THE WEEKLY INJECTION: New Releases From HIGH ON FIRE, LUCIFER, VATTNET VISKAR and More Out Today – 6/16

As of this post's publication, I'm dying in Arizona. Too fucking hot, too fucking desert. I picked a great week to take some new albums out with me though. This week we have the latest from a band that insists on using flames as mind altering substance, an organ of a monster, a much-hyped doom entity and much more. This is the best week in a long long time. To the metals…

Demon Lung – A Dracula 

Genre: Doom
Origin: Las Vegas, Nevada
Label: Candlelight)

Buy now on Amazon.com

I can't tell if the album title is a Community reference or not, but I like to think it is. Anyway, this is a really great album that sort of came out of nowhere for me. I knew of this doomy collective, but this record is so good that it made me really want to pay more attention to them. A really heavy and adventurous album.

 

High On Fire – Luminiferous 

Genre: Thrash/Doom
Origin: Oakland, California
Label: eOne

Buy now on Amazon.com

This band can't be bad. They are sort of the Motorhead of this generation in that each record isn't that different, but each one fucking rules. They continue to fly the thrash doom flag, which itself seems like an oxymoron.

[youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9qncjyyQ6nA[/youtube]

 

Iwrestledabearonce – Hail Mary 

Genre: Deathcore
Origin: Los Angeles, California
Label: Artery

Buy now on Amazon.com

I've been IWABO apologist for a long time now. I totally get why people might dislike their dissonant, chaotic deathcore, but I've always appreciated the powerful melody and gorgeous vocals that seemed to randomly dropped in. The latest record feels a bit more straight-forward than before. It's like they decided to become more serious with their new singer.

[youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=95dgVlua7aE[/youtube]

 

KEN Mode – Success 

Genre: Noise/Hardcore/etc
Origin: Winnipeg, Canada
Label: Season of Mist

Buy now on Amazon.com

Speaking of chaos… KEN Mode have always been a unique force of punk, sludge, noise, and so much more. This new album is a constant juxtaposition of seemingly positive imagery and word choices ("Blessed," "Tight Jeans")  coupled with really intense sonic assaults. Although on second thought, maybe "Dead Actors" and "Failing At Fun Since 1981" aren't so positive.

[youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OeMAWgNskv0[/youtube]

 

Lucifer – Lucifer I 

Genre: Doom
Origin: Berlin, Germany
Label: Rise Above

Buy now on Amazon.com

This band has been getting a lot of hype as the new IT melodic doom band. Deserved. All of it. This band is so fucking catchy while holding onto the spirit of 70's heavy metal and a through-line of modern doom darkness. Also, vocals by Johanna Sadonis formerly of The Oath, so that's promise alone for you.

[youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V7DipwzfPOM[/youtube]

 

Tempel – The Moon Lit Our Path

Genre: Instrumental progressive
Origin: Phoenix, Arizona
Label: Prosthetic

Buy now on Amazon.com

Beauty, atmosphere and crushing post-metal rarely combine is such a successful way as they do with Tempel. This duo has a knack for really interesting instrumental composition that isn't overly repetitive or so all over the place to make up for vocals that it becomes jarring.

[youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k970Xe3_BU0[/youtube]

 

Vattnet Viskar – Settler 

Genre: Atmospheric black metal
Origin: Plaistow, New Hampshire
Label: Century Media

Buy now on Amazon.com

Really, really, really fucking good atmospheric black metal that refuses to be a one-note album. This band is more than they let on, and this album is proof of their ability to shape shift and twist their sound. A stellar follow-up to an already solid band. This is this year's Shelter (Fallujah), in that you'll probably get sick of hearing how good it is.

[youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0wK0WR3IFwk[/youtube]

 

Also dropping today…

Amanita Virosa – Asystole (Inverse) – "Hospital metal"
Atavismo – Desintegracion (Temple of Tortuous) – Psychedelic
Carnalation – Ghosts EP (Inverse) – Death metal
Child Of Caesar – Love In Black (Inverse) – Gothic
Conquer Divide – Conquer Divide (Artery) – Metalcore
Curse Upon A Prayer – Rotten Tongues (Inverse) – Black metal
Darkology – Fated To Burn (Prime Eon) – Power metal
Dying Humanity – Deadened (Bastardized) – Death metal
The Exploding Eyes Orchestra – I (Svart) – Progressive stoner rock
False – Untitled (Gilead) – Black metal
Graveyard Shifters – High Heels & Broken Bones (Eternal Sound) – Crossover
Hansel – 69 Minutes With Hansel (Prime EON) – Heavy metal
Masacre – Brutal Aggre666ion (Xtreem) – Death metal
Mefitic – Woes Of Mortal Devotion (Nuclear War Now!) – Blackened death metal
The Ongoing Concept – Handmade (Solid State) – Metalcore
Pale Chalice – Negate The Infinite and Miraculous (Gilead) – Black metal
Sanctrum – Rot (Aural) – Groove metal
Shape of Despair – Monotony Fields (Season Of Mist) – Doom
Shit – Scavengers Of A Dying Sun (Chaos) – Crust
Slash Featuring Myles Kennedy & The Conspirators – Live At The Roxy 9/25/15 DVD (Eagle Rock) – Hard rock
Total Negation – Zeitzeuge (Temple of Torturous) – Black metal
Wisdom In Chains – The God Rhythm (Fast Break) – Hardcore
Wrath Of Vesuvius – Wrvth (Unique Leader) – Technical metal