This week's new heavy metal releases include some black metal legends, not-so-metal spin-offs, missed opportunities for glory, and more!
To the metals…
Darkthrone – Old Star
Genre: Black metal/speed metal
Origin: Kolbotn, Norway
Label: Peaceville
On album seventeen from Darkthrone, Fenriz and Nocturno Culto are switching up their sound once again. This time, they're slowing things down and including some almost doom elements into the established grim sound of their band. Good for them for continuing to grown and shift. Turns out you can teach an Old Star new tricks…or something?
[youtube=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i6h4b-Jm8iU][/youtube]
Death Angel – Humanicide
Genre: Thrash
Origin: San Francisco, California
Label: Nuclear Blast
Are Death Angel the best long-running thrash band? Seeing as Humanicide is this deep into the band's career, and this good, they just might be. I think it should be noted that the album's cover is like a waaaaay more intense version of the three howling wolves t-shirt, and that's rad.
[youtube=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OVDEMDxNNrQ][/youtube]
Gaahl's Wyrd – Gastir – Ghosts Invited
Genre: Blackened metal
Origin: Bergen, Norway
Label: Season Of Mist
Gaahl's Wyrd have been around for a minute now, but this is their debut album. It's a pretty interesting album. It has dissonant guitars and blast beats, but doesn't quite feel like a full on black metal record. It certainly has all the parts, but seems more experimental and weird. Check out Frank's awesome interview with Gaahl about this album and a lot more here.
[youtube=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SZ5rrHYPFto][/youtube]
Gloryhammer – Legends From Beyond The Galactic Terrorvortex
Genre: Symphonic metal
Origin: Scotland
Label: Napalm
This album is a solid collection of space-themed power metal tracks, however there is a huge misstep with the album. The album is by Gloryhammer, it has a song called "Gloryhammer," but the album is is NOT called Gloryhammer. Everyone knows the best bands put the song that's named after them on the self-titled album. Motorhead, Black Sabbath, and Iron Maiden all did it, and there are others. Sure, they put out a fun, epic album, but you'll never be able to look at your music player of choice and read "Gloryhammer – Gloryhammer – Gloryhammer," and that's a damn shame.
[youtube=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tKlVYJTSzuU][/youtube]
King Hobo – Mauga
Genre: Stoner rock
Origin: United States/Sweden
Label: Weathermaker
Without hearing a second of this band, I knew what they'd sound like. Think about it. Mix Kamchatka, (ex-)Opeth, and Clutch. Imagine what that sounds like. It sounds just like that. I'm not mad about it, and you shouldn't be either.
[youtube=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sdAEUV9WnKI][/youtube]
Paul Masvidal – Mythical
Genre: Acoustic/new age
Origin: Miami, Florida
Label: Masvidalien Records
Paul Masvidal is best known for his work in Cynic, but this album sound not shock people. It is acoustic tracks with loads pf ambiance and barely percussion. The man also responsible for Aeon Spoke and Cynic's Re-Traced ep, has returned with the first of three EPs in the Mythical Human Vessel trilogy. It far from the prog metal thing, but it's just as heady, if not more.
[youtube=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GbJI9YmzS5Y][/youtube]
Daniel Tompkins – Castles
Genre: Progressive pop
Origin: Milton Keynes, England
Label: Kscope
Daniel Tompkins from TesseracT has one of the better voices in modern metal. This album, while not a dance pop album, is a collection of tracks with more of a vocal-led pop structure. Regardless of what you'd call it Tompkins soars on this and I wouldn't be upset to get more of these.
[youtube=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iT7UPs2W4bk][/youtube]
Also dropping today…
Adrift – Pure (Temple Of Tortuous) – Sludge
AngelMaker – AngelMaker (Self-released) – Deathcore
Bloodyminded – Bloodyminded (Bloodlust!) – Experimental Noise
Concrete Funeral – Ultimum Judicium (Self Release) – Death/Thrash
Constantine – Aftermath (Rockshots) – Shred/progressive
Cursed Earth – The Deathbed Sessions (UNFD) – Deathcore
D-A-D – A Prayer For The Loud (AFM) – Hard rock
Evil Angel – Unholy Evil Metal (Hells Headbangers) – Thrash/black metal
Funeral Storm – Arcane Mysteries (Hells Headbangers) – Black metal
Hellish Grave – Hell No Longer Awaits (Hellprod) – Black/Thrash
I Am The Law – Dance of the Southern Witch (Self released) – Southern metal
Kavara – Weathered & Lost (Self Release) – Death metal
Janet Gardner – Your Place In The Sun (Pavement) – Glam rock
Krypts – Cadaver Circulation (Dark Descent) – Death metal
Matt Mitchell & The Coldhearts – Matt Mitchell & The Coldhearts (MMRecordingworks) – Rock
Duff McKagan – Tenderness (Universal) – Rock
Nekroi Theoi – Dead Gods (Prosthetic Records) – Brutal death metal
Pound – •• (Silent Pendulum) – Instrumental grindcore
Royal Republic – Club Majesty (Nuclear Blast) – Rock
Texas Hippie Coalition – High In The Saddle (eOne) – Hard rock
Thrash La Reine – La Foi, La Loi, La Croix (Self-Release) – Heavy metal
Toxpack – Kampfer (Napalm) – "Streetcore"
Tryglav – Night of Whispering Souls (Extreme Metal Music/Rockshots Records) – Black metal
Unimagined – Friendless EP (Standby) – Black metal
Vader – Thy Messenger EP (Nuclear Blast) – Death metal
Violent Life Violent Death – Sadness Rains EP (Innerstrength) – Metalcore
