This week's new heavy metal releases include a lot of Black Sabbath covers with added guitar squealing, a legend ending a near twenty year break between solo records, and more! To the metals…
ALSO! Today, Bandcamp is doing one of their days of giving 100% of what you pay directly to the labels and artists. So if you can get stuff from Bandcamp, please do.
Bruce Dickinson – The Mandrake Project
Genre: Heavy metal
Origin: Workshop, Nottinghamshire, England
Label: BMG
Buy now on Amazon
When I really think about it, it's not surprising that it's been nearly twenty years since Bruce's last solo album. Iron Maiden has been on the road most of that time, he was treated for tongue cancer, released a memoir, did some spoken word tours, and probably a lot more that I'm forgetting. Like all his solo stuff, this is different enough than Maiden. It's heavier and more adventurous in some ways that the Eddie crew, while serving as a score for Dickinson to soar over. Jordan has a full review here.
Firewind – Stand United
Genre: Power metal
Origin: Thessaloniki, Central Macedonia, Greece
Label: AFM
Buy now from Amazon
Speaking of soaring, it's time for some new Firewind. Stand United is another epic chapter in Gus G's catalog of guitar shredding. The rest of the band are no slouches, of course. Herbie Langhans will once again have you ready for battle with his vocals.
Ministry – Hopiumforthemasses
Genre: Industrial
Origin: Chicago, Illinois
Label: Nuclear Blast
Buy now on Bandcamp
Al Jourgensen is back another driving and political industrial record. This time he's taking on oil, white trash, and more. This is apparently the penultimate record from the band, so enjoy the high of new Ministry while you still can… until there another revival. Al's 65 though, so maybe not? Jeff has a full review here.
New Years Day – Half Black Heart
Genre: Alternative metal/hard rock
Origin: Anaheim, California
Label: The Century Family
Buy now on Amazon
US Summer hard rock/metal festival darlings New Years Day have finally returned with their first record in five years. In that time three former members have returned and they're bringing some of the older vibes of the band back. Still anthemic, rocking, and catchy as hell.
Volcandra – The Way Of Ancients
Genre: Melodic death metal/black metal
Origin: Louisville, Kentucky
Label: Prosthetic
Buy now on Bandcamp
I love when something is heavy as fuck, but also very dorky. On this you're getting some high-fantasy inspired metal that pummels, but will take some moments for some rather jaunty galloping. Think Skeletonwitch or The Black Dahlia Murder if they did homage to Middle Earth.
Zakk Sabbath – Doomed Forever Forever Doomed
Genre: Black Sabbath covers…Wydle-ified
Origin: Los Angeles, California
Label: Magnetic Eye
Buy now on Bandcamp
Concluding this week with the next chapter (well two chapters) in Zakk Wylde's Black Sabbath cover series. This time he, Blasko, and Joey Castillo are taking on all of Paranoid AND Master of Reality. You're getting "War Pigs," "Iron Man," "Sweet Leaf," "Into The Void," and a lot more with Wylde's guitar trademarks. I really hope he does all of the original Ozzy-era records. I think he'd kill it on "You Won't Change Me" from Technical Ecstasy.
Also dropping this week…
- Alienist – Love/Hate EP (UNFD) – Deathcore
- Azell – Death Control (Rottweiler Records) – Doom
- Beyrevra – Echoes: Vanished Lore Of Fire (Trollzorn) – Melodic death/black metal
- Big Big Train – The Likes Of Us (InsideOut) – Progressive rock
- Blind Channel – Exit Emotions (Century Media) – Nu metal/"violent pop"
- Clarion Void – Failure In Repetition (Lost Future Records) – Black metal/sludge
- Clouds Taste Satanic – 79 A.E. (Majestic Mountain) – Doom
- Contracult – The Process (Art Is War Records) – Gothic metal
- Defocus – There Is A Place For Me On Earth (Arising Empire) – Metalcore/djent
- Devastator – Conjurers Of Cruelty (Listenable) – Black metal/thrash
- Fall Of Leviathan – In Waves (Vitruve Records) – Post rock
- Fathomless Ritual – Hymns For The Lesser Gods (Transcending Obscurity Records) – Death metal
- Hands Of Goro – Hands Of Goro (BSP Records) – Heavy metal/"scumbag rock"
- Hellgrimm – Sacrifice (Self-released) – Hard rock/heavy metal
- Kontravoid – Detachment (Artoffact Records) – Synthwave/dark pop
- Mannequin Pussy – I Got Heaven (Epitaph) – Punk/indie rock
- Marble Ghosts – Marble Ghosts (Self-released) – Grunge/hard rock
- Messiah – Christus Hypercubus (High Roller Records) – Death metal/thrash
- Metro Society – The London Conspiracy Chapter I 1898 (Self-released) – Progressive rock
- Nachtfalter – Abschied (Self-released) – Gothic metal/rock
- Negative Prayer – Self // Wound (Chaos) – Crust/death metal
- Northern Genocide – The Point of No Return (Inverse Records) – Industrial/death metal
- Poisoned Seeds – Poisoned Seeds (Self-released) – Melodic hardcore/metalcore
- Paraline – Sound Weapon (Eclipse Records) – Alternative rock
- Saturnalia Temple – Revel In Dissidence (Listenable) – Sludge
- Sheer Mag – Playing Favorites (Third Man) – Rock/punk
- Suicidal Angels – Profane Prayer (Nuclear Blast) – Thrash
- Suldusk – Anthesis (Napalm) – Folk/blackgaze
- Surgical Strike – 24/7 Hate (Metalville) – Power metal/thrash
- These Wicked Rivers – Force Of Nature (Fat Earth Records) – Southern rock
- Tigers On Opium – Psychodrama (Heavy Psych Sounds) – Hard rock/psychedelic
- T.S.O.L. – A-Side Graffiti (Kitten Robot) – Punk/hardcore
- Unsufferable – Unsufferable (Iodine Recordings) – Hardcore
- Vorus – Desolate Eternities (Loud Rage Music) – Death metal
- Waves In Autumn – Burning Season (Self-released) – Metalcore
- Worst Doubt – Immortal Pain (DAZE) – Death metal/sludge
