This edition includes blurbs about bands written through the haze of food poisoning, some industrial, some guitar wankery, and more! To the metals…
3Teeth – shutdown.exe
Genre: Industrial
Origin: Los Angeles, California
Label: OMF
Buy now on Amazon.com
We begin this diverse week with some intensity. There is certainly an old Nine Inch Nails vibe here, but rhythms are slower and feel more ominous. I was sort of under the impression that bands like this didn't exist anymore. I love that I've been proven wrong.
[youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SVo87J6bU64[/youtube]
Beastmaker – Inside The Skull
Genre: Stoner/Doom
Origin: Fresno, California
Label: Rise Above
Buy now on Amazon.com
Riffs. This album is Sabbath worship and riffs, upon riffs, upon riffs. They're like if Bigelf dropped the organs, and remained just as rad.
[youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BVBU0df4ynA[/youtube]
Dragonforce – Reaching Into Infinity
Genre: Power metal
Origin: London, England
Label: Metal Blade
Buy now on Amazon.com
There is a part of me that still appreciates the thing that DragonForce is. Reaching Into Infinity is, for sure, a DragonForce album, almost to a fault. They have once again tried to fit as many notes as they could into a single solo. The lyrics are about fire, freedom, fighting, and stuff. However, they've become a band like Motorhead or AC/DC to me in that, while the legacy isn't quite there yet, the pass to be consistent is there.
[youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2_l8HlRGWx4[/youtube]
Enslaved – Roadburn Live
Genre: Progressive metal
Origin: Bergen, Norway
Label: Roadburn Records and By Norse Music.
Buy now on Amazon.com
This release chronicles one of the band's 2015 sets from Roadburn which was curated by the band's very own Ivar Bjørnson. The setlist is pretty perfect too, with gems like "Isa," "Building With Fire," and even a cover of Led Zeppelin's "Immigrant Song." This originally dropped on Record Store Day, but now you can get it on compact disc glory!
[youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1PBK7s-0l7s[/youtube]
Linkin Park – One More Light
Genre: Hard rock
Origin: Agoura Hills, California
Label: Warner Brothers
Buy now on Amazon.com
Oh hey, a new Linkin Park album. Let's "move the fuck on" shall we?
[youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=phVQZrb2AdA[/youtube]
The Night Flight Orchestra – Amber Galactic
Genre: Heavy metal
Origin: Sweden
Label: Nuclear Blast
Buy now on Amazon.com
I love that this band exists. The idea that a bunch of Swedish metal dudes were like, "Lets make some fun classic album rock records," and they're doing it a third time is great. Fans of the guys behind this (Soilwork, Arch Enemy, and more) or this band's influences like Kansas, Boston and the likes need to catch up to this band.
[youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JToNqBY0s-U[/youtube]
Oceano – Revelation
Genre: Deathcore
Origin: Chicago, Illinois
Label: Sumerian
Buy now on Amazon.com
Oceano have returned to once again bring the breakdowns, the crushing heaviness, and those pretty juxtaposed atmospheres. I couldn't tell you if this is good or not. It's not my thing, but I respect it. Sumeriancore fans, how is this treating you?
[youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t6vGt1WxoB8[/youtube]
Rammstein – Rammstein: Paris
Genre: Neue Deutsche Härte
Origin: Berlin, Germany
Label: Spinefarm
Buy now on Amazon.com
On their first release in almost a decade, fans are having to settle with a live album that's basically been out for a year. The band are releasing a directors cut of the film that was shown all over the world last year. However, fans now have the option to have the audio on CDs or vinyl as well. It was recorded in 2012 over two nights in Paris, and features "Du Hast," "Links 2 3 4," "Pussy," and more driving metal jams.
[youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9bJP7Qe41Fk[/youtube]
Scale The Summit – In A World Of Fear
Genre: Instrumental progressive
Origin: Houston, Texas
Label: Self
Buy now on Bandcamp.com
After everyone but guitarist Chris Letchford bailed, Letchford got a new rhythm section and made some calls. He called up guests like Scott Carstairs of Fallujah, Jeff Loomis of Arch Enemy/ex-Nevermore, Per Nilsson of Scar Symmetry, Angel Vivaldi, Yvette Young, and more. The result is pretty cool actually. Letchford has his usual tricks that show up on this record, but the guest appearances break up what could have just been another instrumental wank album.
[youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o4X3czO6CGQ[/youtube]
Also dropping today…
Below – Upon A Pale Horse (Metal Blade) – Epic doom
Biters – The Future Ain’t What It Used To Be (Earache) – Rock
The Dead Daisies – Live And Louder CD/DVD (Spitfire) – Hard rock
Ex People – Birds (New Heavy Sounds) – Doom
Harvestman – Music For Megaliths (Neurot Recordings) – Ambient/drone
Hell Or Highwater – Vista (Spinefarm) – Rock
Loss – Horizonless (Profound Lore) – Doom
Mastercastle – Wine Of Heaven (Scarlet) – Heavy metal
Miss May I – Shadows Inside (Sharptone) – Metalcore
Papa Roach – Crooked Teeth (Eleven Seven) – Alt rock