Hey y'all! Thanks for another year of checking out what's dropping. As usual, the rest of the year is light, so rather than hitting you with some week entries highlighting an album or two, you're getting the rest of the year in one dose.
The last entry of the Weekly Injection for the year includes dreamy side projects, forest folk by folk in a forest, grooves, and more! To the metals! Check out select new releases here on vinyl via Gimme Metal.
December 9th
††† – Permanent.Radient
Genre: Electronic/dream pop
Origin: Los Angeles, California
Label: Warner
Buy now on Amazon
It's been eight years since we've heard from Crosses, but they're finally back after some shakeups. The project is now just Chino Moreno and Shaun Lopez, but the duo still bring the the catchy spacy jams. This is a great one to get lost in.
Lionheart – Welcome To The West Coast III
Genre: Hardcore/beatdown
Origin: Oakland, California
Label: Arising Empire
Buy now via Gimme Metal
Want a sonic beatdown? No? Weird that no one ever says yes to that. Anyway, you're getting one here whether you like it or not. This is straight-up Bay Area hardcore with lots of guest spots. Guests include Jamey Jasta, Ice-T, Anthony Martini (E-Town Concrete), and more.
Woods Of Desolation – The Falling Tide
Genre: Black metal
Origin: New South Wales, Australia
Label: Season Of Mist
Buy now via Gimme Metal
Also after an eight year gap, today sees the return of the epic and evil sounding Woods of Desolation. Main-man D. is nailing the balance of ethereal beauty and grim metal. A perfect winter(ish) record.
Also dropping today…
- The Atomic Bomb Audition – Future Mirror (Fifth Wizard) – Sludge/experimental
- Colonial Wound – Easy Laugh (Hex Records) – Sludge/noise rock
- Cult of Eibon / Ceremonial Torture – Necronomical Mirror Divination (Iron Bonehead Productions) – Black metal
- Deathless Legacy – Mater Larvarum (Scarlet) – Heavy metal
- Dehiscence – Colony (Chaos Records) – Deathgrind
- Desperate Living – Shame (Reptilian Records) – Noise rock/punk
- Tommy DeCarlo – Dancing In The Moonlight (Frontiers) – Melodic rock
- Flash Forward – Endings = Beginnings (Uncle M Music) – Alternative rock
- Gomorra – Dealer Of Souls (Noble Demon) – Power/heavy metal
- Highlord – Freakin' Out of Hell (Rockshot) – Power metal
- Krilloan – Emperor Rising (Scarlet) – Power/heavy metal
- Legendarium – Death's Hand In Yours (Self-released) – Heavy metal
- Ploughshare – Ingested Burial Ground (Brilliant Emperor Records) – Death metal/noise
- Ready For Death – Ready For Death (Translation Loss Records) – Hardcore/thrash
- Rokets – Break Free (The Sign Records) – Hard rock
- Sacrilegion – From Which Nightmares Crawl (Chaos Records) – Death metal
- Salvation – Mock (Reptilian Records) – Noise rock
- Serenity – Memoria (Napalm Records) – Symphonic metal
- Shaam Larein – Sticka en Kniv I Världen (Svart) – Post-punk/avant-garde metal
- Tailgunner – Crashdive EP (Fireflash) – Heavy metal
- Thousand Below – Hell Finds You Everywhere (Pale Chord Music) – Alternative/hard rock
- Twisted Mind – From Slave To Prophet (Self-released) – Hard rock
December 16th
Jonathan Hultén – The Forest Sessions
Genre: Folk/experimental
Origin: Stockholm, Sweden
Label: Kscope
Buy now via Gimme Metal
If you were a fan of the ex-Tribulation guitarist's work on either Chants From Another Place or The Dark Night of the Soul you'll probably dig this. This experimental versions of some of those songs. Jonathan is calling a majority of these the "forest" versions, so you better head out to the woods to enjoy these properly. Jeff has a full review here.
Vented – Cruelty And Corruption
Genre: Groove metal/thrash
Origin: Stockholm, Sweden
Label: Metal.hu Records
Buy now via Gimme Metal
With dudes from Chimaira, DevilDriver, and more, you know you're in for some heavy grooves, and Vented deliver. Other than the occasional break to wonder how they did some guitar trick or drum fill, you will be headbanging non-stop on this one.
