This week's new heavy metal releases include weird blackened metal, fun death metal, a return to form of sorts, and more! To the metals…
Аркона – Kob'
Genre: Folk/melodic death metal
Origin: Moscow, Russia
Label: Napalm
Buy now on Bandcamp
Starting this week off with some folksy goodness from Аркона (or Arkona). Folksy in the way that melodic death metal with an occasionally flute or mouth harp is folksy, by they way. The band's first record in five years is epic and more experimental than I expected from them.
Boris & Uniform – Bright New Disease
Genre: Experimental/noise
Origin: Tokyo, Japan / New York, New York
Label: Sacred Bones
Buy now on Bandcamp
it's been a few years since the ever-prolific Boris has dropped a collaboration album and, of course, their latest is with Uniform who are no stranger to collabs themselves. This starts thrashy and winds up in a sludgy conclusion and the journey in the middle is aggressive and all over the place. This record is a wonderful addition to fans of each, and should serve as a great introduction to the either band.
Creeping Death – Boundless Domain
Genre: Death metal
Origin: Dallas, Texas
Label: MNRK Music Group
Buy now on Bandcamp
Creeping Death started STRONG with their debut and on their second album they remain just as mighty. This is high energy death metal that winds up being as fun as it is nasty. It was produced by Adam D from Killswitch Engage so it has some of his shine, but you shan't find soaring, empowering vocals here. Quite the opposite actually as the band ramps up with gore with a guest spot from Corpsegrinder on a song.
King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard – PetroDragonic Apocalypse
Genre: Hard rock/garage
Origin: Melbourne, Australia
Label: KGLW
Buy now on Bandcamp
Album twenty-four and what I can only assume is the band's first of 2023 has them coming back to the fuzzy, stoner-ish hard rock/metal the tapped into on Murder of the Universe and Infest the Rats' Nest. This has riffs galore and a wonderful classic stoner metal production aesthetic. These dudes should do an album with Boris. Seems like a matter of time there.
Queens Of The Stone Age – In Times New Roman…
Genre: Stoner/hard rock
Origin: Palm Desert, California
Label: Matador
Buy now on Amazon
Josh Homme and his gang have returned with the third of the trilogy that started with …Like Clockwork. It retains the filter of sadness Clockwork had, but perhaps with a vibe closer to Lullabies To Paralyze. This is brimming with swagger and Queens trademarks though.
Royal Thunder – Rebuilding The Mountain
Genre: Hard rock
Origin: Atlanta, Georgia
Label: Spinefarm
Buy now on Amazon
In my humble opinion, Royal Thunder has never really missed. Some records may be less "metal" than others, but nothing has been bad. Having said that, Rebuilding The Mountain feels like a return for the band. The band you fell in love with on on CVI is alive and well here.
Thy Catafalque – Alföld
Genre: Avant-garde metal
Origin: Makó, Hungary
Label: Season Of Mist
Buy now on Bandcamp
Lots of prolific artists this week! The latest from Thy Catafalque is more of their successful blend of weird and evil. This has a blackened foundation and weirdness drizzled on top. And because mainman Tamás Kátai is like a black metal Ayreon, this has a ton of guest from fellow Hungarian metal folk.
Vulture Industries – Ghosts From The Past
Genre: Avant-garde metal
Origin: Bergen, Norway
Label: Dark Essence
Buy now on Bandcamp
Wrapping this week with some more weird. Vulture Industries' latest has some black metal influeces, but is closer to Ghost or the rocking side of Arcturus. This has a lot of horns throughout which is really fun in metal. Jeff has a rather glowing review here.
Also dropping this week…
- Alt. – Abeyance (SharpTone) – Melodic metalcore
- Altar Of Oblivion – Burning Memories (From The Vaults)
- Avkrvst – The Approbation (InsideOut) – Progressive rock
- Church Of Misery – Born Under A Mad Sign (Rise Above) – Doom
- Diminishing – The Unnamable (Anti-Corporate Music) – Doom/ambient
- Elder Devil – Everything Worth Loving (Prosthetic Record) – Hardcore/black metal
- Fifth Angel – When Angels Kill (Nuclear Blast) – Heavy/power metal
- Frozen Land – Out Of The Dark (Massacre) – Power metal
- Helleruin – Devils, Death And Dark Arts (New Era Productions) – Black metal
- Joel Hoekstra's 13 – Crash Of Life (Frontiers) – Hard rock/glam
- Lanayah – I’m Picking Lights in a Field… (Anima Recordings) – Experimental/post-metal
- Memorrhage – Memorrhage (Big Money Cybergrind) – Nu metal
- Methedras – Human Deception (Self-released) – Thrash
- Motorhead – Live At The Montreaux Jazz Festival '07 (BMG) – Heavy/speed metal
- Orchid's Curse – The Decay (Self-released) – Melodic death metal
- Pride Of Lions – Dream Higher (Frontiers) – Rock
- Rise To The Sky – Two Years Of Grief (Meuse Music Records/Tragedy Productions) – Atmospheric doom/death metal
- Sammath – Grebbeberg (Hammerheart) – Black metal
- Saturnus – The Storm Within (Prophecy) – Death metal/doom
- Sifting – Silent Acquiescence (Eclipse Records) – Progressive/thrash
- The Sigil – Argante (Self-released) – Melodic/experimental rock
- Trip The Wire – Trip The Wire (Self-released) – Hard rock
- Varmia – nie nas widzę (M-Theory) – Folk/black metal
- Vile Ritual – Caverns Of Occultic Hatred (Sentient Ruin) – Blackened death metal
- Vypera – Race Of Time (Frontiers) – Heavy metal/hard rock
- Witchskull – The Serpent Tide (Rise Above) – Stoner rock/heavy metal
- Wooden Shadow – Eternal Land Of Wrath And Mourn (Inverse Records) – Folk/black metal
- World Eater – An Insidious Remedy (Horror Pain Gore Death Productions) – Death metal
- Yawning Man – Long Walk Of The Navajo (Heavy Psych Sounds) – Experimental/psychedelic rock
When you're done with these new releases, check out these metal documentaries and live videos streaming from our sponsor Thunderflix.
Severed Ways: The Norse Discovery of America
Hold on to your battle-axes! We’re taking you on a Viking voyage with the film "Severed Ways". When two Norsemen are stranded in the New World, they must face the wilderness and their own inner demons. But here’s the killer part – the soundtrack is a relentless storm of black metal featuring the thunderous sounds of Dimmu Borgir, Judas Priest, and more! “Severed Ways” is a dark, immersive journey into the Viking age with a sonic onslaught that will send shivers down your spine. Don’t miss this brutal yet mesmerizing tale now streaming Thunderflix.
Dirkschneider – Live – Back To The Roots:
If heavy metal were a kingdom, Udo Dirkschneider would be the Iron Chancellor with a voice that could forge swords. We've been blasting this one on repeat at Thunderflix HQ! The sound is mind-blowing, and Udo's legend shines brilliantly. Accompanied by some of the best musicians we've seen and playing all the Accept classics like 'Balls to the Wall' and 'Restless and Wild', it's a must-watch and now streaming on Thunderflix.
