Anthrax – For All Kings
Genre: Thrash
Origin: Yonkers, New York
Label: Megaforce
Buy now on Amazon.com
It's been five years since the triumphant comeback record Worship Music proved Anthrax are more than just a band cashing in on their legacy. For All Kings finds the band continuing to carry the Anthrax fire. The only thing that might be distracting for some is that Jon Donais (Shadows Fall) is on lead guitar now, and his solos sound like they were lifted right out of The War Within. Sometimes his solos are cool and fitting, sometimes they're a little out of place despite still being great. I dig this over all though.
[youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NXYKpKWHxaI[/youtube]
Arabrot – The Gospel
Genre: Noise/Sludge
Origin: Haugesund, Norway
Label: Fysisk Format
Buy now on Amazon.com
I can't say that I get this. It is rather minimal in structure, and discordant in a way that feels manufactured to sound creepy. Some other stuff I looked into by this band reminds me of newer Shining (Norway) if they lost their saxophone. This band is apparently a big deal, and I can't know all the bands, so I'm excited for fans of this group, I guess?
[youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xq2R-UUtxcU[/youtube]
Anvil – Anvil Is Anvil
Genre: Heavy metal
Origin: Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Label: SPV
Buy now on Amazon.com
I was pretty surprised to see Anvil's name around after that documentary made the rounds. The band is alright, but it also made sense for them to fade out in the 80's, but maybe I'm wrong. It happens. Anyway, this album is pretty straight up heavy metal that has a little thrash lean to it. So, you know, it sounds like Anvil.
[youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PKzFjkAobY4[/youtube]
Black Cobra – Imperium Simulacra
Genre: Stoner/Doom
Origin: Los Angeles, California
Label: Season Of Mist
Buy now on Amazon.com
This album is nine tracks of fuzzed out, unrelenting, sonic pummeling. Like High on Fire if they slowed things down a bit and toned down Matt Pike's snarl. I feel like these bands would pair well together in a live setting, actually. Tour booking folks, get on that!
[youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cASW7BFWf6U[/youtube]
Destroyer 666 – Wildfire
Genre: Thrash/black metal
Origin: Melbourne, Australia
Label: Season Of Mist
Buy now on Amazon.com
Australia's blackened thrash maniacs have finally returned with their first record since 2009. I knew it had been a while, but time flies when you're thrashing about to their old shit. If you like your black metal thrashy and powerful, this one is for you.
[youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z4UfIAsnBBE[/youtube]
Entombed A.D. – Dead Dawn
Genre: Death 'n' roll
Origin: Stockholm, Sweden
Label: Century Media
Buy now on Amazon.com
Dead Dawn marks the second release of some ex-Entombed guy's off-shoot band Entombed A.D. It's kind of like that time when there were two Queensryches or L.A. Guns, but a death metal version of that. The grooves in this a surprisingly memorable and pretty catchy for a death metal act. I'm totally under-selling how much fans will dig this. Check out Jon's review here.
[youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IWFuyjQiBAs[/youtube]
Karma To Burn – Mountain Czar
Genre: Instrumental stoner
Origin: Hicksville, West Virginia
Label: Rodeostar/SPV
Buy now on Amazon.com
When I am stressed, it always puts me at ease knowing that somewhere out there Karma To Burn is chugging along with their (mostly) instrumental stoner jams. The releases are always quality and this EP sticks to tradition. It features such soon to be classics as "Sixty" and "Sixty-two." However, a surprising addition to the five song collection is a cover of "Running Down A Dream" (Called "Uccidendo Un Sogno" here) by Tom Petty with guest vocals in Italian by Stefanie Savy. A plesant surprise.
[youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SKsTNSm4st4[/youtube]
Omnium Gatherum – Grey Heavens
Genre: Melodic death metal
Origin: Karhula, Finland
Label: Century Media
Buy now on Amazon.com
Omnium Gatherum are a favorite of mine in their field. This album, like all their albums, is equal parts dark atmosphere and empowering melody, which is not a unique juxtaposition. However, the band is able to present this combination concurrently in a way that is so successful and strong. "Frontiers" might be by favorite track they've done.
[youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ubmuUiozKyo[/youtube]
Oranssi Pazuzu – Värähtelijä
Genre: Psychedelic Black Metal
Origin: Tampere/Seinäjoki, Finland
Label: 20 Buck Spin
Buy now on Amazon.com
Weird, dark shit. That's what this album is and what this band does well. Their music, and especially their song "Vasemman käden hierarkia," is a hypnotic journey through psychedelic subsections of the mind. Värähtelijä is what I imagine a really, really bad trip would sound like.
[youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v2V-ftsPqV0[/youtube]
Ordinance – The Ides of March
Genre: Progressive death metal
Origin: Fredrick, Maryland
Label: unsigned
Buy now on Bandcamp.com
Ever since 2011, fans of Ordinance have been waiting for the follow-up to this supergroup's debut. Well rejoice nerds, because here it is! The Ides of March is a fifteen track retelling of the assassination of Cesar through over an hour or technical death metal glory. I'll have a review of this up soon, or look for it now (depending on when you read this). Short version: it's a hell of a ride with oodles of twists and turns.
[youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dvZ_oAammD0[/youtube]
Voivod – Post Society EP
Genre: Progressive thrash
Origin: Jonquière, Quebec, Canada
Label: Century Media
Buy now on Amazon.com
We'll ending this edition on Canada's favorite thrash weirdos. This EP features four new original tracks of atypical thrashy madness as one would expect and love from Snake, Away and the gang. This also features a cover of Hawkwind's "Silver Machine" which, of course, and been Voivod-ified, so it's pretty great.
[youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W6Jf5l5xspc[/youtube]
Also dropping today…
Abyssic – A Winter's Tale (Osmose) – Orchestral Doom/Death metal
A.H.P. – Against Human Plague (Via Nocturna) – Black metal
Altarage – Nihl (Iron Bonehead) – Black metal
Asphodelus – Dying Beauty & the Silent Sky (Iron Bonehead) – Doom/death metal
Beehoover – Primitive Powers (Unundeax) – Stoner/sludge
Black Sleep – The Whales Of The Grey Sea (Sliptrick) – Heavy metal/industrial
Black Twilight Circle – Desert Dances and Serpent Sermons (Iron Bonehead/Ajna Offensive) – Black metal
Bloodbound – One Night Of Blood DVD/CD (AFM) – Power metal
Bombus – Repeat Until Death (Century Media) – Heavy metal
Buffalo Theory MTL – Skeptic Knight EP (Stand) – "Stoner Metal for beer drinkers"
Chains Over Razors – Crown The Villain (SMG) – Hard rock
Cherubs – Fist In The Air EP (Brutal Panda) – Noise rock
Coffins / Ilsa – Split (Relapse) – Doom/death metal
Crimson Moonlight – Divine Darkness (Endtime) – Mooncore
Cult Of The Lost Cause – Contritions (Sailor) – Heavy metal
Death Index – Death Index (Deathwish) – Hardcore
Deathless Legacy – The Gathering (Scarlet) – Heavy metal
Devotion – Words and Crystals (Pavement) – Metal/rock
Droids Attack – Sci-Fi or Die (Riff Reaper) – Stoner
Efpix – Evil Sides (Sliptrick) – Melodic Death metal/Industrial
Ekram – Last Man Standing (Sliptrick) – Rock/grunge
Folteraar – Vertellingen Van Een Donkere Eeuw (Iron Bonehead) – Black metal
Foul Body Autopsy – Perpetuated By Greed (Grindscene/Comatose) – Death metal
From Ashes To New – Day One (Better Noise) – Nu metal
Frozen Ocean – The Prowess Of Dormition (Apocalyptic Witchcraft) – Atmospheric Black Metal/Electronic
Greenleaf – Rise Above The Meadow (Napalm) – Stoner
Headspace – All That You Fear Is Gone (Inside Out) – Progressive
High Priest Of Saturn – Son Of Earth And Sky (Svart) – Doom/stoner
Hyperion – Seraphical Euphony (Black Lion) – Melodic black metal
Infernal Curse – Apocalipsis (Iron Bonehead) – Black metal
Jani Lane – Catch A Falling Star (Deadline) – Guy from Warrent
Krater – Urere (Eisenwald) – Black metal
Magnum – Sacred Blood Divine Lies (SPV) – Melodic rock
Mars Red Sky – Apex III (Listenable) – Stoner
Maze Of Terror – Ready To Kill (Empire) – Thrash
Mefisto – 2.0.1.6. (Vic) – Thrash
Message To The Masses – Means To An End (Artery) – Artery-core
Mondo Drag – The Occultation Of Light (Riding Easy) – Heavy psych/prog
Mussorgski – Creatio Cosmicam Beastie (Godz Ov War) – Industrial/ambient
The New Black – A Monster's Life (AFM) – Groove/southern
The New Roses – Dead Man's Voice (Napalm) – Hard rock
Omnihility – Dominion Of Misery (Unique Leader) – Brutal death metal
Onslaught – Live At The Slaughterhouse DVD/CD (AFM) – Thrash
Overunit Machine – Aldaraja (Sliptrick) – Experimental
Protector – Cursed and Coronated (High Roller) – Thrash
Raff Sangiorgio – Rebirth (Sliptrick) – Instrumental
Redemption – The Art Of Loss (Metal Blade) – Progressive/power metal
Redwest – Crimson Renegade (Bakerteam) – Southern metal
Ricky Warwick – When Patsy Cline Was Crazy / Hearts On Trees (Nuclear Blast) – Rock
Ritual Chamber – Obscurations (To Feast On The Seraphim)(Profound Lore) – Death metal
Rogash – Malevolence (War Anthem) – Death metal
Royal Republic – Weekend Man (Spinefarm) – Rock
Sarke – Bogefod (Indie) – Thrash/black metal
Section A – Wall Of Silence (Mausoleum) – Progressive
Sinbreed – Master Creator (AFM) – Power metal
Sinphobia – Awaken (Bakerteam) – Groove
Spirit Adrift – Behind – Beyond EP (Prosthetic) – Psychedelic doom
Stillborn – Testimonio de Bautismo (Godz ov War) – Death/black metal
Sunburst – Fragments Of Creation (Inner Wound) – Melodic-Progressive Metal
Sworn Amongst – Under A Titan Sky (SMG) – Thrash
Temisto – Temisto (Pulverised) – Death metal
Total Hate – Lifecrusher (Eisenwald) – Black metal
Twins Crew – Veni Vidi Vici (Beyond The Storm) – Power metal
The Unguided – Lust And Loathing (Napalm) – Groove metal
Uzala – Live At Roadburn 2015 (Roadburn) – Doom
Wake – Sowing The Seeds Of A Worthless Tomorrow (Sentient Ruin) – Grindcore