The Wring – Spectra
Genre: Progressive rock/metal
Origin: Sudbury, Ontario
Label: WormHoleDeath Records
Stream it here
Here's one for prog dorks. This outfit's third outing features drums by Marco Minnemann so you know the rhythms are mad. The regulars in the band ain't slouches either though. This is intricate and melodic prog done well.
Also dropping the week of December 16th…
- Bloodclot – Souls (Upstate Records) – Hardcore
- Classless Act – Welcome To The Acoustic Show EP (Better Noise) – Rock/acoustic
- Congealed Putrescence – Within The Ceaseless Murk (Caligari Records) – Death metal
- Dungeon Crawl/Throne of Iron – The Side Quest (Wise Blood Records) – Heavy metal
- Green King – Hidden Beyond Time (The Sign) – Heavy metal
- Hartlight – From Midland And Beyond (Wormholedeath) – Black metal
- Mallus Spiritus – Vultures of Despair (Raging Planet Records) – Black metal/doom
- Mos Generator – Time//Wounds (Self) – Stoner
- Laurent Rinaldi – Out Of This World (Wormholedeath) – Progressive
- Percussor – Ravenous Despondency (Horror Pain Gore Death Productions) – Death metal
December 23rd
The Alpha Incident – Sundowner
Genre: Progressive metal
Origin: Evansville, Indiana
Label: Self-released
Buy now from Bandcamp
Prior to this entry I was completely unaware of The Alpha Incident, but I'm usually drawn to a band that claims the progressive genre, so I gave them a shot. Good golly, am I glad I did. This album is so much I enjoy tossed in a blender. At times it reminds me of Porcupine Tree, other times Zeal & Ardor, then there will be moments of Trivium, Dream Theater, Periphery, and more. What an album!
Liv Moon – Our Stories
Genre: Symphonic/power metal
Origin: Tokyo, Japan
Label: Walkure Records
Buy now here
Akane Liv and Liv Moon have returned after a decade since their last full-length. They have a 50% new line up, but still bring the epic, symphonic metal. They have a violin player with them now and this always gets my attention. More bowed instruments in metal!
Trivium / Heaven Shall Burn – European Tour 2023 Split
Genre: Metalcore
Origin: Orlando, Florida/Thuringia, Germany
Label: Self-released
Buy now here
As a teaser for their tour together next year Trivium and Heaven Shall Burn are covering each other on this spilt. HSB are taking it WAY back with "Pillars of Serpents" while Heafy and the boys cover "Implore the Darken Sky." I always love when bands do this sort of thing. I'm a sucker for mutual admiration.
Also dropping the week of December 23rd…
- Brandon Cambridge – Celestial Quest II: Prophecy of the Nova Queen (Self-released) – Progressive metal
- The Crippler – I'm Just Gonna Let Myself In (Horror Pain Gore Death Productions) – Grindcore/thrash
- Order Of Nosferat – Vampiric Wrath Unleashed (Purity Through Fire) – Black metal/dungeon synth
- Rågbröder – Dadfluencer (Self-released) – Experimental/black metal
December 30th
Feuerschwanz – Todsünden
Genre: Folk rock
Origin: Erlangen, Germany
Label: Napalm
Buy now on Bandcamp
Now to play us out for the year we have a covers album from folk metal rascals Feuerschwanz. They'll be turning heads with their takes on Abba, Europe, Ghost, Ed Sheeran, Bloodhound Gang, Amon Amarth, and other artists and bands. This is record is endless fun.
Also dropping the week of December 30th…
- Abysmal Lord – Bestiary of Immortal Hunger (Hells Headbangers Records) – Death/black metal
- Chabtan – Compelle Intrare (DarkTune Music Group) – Death metal/deathcore
- Nocturnal Departure – Clandestine Theurgy (Hells Headbangers) – Black metal
- Trollcave – Rotted Remnants Dripping from the Void (Gurgling Gore) – Funeral doom/death metal
