Holy hell people. This edition of THE WEEKLY INJECTION is a beast. If you like death metal you'll be blowing so much money this week (or you know, spending so much time downloading these illegally). Also out today are releases from a stoner metal reunion, the return of one of modern metal's greatest voices, metal about space, and much more. To the metals…
Aborted – The Necrotic Manifesto
Genre: Death Metal
Origin: Beveren, Belgium
Label: Century Media
Buy now on Amazon.com
These cats are b-r-utal. All the things you love from a death metal band are here. They bring crushing music, shredy git-fiddles and songs of gruesome subject matter.
[youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pFIDFsfa3F4[/youtube]
Autopsy – Tourniquets, Hacksaws and Graves
Genre: Death Metal
Origin: Oakland, California
Label: Peaceville
Buy now on Amazon.com
Having Aborted and Autopsy drop on the same day actually does the Death Metal genre a great deal of service. These two bands exemplify the new most common Death Metal types while remaining in the same family. Autopsy aren't as "brutal" as their Belgian brethren, but they are no less gruesome, nor any less evil in their mid-tempo Death Metal approach.
[youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u2v2D83tKAI[/youtube]
Beneath – Barren Throne
Genre: Brutal Death Metal
Origin: Reykjavik, Iceland
Label: Unique Leader
Buy now on Amazon.com
Here we have yet another Death metal sub-genre. Beneath fly the "Brutal" flag (or at least their Metal Archives entry does for them), but the band actually includes more atmosphere and progressive influences than Autopsy or Aborted.
[youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TIeK8TaJPNE[/youtube]
Death – Leprosy Re-Release
Genre: Progressive Death Metal
Origin: Altamonte Springs, Florida
Label: Relapse
Buy now on Amazon.com
And now, to wrap up the Death Metal chunk of this week is the re-release of one of the most important records in the genre. This version includes a remaster of the original disc, as well as some early rehearsals and some versions feature a live set. I got some shit a few weeks ago calling a Pantera reissue a cash-grab, and I probably will again here, because it is totally is. Yes, the original record is a classic, BUT this is at least the forth reissue of the record. If you're a fan that must complete a collection, sell your old one(s) and get this, but if not, just get the single disc version from 2008 or whenever.
[youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_duhhVa-dk8[/youtube]
Devil You Know – The Beauty Of Destruction
Genre: Metalcore
Origin: Los Angeles, California
Label: Nuclear Blast
Buy now on Amazon.com
For as cool as it was to hear Jesse back with Killswitch Engage, I knew I was going to miss the fuck out of Howard Jones. I didn't expect to hear much of him again actually. This is actually a refreshing turn for the man as his work with KSE was growing a tad predictable. Jones joins forces with Francesco Artusato (All Shall Perish), John Sankey (Devolved), Ryan Wombacher (Bleeding Through) and Roy Lev-Ari for a much more aggressive and driving version of what Jones is good at. Melodic still, but this isn't just Jones fronting another "Def Leppard of metal." Here is Justin's full glowing review.
[youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=amdg0g1E3bY[/youtube]
Edguy – Space Police: Defenders Of The Crown
Genre: Power Metal
Origin: Fulda, Germany
Label: Nuclear Blast
Buy now on Amazon.com
This is some goofy, epic shit here. It is the space fantasy metal from Germany that the band has been doing so well for over twenty years. This is the soundtrack to battling space dragons.
[youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z5TfvbePk_w[/youtube]
Floor – Oblation
Genre: Stoner
Origin: Hialeah, Florida
Label: Season Of Mist
Buy now on Amazon.com
Floor have returned with their first record in ten years. Not familiar with the band? This is the band that spawned Torche. You certainly hear the similarities between the two, but this band skews more on the doom side than the upbeat side.
[youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gf5f95kB6F4[/youtube]
Fu Manchu – Gigantoid
Genre: Stoner
Origin: Orange County, California
Label: At the Dojo
Buy now on Amazon.com
God dammit, I love this band. They are probably my favorite Desert (or Desert adjacent?) band. This record is more of what I"ve come to love from Fu Manchu with fun, weird, stoner rock.
[youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vq3wzcwY0Gg[/youtube]
Insomnium – Shadows Of The Dying Sun
Genre: Melodic Death Metal
Origin: Joensuu, Finland
Label: Century Media
Buy now on Amazon.com
Have you have ever wondered what combining In Flames and Paradise Lost might be like? Wonder no more, because you'd get Insomnium. This is the band's sixth album of melodic, moody death metal. While not their most groundbreaking record, Shadows Of The Dying Sun doesn't show a dip in the band's quality one bit.
[youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vBZ5SLJmfdw[/youtube]
Miss May I – Rise Of The Lion
Genre: Metalcore
Origin: Troy, Ohio
Label: Rise
Buy now on Amazon.com
I can hear your calls of "death to false metal!" already. Calm down, this one is being mentioned for the kids who are into super-melodic, guitar-driven, anthem metal. These kids are stupid right now, but perhaps they'll come around. I mean, we've all got some rubbish in our musical past. Call this a gateway band.
[youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E8qkNc4k04w[/youtube]
So Hideous – Last Poem/First Light
Genre: Post-Black Metal
Origin: New York, New York
Label: Prosthetic
Buy now on Amazon.com
I love this record. This is the label debut of the band, and it is a hell of a debut. Think of Deafheaven with songs that are to the point. I prefer this, actually. A contender for album of the year for me at the moment.
[youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q5eEEGSn5_U[/youtube]
Whitechapel – Our Endless War
Genre: Deathcore
Origin: Knoxville, Tennessee
Label: Metal Blade
Buy now on Amazon.com
Whitechapel are the thinking man's Emmure. As much as Deathcore doesn't do it for me, I do mean that as a compliment. They have talent in their musicianship and their lyrics seem a bit more poetic. Mind you the big final sing along of the included song which is "You are nothing/We are everything" isn't the best example of this. They're also really into the whole rising up thing while chugging on some low notes, but it could be worse. Here's Sol's more upbeat review here.
[youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eVI6c0TlM2g[/youtube]
Also dropping today…
Abysmal Torment – Cultivate The Apostate (Willowtip)
Adestria – Gilded Hearts (Artery)
Annihilator – Feast Limited Edition CD/DVD (UDR)
Anti-Mortem – New Southern (Nuclear Blast)
Anti Ritual – Anti Ritual (Indisciplinarian)
Archspire – The Lucid Collective (Season Of Mist)
Centurian – Choronzonic Chaos Gods Re-Release (Hells Headbangers)
Centurian – Of Purest Fire Re-Release (Hells Headbangers)
Cloak Of Altering – Plague Beasts (Crucial Blast)
Coldwar – Pantheist (Candlelight)
Curimus – Artificial Revolution (Freezing Penguin/Svart)
Dead In The Manger – Transience EP (20 Buck Spin)
Dismemberment – Embrace The Dark (Horror Pain Gore Death)
Existance – Steel Alive (Mausoleum)
Exorcism – I Am God (GoldenCore)
Fake Idols – Fake Idols (Lifeforce)
Fatal Smile – White Trash Heroes (FS)
Forest Of Tygers – Bruises EP (Primitive Violence)
Grey Skies Fallen – The Many Sides of Truth (Xanthros)
Helstar – This Wicked Nest (AFM)
Holy Moses – Redefined Mayhem (SPV)
Ikillya – Vae Victus (Megaforce)
Infestus – The Reflecting Void (Debemur Morti)
Jeremy Irons & the Ratgang Malibus – Spirit Knife (Small Stone)
Klogr – Black Snow (Zeta Factory)
Lake Of Tears – By The Black Sea DVD/CD (AFM)
Lord Mantis – Death Mask (Profound Lore)
Kublai Khan – Balancing Survival & Happiness (Artery)
Manilla Road – Mystification Re-Release (Shadow Kingdom)
Martyr Defiled – No Hope No Morality (Century Media)
Mekong Delta – A Mirror Darkly (SPV)
Mind – Save Yourself From Hell (Selfmadegod)
Portrait – Crossroads (Metal Blade)
Psycho – Chainsaw Priest (Selfmadegod)
Reformers – Abolish (Mediaskare)
Revelation – Salvation's Answer Re-Release (Shadow Kingdom)
Romantic Rebel – Romantic Rebel (Pavement)
Saliva – Rise Up (Rum Bum)
Saxon – St. George’s Day Sacrifice – Live In Manchester (UDR)
Schammasch – Contradiction (Prosthetic)
Super Massive Black Holes – Calculations of the Ancients (Minotauro)
Thine – The Dead City Blueprint (Peaceville)
Twitch of the Death Nerve – A New Code of Morality (Comatose)
Unlight – The Katalyst Of The Katharsis (War-Anthem)
Upon This Dawning – We Are All Sinners (Artery)
Vanhelga – Längtan (Art of Propaganda)
