This week’s new heavy metal releases include a complete band swap, the return of "slamming gore groove," war metal, and more! To the metals…
1914 – Where Fear And Weapons Meet
Genre: Blackened death metal/doom
Origin: Lviv, Ukraine
Label: Napalm
If you're looking for death metal with the sweet smell of trench foot then the new 1914 should be your jam. This outfit is World War 1 themed and while the stories told in the songs mostly focus on those that survived, this thing is still quite dark, you know like war is. Nick Holmes from Paradise Lost/Bloodbath appears on a track which is pretty neat. Max's full rundown is here.
Biffy Clyro – The Myth of the Happily Ever After 
Genre: Progressive/alternative rock
Origin: Kilmarnock, Scotland
Label: 14th Floor
A little over a year since the band's 2020 A Celebration Of Endings, they're already back with the companion piece to it. Like the last record this is a batch of songs that range from anthemic, powerful, noisy, cinematic, chaotic, and unmistakably Biffy. Like I said last year, not metal per se, but they’re a weird band that deserves your attention.
Blackwater Holylight – Silence/Motion
Genre: Hard rock/psychedelic
Origin: Portland, Oregon
Label: RidingEasy Records
Buy now on Bandcamp
Now for some spacy jams. This one borders on indie at times, but there's enough crunch to get your head moving. Bryan Funck from Thou pops up on a track which adds a lil grit too. Corinne's full review is here.
Cradle Of Filth – Existence Is Futile
Genre: Extreme metal
Origin: Ipswich, England
Label: Nuclear Blast
In a time when existing is sort of scary, who better to write a record that covers existential dread than Cradle of Filth? The band's thirteenth (spooky!) album features all the trademarks of a CoF record with melodic blackened metal infused symphonic elements throughout, and that Dani Filth shriek. This is also the band's first with vocalist, keyboardist, and lyre…ist(?) Anabelle Iratni who fits right in.
Dream Theater – A View From The Top Of The World
Genre: Progressive metal
Origin: Long Island, New York
Label: InsideOut
2021 is a pretty good year to be a fan of these guys. Earlier this year John and Jordan dropped the third Liquid Tension Experiment record and now they're already back with A View From The Top Of The World. As expected, this is technical musicianship, epic songs, and just the right amount of cheese. Jordan has a full review here.
Every Time I Die – Radical
Genre: Metalcore/hardcore
Origin: Buffalo, New York
Label: Epitaph
It's been five years since these guys dropped a record, and they've sure
been missed. Radical is an intense record with just the right amount of twang to get some boots scootin' in the circle pit. Listen to this before Andy Williams powerbombs you.
Massacre – Resurgence
Genre: Death metal
Origin: Tampa, Florida
Label: Nuclear Blast
Now how about some old school, nasty death metal? This is their first album in six years, the first album of the fifth reunion, and it includes an ENTIRELY different lineup than the last record, but features the return of Kam Lee on vocals. Golly, the this band is complicated. Anyway, this is crushing death metal that fans of the early records from these guys will dig.
Waking The Cadaver – Authority Through Intimidation
Genre: Brutal death metal/deathcore
Origin: Jersey Shore, New Jersey
Label: Unique Leader Records
Wrapping this week with some chunkiness. This includes low, low guttural vocals, devastating drums, and lots of guitar squeals. This is their first record in eight years, so those that missed the band's "slamming gore groove" will be able to get your groove on once more.
Also dropping today…
- Armored Saint – Symbol Of Salvation Live DVD/CD (Metal Blade) – Heavy metal
- Apparition – Feel (Profound Lore) – Death metal
- Atlas – UKKO (Long Branch Records) – Metalcore
- Bloodred Hourglass – Your Highness (Out Of Line) – Melodic death metal
- Burning Point – Arsonist of the Soul (AFM Records) – Heavy/power metal
- Can't Swim – Change Of Plans (Pure Noise) – Alternative rock
- Catalyst Crime – Catalyst Crime (Massacre) – Symphonic metal
- Circa Survive – A Dream About Love (Rise Records) – Progressive rock/post-hardcore
- Cognos – Cognos (Willowtip Records) – Progressive/technical death metal
- Draconicon – Dark Side Of Magic (Beyond The Storm Productions) – Power metal
- Ember Sun – On Earth And Heaven (Code666) – Funeral doom
- Empty – Made Of Fire (Solid State Records) – Alternative
- Evil Spell – Padre Vostro (Blasphemous Records) – Thrash/black metal
- Exsul – Allegoresis (Caligari Records) – Death metal
- Fathom Farewell – Kraken (Blood Blast Distribution) – Metalcore
- ForeignWolf – Your Weapons, Your Words (Wormholedeath) – Alternative rock/metal
- Ghoul – Live In The Flesh (Tankcrimes Records) – Death metal/grindcore
- Green Lung – Black Harvest (Svart) – Doom
- Hexenbrett – Intermezzo dei quattro coltelli nudi (Dying Victims Productions) – Black/heavy metal
- Horns of Domination – Where Voices Leave No Echo (Sepulchral Voice Productions) – Black/death metal
- In Crucem Agere – Calling the Void (code666) – Black metal
- In From the Cold – Isolation Blues (Self-released) – Sludge/stoner metal
- Kolossus – K (964221 Records DK) – Black metal
- Knife – Knife (Dying Victims Productions) – Speed metal/punk
- Livlos – And Then There Were None (Napalm) – Melodic death metal
- Necrofier – Prophecies Of Eternal Darkness (Season Of Mist) – Melodic black metal
- Phantom Fire – The Bust Of Beelzebub (Edged Circle Productions) – Speed/black metal
- The Pineapple Thief – Nothing But The Truth (Kscope) – Progressive
- Premiata Forneria Marconi – I Dreamed Of Electric Sheep (InsideOut) – Progressive rock
- Primeval Well – Talkin' in Tongues with Mountain Spirits (Moonlight Cypress Archetypes) – Black metal/folk
- Ravenous – Hubris (Feast Beast Records) – Power metal
- Sentinels – Collapse By Design (SharpTone) – Hardcore
- Seven Sisters – Shadow Of A Falling Star Pt. 1 (Dissonance) – Heavy metal
- Shadowland – The Necromancer's Castle (No Remorse Records) – Heavy metal
- The Sonic Overlords – Last Days Of Babylon (M-Theory Audio) – Heavy metal/doom
- Starset – Horizons (Fearless) – Hard rock
- TheCityIsOurs – Coma (Arising Empire) – Metalcore
- Worm – Foreverglade (20 Buck Spin) – Doom/death metal
- Zych – Dante’s Inferno Part I (Metal Assault Records) – Progressive metal
