This week's new heavy metal releases include a band doubling your pleasure (or pain?), black metal meets Pokemon battle noises, and more! To the metals…
The Acacia Strain – Failure Will Follow and Step Into The Light
Genre: Metalcore/deathcore
Origin: Chicopee, Massachusetts
Label: Rise
Buy from Amazon –Failure Will Follow and Step Into Light
The Acacia Strain are going heavy Use Your Illusion here as they are dropping not one, but two albums today. Vocalist Vincent Bennet offered the why of two records here. Short version is that they were recorded at separate times and have different vibes. One is slow and sludgy (Failure) while the other (Light) is swift and punishing. Choose your side.
Cattle Decapitation – Terrasite
Genre: Technical death metal
Origin: San Diego, California
Label: Metal Blade
Buy now on Bandcamp
Speaking of swift and punishing, the latest onslaught from Cattle Decapitation is just that. Some melodic moments are peppered it, but this is largely the heavy, dynamic beast that Cattle Decap always are. Apparently Travis Ryan was shooting for more of a "daylight horror" sound here to contrast Death Atlas. Both seem dark and heavy in every way, but what do I know?
The Dark Side Of The Moon – Metamorphosis
Genre: Cinematic/symphonic metal
Origin: Germany
Label: Napalm
Buy now on Bandcamp
Now we're taking a turn and really leaning into the melodic on Metamorphosis. With members from Feuerschwanz, Amaranthe and Ad Infinitum coming together, you can expect to be treated to the grand and catchy. Also, if you were looking for some harp in your metal this week, look no further.
DevilDriver – Dealing With Demons Vol. II
Genre: Groove/melodic death metal
Origin: Santa Barbara, California
Label: Napalm
Buy now on Bandcamp
In 2020 Dez and the gang started to deal with demons on Dealing with Demons Volume I. Well wouldn't you know it? There are apparently more demons to be dealt with, so they're back with Dealing with Demons Volume II to finish up the double concept album. A bit of the band was swapped out since the last record, so hopefully this crew are better dealers. Chad has a full review here.
Gonemage – Astral Corridors
Genre: Black metal/chiptune
Origin: Dallas, Texas
Label: Self-released
Buy now and sample on Bandcamp
If you ever wanted to hear black metal infused with Pokemon Red/Blue-esque battle noises, I would say that's a very weird thing to want. However, you'd be in luck! That's what you're getting on Astral Corridors. If you dug Cara Neir's Phase Out, you'll have a lot of fun with this.
Veil Of Maya – [m]other
Genre: Progressive metalcore/deathcore
Origin: Chicago, Illinois
Label: Sumerian
Buy now on Amazon
Concluding this week with the super heavy, the super technical, and the super technological (or something). Veil Of Maya are hitting you with their classic deathcore pummeling and lots of synth too. This might be their most sci fi feeling album yet.
Also dropping this week
- The Amity Affliction – Not Without My Ghosts (Pure Noise) – Metalcore
- Ascended Dead – Evenfall Of The Apocalypse (20 Buck Spin) – Death metal
- Ashes Of Moments – Perished Womb In Black Flame (Self-released) – Technical death metal
- Astrodeath – Vol. 2 (Heavy Psych Sounds) – Sludge/grunge
- Battle Born – Blood, Fire, Magic And Steel (Prosthetic) – Power metal
- Black Spiders – Can't Die, Won't Die (Spinefarm) – Hard rock
- Blutengel – Un:Sterblich – Our Souls Will Never Die (Out Of Line Music) – Darkpop
- Bring the Hoax – Single Coil Candy (Lövely Records) – Alternative rock
- Burial Clouds – Last Days of a Dying World (Church Road Records) – Post-metal/coom
- Chained To The Bottom Of The Ocean – Obsession Destruction (Redscroll Records) – Sludge/doom
- The Cimmerian – Sword & Sorcery Vol. I (Self-released) – Doom/thrash
- Circus Of Rock – Lost Behind (Frontiers) – Rock
- Cronos Compulsion – Malicious Regression (Caligari Records) – Death metal
- Curse Of Cain – Curse Of Cain (Atomic Fire Records) – Sci fi metal
- Dead Shape Figure – The Sworn Book (Rolling Records) – Melodic death metal/thrash
- Dropkick Murphys – Okemah Rising (Dummy Luck) – Punk
- Duskwood – The Last Voyage (Ripple Music) – Hard rock/stoner
- Esoctrilihum – Astraal Constellations of the Majickal Zodiac (I, Voidhanger Records) – Black metal
- Exitium – Imperitous March for Abysmal Glory (Time to Kill Records) – Black/death metal
- Gatuplan – Välkommen till underjorden (Sound Pollution/Wild Kingdom) – Punk/garage rock
- Godsnake – Eye For An Eye (Massacre) – Melodic thrash
- Grave Descetrator – Immundissime Spiritus (Caverna de Sangue Productions) – Death/black metal
- Grip – Solstici (Self-released) – Stoner/doom
- Heavens Edge – Get It Right (Frontiers) – Glam metal
- Hex A.D. – Delightful Sharp Edges (Fresh Tea Records) – Progressive metal/doom
- Impetuous Ritual – Iniquitous Barbarik Synthesis (Profound Lore Records) – Death metal
- Last Rizla – Noise Without Decay (Venerate Industries) – Sludge/noise
- Left To Suffer – Feral (Self-released) – Metalcore
- Logical Terror – Sides Of The Unknown (Darktunes Music) – Modern/industrial metal
- The Machine – Wave Cannon (Majestic Mountain Records) – Noise rock/shoegaze
- Michael Thompson Band – The Love Goes On (Frontiers) – Rock
- Never Ending Game – Outcry (Triple B Records) – Hardcore
- Nighthawk – Prowler (Mighty Music) – Hard rock/AOR
- Oreida – The Eternal (Debemur Morti) – Black metal
- Overexposure – Strive To Survive (War Against Records) – Hardcore
- Pronostic – Chaotic Upheaval (Self-released) – Technical/melodic death metal
- ScreaMachine – Church Of The Scream (Frontiers) – Heavy metal
- Sunbeam Overdrive – Diama (Tentacles Industries) – Progressive metal
- Thanatomass – Hades (Living Temple Records) – Black metal
- There Were Wires – There Were Wires (Iodine Recordings) – Hardcore punk
- They Watch Us From the Moon – Cosmic Chronicles, Act I: The Ascension (New Heavy Sounds) – Stoner/doom
- The Tunnel – Shudder (Learning Curve Records) – Noise rock
- Veriluola – Cascades Of Crimson Cruor (Nameless Grave Records) – Black/death metal
- Worth – Worth (Wormholedeath Records) – Melodic death/power metal
