion – Chaos Will Reign (Listenable Records) – Death metal
- Beware Wolves – Vol. 1 (Aqualamb Records) – Folk
- Bonafide – Are You Listening? (Sound Pollution/Black Lodge Records) – Hard rock
- Broder – Skarpretterfossilet (Extremely Rotten) – Drone/doom
- Aaron Cravens – Regenerate (Wormholedeath) – Shred
- Cemetery Urn – Suffer The Fallen (Hells Headbangers) – Death metal
- Cerulean – Carrion Angel (Self-released) – Dissonant death metal
- CoreLeoni – Alive (Metalville) – Hard rock
- Crime In Stereo – House & Trance (Pure Noise) – Hardcore
- Darkplace – About The End Of The World (Icons Creating Evil Art) – Post-punk/experimental
- Dokken – Heaven Comes Down (Silver Lining) – Glam metal
- Ecocide – Metamorphosis (Memento Mori) – Death metal/thrash
- Efraah Enhsikaah – One Thousand Vultures Waiting To Be Fed (Osmose) – Black metal
- Elm Street – The Great Tribulation (Massacre) – Heavy metal
- Endseeker – Global Worming (Metal Blade) – Death metal
- Eternal Evil – The Gates Beyond Mortality (Listenable) – Black metal/thrash
- Falling Stars – Lonely No More (Tee Pee Records) – Rock/pop
- Freakshow – So Shall It Be (Eonian Records) – heavy metal/hard rock
- The Gaslight Anthem – History Books (Rich Mahogany) – "heartland rock"
- Glacier Eater – Tempest (Glacier Recordings) – Melodic death metal
- Gravesend – Gowanus Death Stomp (20 Buck Spin) – Black metal/grindcore
- Hollow Front – The Fear Of Letting Go (UNFD) – Metalcore
- Howling Giant – Glass Future (Magnetic Eye) – Stoner/doom
- Ignited – Cradle Of The Wicked (Self-released) – Heavy metal
- Immortal Guardian – Unite And Conquer (M-Theory) – Progressive/power metal
- King Falcon – King Falcon (Mascot) – Hard rock
- King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard – The Silver Cord (Self-released) – Psychedelic/synthwave
- Lake Malice – Post-Genesis EP (So) – Alternative metal
- Lightlorn – At One With The Night Sky (Black Lion Records) – Atmospheric/post-black metal
- Mangled Carpenter – Salvation Syndrome (Rottweiler Records/Broken Curfew Records) – Death metal/grindcore
- Magnolia Park – Halloween Mixtape II (Epitaph) – Poop punk/rock
- Martyrdoom – As Torment Prevails (Memento Mori) – Death metal/doom
- Mass Hysteria – Tenace Part 2 (Out of Line Music) – Nu metal
- Mouth For War – Bleed Yourself (MNRK Heavy) – Hardcore/metalcore
- Nebula – Livewired In Europe (Heavy Psych Sounds) – Stoner rock/metal
- Noidva – Lappish Shatanism (Purity Through Fire) – Black metal
- Of Virtue – Omen (Arising Empire) – Metalcore/melodic hardcore
- Omission – Disciples Of Ravens Vengeance (Xtreem) – Blackened thrash
- One Of Nine – Eternal Sorcery (Argento) – Melodic black metal
- Pattern-Seeking Animals – Spooky Action At A Distance (InsideOut) – Progressive rock
- Paws – Paws (Self)
- Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs – Live In New York (Missing Piece Records) – Stoner rock
- Ragana – Desolation's Flower (The Flenser) – Atmospheric doom/black metal
- Sentinels – In Limbo (SharpTone Records) – Metalcore
- Serenity – Nemesis AD (Napalm) – Symphonic/power metal
- Shadowspawn – Blasphemica (Emanzipation) – Thrash/death metal
- Show Me The Body – Live & Loose In The USA (Loma Vista Recordings) – Hardcore
- Sky Empire – The Shifting Tectonic Plates of Power – Part One (ViciSolum Productions / Sound Pollution) – Prrogressive metal
- Sorcerer – Reign Of The Reaper (Metal Blade) – Epic doom
- Taking Back Sunday – 152 (Fantasy) – Rock/alternative
- Thanamagus – Lie In Wait (Carbonized Records) – Death metal
- Three Eyes Of The Void – The Atheist (Folter Records) – Black metal
- Throat – We Must Leave You (Svart) – Noise rock
- Tortuga – Iterations (Napalm) – Stoner/psychedelic
- Robin Trower – Joyful Sky (Provogue) – Rock
- Veil Of The Serpent – Gallery Of Sin II (Veil Of The Serpent) – Death metal/thrash
- Venom – Live From The Hammersmith Odeon Theatre (Dissonance) – Heavy/black metal
- VRSTY – Levitate (Spinefarm) – Post-hardcore/R&B
- Wayfarer – American Gothic (Profound Lore) – Astmospheric folk/black metal
- W.E.B. – Into Hell Fire We Burn EP (Metal Blade) – Extreme symphonic metal
- Witching – Incendium (Translation Loss) – Blackened doom/sludge
