Alcest – Shelter
Genre: Post-Rock
Origin: Paris, Île-de-France
Label: Prophecy
Buy now on Amazon.com
I'll probably be alone in not hating Alcest's more straight-forward post-rock style that they've adopted on this album. Sure, I adored the blackened shoegaze or whatever label you want to slap on it, but for what this is, it's good. Jeremy wasn't too stoked on it, but give it a listen and accept that they're out of the black now.
Avichi – Catharsis Absolute
Genre: Black Metal
Origin: Chicago, Illinois
Label: Profound Lore
Buy now on Amazon.com
Now, if you wanted some memorably, melodic black metal that still has some blasting and screamy vocals, enjoy Avichi this week. Of course, try not to this act confused with Avicii, they're a little different.
Check out a preview here.
Culted – Oblique To All Paths
Genre: Blackened Doom
Origin: Winnipeg, Canada
Label: Relapse
Buy now on Amazon.com
Riffs. This band is riffs. Lurching, stoner, Canadian riffs.
Iced Earth – Plagues Of Babylon
Genre: Power Metal
Origin: Tampa, Florida
Label: Century Media
Buy now on Amazon.com
This is the second album with Stu Block, the band's millionth singer, and he's certainly found his groove in the Iced Earth machine. Said machine is quite good and churning out Iced Earth. Epicness? check. High vocals contrasted with bellowing vocals? Check. Gang vocals to symbolize unity? Ugh, check. Gripes aside, I actually have a special place in my heart for this ridiculous band. Stream the full album here.
Indian – From All Purity
Genre: Sludge
Origin: Chicago, Illinois
Label: Relapse
Buy now on Amazon.com
I have no problem admitting that I just don't get a band sometimes. This band speaks to an audience that I am not a part of. Jeremy dug it, take his word on it.
The Kennedy Veil – Trinity Of Falsehood
Genre: Death Metal
Origin: Sacramento, California
Label: Unique Leader
Buy now on Amazon.com
The Kennedy Veil are a big fish in the small pond of brutal tech death bands from Sacramento (which is most of the pond actually, or it used to be when I paid more attention). Fans of shready git-fiddles, brutalness, and unrelenting metal should give this a listen.
Nashville Pussy – Up The Dosage
Genre: Southern Rock
Origin: Atlanta, Georgia
Label: SPV
Buy now on Amazon.com
Southern sleazy rock at it's something-est. One of the songs on this album by Nashville PUSSY is called "Rub It To Death." I'm over talking about this album already.
Sister – Disguised Vultures
Genre: Heavy Metal
Origin: Stockholm/Jönkoping Sweden
Label: Metal Blade
Buy now on Amazon.com
This band likes two other bands a lot: Motley Crue and Misfits. I could be wrong on both assumptions but, they look like a a mash-up of the two, they like Crue's musical delivery, and Misfits affinity for weird but not quite scary shit, as you can see below. Also this video looks to have some nudity in it, so that's something to look forward to.
Also dropping today…
Aenaon – Extance (Code 666)
Apostolum – Winds of Disillusion (Moribund)
Astral Domine – Arcanum Gloriae (Bakerteam)
Axel Rudi Pell – Into The Storm (SPV)
Battleaxe – Burn This Town Re-Release (SPV)
Chrome Division – Infernal Rock Eternal (Nuclear Blast)
Crystal Viper – Possession (AFM)
Drudkh – Eastern Frontier In Flames (Season Of Mist)
Drudkh/Winterfylleth – Thousands of Moons Ago/The Gates Split EP (Season Of Mist)
Edenbridge – Aphelion Re-Release (SPV)
Edenbridge – Arcana Re-Release (SPV)
Edenbridge – Shine Re-Release (SPV)
Edenbridge – Sunrise In Eden Re-Release (SPV)
Ethereal Riffian – Shaman's Visions (Mulligore)
Graveborne – Through the Window of the Night (Seance)
Hell/Amarok – Split (Pesanta Urfolk)
In This Moment – Blood Special Edition (Century Media)
Lethe – When Dreams Become Nightmares (Debemur Morti)
Lvcifyre – Svn Eater (Dark Descent)
Manes – Teeth, Toes and Other Trinkets (Debemur Morti)
Monte Pittman – The Power Of Three (Metal Blade)
October 31 – The Fire Awaits You Re-Release (Hells Headbangers)
Operadyse – Pandemonium (SPV)
Orchid – The Zodiac Sessions (Nuclear Blast)
Persuader – The Fiction Maze (Inner Wound)
Rogash – Supremacy Undone (War Anthem)
Scent Of Remains – Under A Blackened Sky (Pavement)
Scorpions – MTV Unplugged (Sony)
Septicflesh – A Fallen Temple Re-Release (Season Of Mist)
Silent Force – Rising From The Ashes (AFM)
Stuntman – Incorporate The Excess (Solar Flare)
Suffering Hour – Forseeing Exemptions To A Dismal Beyond EP (Tridroid)
Tempel – On The Steps Of The Temple (Prosthetic)
Throwdown – Intolerance (eOne)
Under Cities – Never A Lost Cause (Red Cord)
Vardan – The Woods Is My Coffin (Moribund)
Warfather – Orchestrating The Apocalypse (Greyhaze)