This week's new heavy metal releases include a couple cool livestream releases, some epic metal, and then a just lot of dark shit (you're welcome!).To the metals…
Anthrax – Anthrax XL
Genre: Thrash
Origin: Yonkers, New York
Label: Megaforce
Starting this week off with the Anthrax 40th anniversary career-spanning (minus 93-03) livestream physical release. The band played standards like "Among The Living," "Indians," and "Caught In A Mosh" along with deeper cuts like "Medusa," "Lone Justice," "Now It's Dark," and nineteen other songs. This is a must-have for Anthrax fans as I have see them not doing some of these again.
The Armed – Ultrapop: Live At The Masonic Temple
Genre: Hardcore/experimental
Origin: Detroit, Michigan
Label: Sargent House
I swear these aren't all livestreams releases! Just one more really cool and weird one. The Armed's livestream was a goddamned spectacle. As expected from the name, it leaned Ultrapop heavy, but a could from Only Love are in there as well. A fun game to play is to see if any of these folks are actually members of The Armed.
Graveshadow – The Uncertain Hour
Genre: Power/melodic death metal
Origin: Sacramento, California
Label: M-Theory Audio
If you want something epic that's light on the cheese, then you need the latest from Graveshadow in your life. The band's third album sees them with a new vocalist, bassist, and drummer which makes this feel like a refreshed outfit. Best part of the revamped band is the fact that the drummer's name is Bones. Sick.
Hissing – Hypervirulence Architecture
Genre: Black/death metal
Origin: Seattle, Washington
Label: Profound Lore
This sounds like premeditated disorder. The riffs are bananas, the drumming is a nonstop flurry, and the production is purposefully filthy. There are some experimental moments, but it largely comes off like a old school black metal band and a classic death metal blended, chugged, and then vomited into our ears. I mean all this in a complimentary way, of course.
Inhuman Condition – Fearsick
Genre: Death metal/thrash
Origin: Florida
Label: Listenable Insanity Records
Buy now on Bandcamp
This band came on the scene last year with the solid Rat°God which was top to bottom one of those new school classic death metal albums. On Fearsick they strike gold once more. This has tank footage in their videos, building made of corpses on their album cover, and dive-bomb guitar solos. What more could you want in a death metal album?
Mantar – Pain Is Forever And This Is The End
Genre: Sludge
Origin: Bremen, Germany
Label: Metal Blade
You've been getting a lot of Mantar from us lately and rightfully so. This noisy, sludgy duo bring the riffs and the darkness that hit just right. Kevin has a full review here and Dillion has a chat here.
Xenoglyph – Spiritfraud
Genre: Psychedelic/avant-garde black metal
Origin: Earth
Label: Translation Loss Records
Wrapping this week with something weird. Xenoglyph are a spacy black metal that really embrace the anonymity thing. The Armed tell you their from Detroit, these dudes just say Earth. Although I read an interview somewhere where they claimed to be aliens… Anyway, this is atmospheric, blasty, massive, evil just a lil nerdy sounding stuff.
- …And You Will Know Us By The Trail Of Dead – XI: Bleed Here Now (Dine Alone Records/Century Media) – Alternative/art rock
- Antigama – Whiteout (Selfmadegod Records) – Death metal/grindcore
- Anova Skyway – Reset (Self-released) – "Prog-ternative" rock
- Ashenspire – Hostile Architecture (Aural) – Avant-garde black metal
- Battering Ram – Second To None (Uprising) – Heavy metal
- Behold! The Monolith – The Fathomless Deep (Ripple) – Sludge/stoner
- Birth – Born (Bad Omen Record) – Psychedelic/progressive – Full review
- Black Capricorn – Cult Of Blood (Majestic Mountain) – Psychedelic/doom
- Celestial Wizard – Winds Of The Cosmos (Self-released) – Melodic death/power metal
- Deathbringer – It (Unique Leader Records) – Progressive death metal
- The Ever Living – Artificial Devices (Chromism) – Post-metal
- God Is An Astronaut – The Beginning Of The End (Napalm) – Live post-rock
- Ian Blurton's Future Now – Second Skin (Seeing Red) – Alternative
- Lucid Grave – Cosmic Mountain (Electric Valley Records) – Psychedelic/doom
- Manticore – Endless Scourge Of Torment (Hells Headbangers) – Black/death metal
- Maul – Seraphic Punishment (Redefining Darkness) – Death metal – Full review
- Metalucifer – Heavy Metal Ninja (American Assault) (Horror Pain Gore Death Productions) – Heavy/speed metal
- Midnight Road – Ready For The Fight (Wormholedeath) – Rock
- Molder – Engrossed In Decay (Prosthetic) – Death metal/sludge – Full stream
- Orianthi – Live From Hollywood (Frontiers) – Hard rock
- Palace – One 4 The Road (Frontiers) – AOR
- Rain City Drive – Rain City Drive (Thriller Records) – Alternative rock
- Jason Richardson & Luke Holland – II (Jason Richardson Music) – Shred/progressive
- Scarcity – Aveilut (The Flenser) – Experimental black metal
- Senses Fail – Hell Is In Your Head (Pure Noise Records) – Metalcore/post-hardcore
- Sick N' Beautiful – Starstruck (Frontiers) – Alternative metal/industrial
- Sinner – Brotherhood (Atomic Fire) – Heavy metal
- True North – Out Loud (Out of Line Music) – Post-rock
- Witnesses – The Holy Water (Self-released) – Doom/ambient
