This week's new heavy metal releases includes, admittedly, an unfair number of California bands, a death metal supergroup, and more! To the metals…
Gygax – High Fantasy 
Genre: Hard rock/heavy metal
Origin: Ventura, California
Label: Creator-Destructor Records
After last year's 2nd Edition, Gygax have already returned with their high flying Dungeons and Dragons flavored heavy metal. The band that features ex-Gypsyhawk and (ex?)Huntress members once again provide the perfect sound track to your weekly nerd adventure. Put this on, play it loud, and slay something.
[youtube=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eNRbZ_E765s][/youtube]
(Hed) P.E. – Stampede 
Genre: Rap metal/nu metal
Origin: Huntington Beach, California
Label: Pavement
With nu metal making a resurgence, this feels like the best time for a band like (Hed) P.E. to pop their head up and rap-rock around. The little I've heard of this has really seems like more of a hip hop with some guitars as an afterthought. I don't know anything about this band though, other than they perform in my area a lot.
[youtube=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sn-cQSlXEH0][/youtube]
The Hollywood Vampires – Rise 
Genre: Rock
Origin: Los Angeles, California
Label: earMusic
The Johnny Depp, Alice Cooper, and Joe Perry train just keeps on rolling, huh? Wild. It's been four years since their debut, but the guys found some time between pirate movies, golfing, and whatever Joe Perry does that isn't Aerosmith to put another record together. This one features a David Bowie cover and a song with Jeff Beck and John Waters.
[youtube=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U8VnYZLWr_s][/youtube]
Howling Sycamore – Seven Pathways To Annihilation 
Genre: Progressive metal
Origin: San Francisco, California
Label: Prosthetic Records
Here's some heavy weirdness for your week. Like Gygax, it's only been a year since this wild outfit released an album. However, Hannes Grossmann and his pals cannot rest. This is dark, epic, and a masterclass in prog drumming. Jordan has a full review here.
[youtube=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E7MMK9Xw3ME][/youtube]
Memoriam – Requiem For Mankind 
Genre: Death metal/grind
Origin: Birmingham, England
Label: Nuclear Blast
With Karl Willets (ex-Bolt Thrower), Frank Healy (ex-Cerebral Fix), Scott Fairfax (ex-Cerebral Fix), and Andy Whale (ex-Bolt Thrower) all together in a band, you know you're in for a heavy album. A heavy metal is what Requiem For Mankind is. This is straight forward old school flavored death metal, and the group's third full-length in as many years. Lot's of bands not wasting time between albums this week. I like that.
[youtube=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2olgPmHY-84][/youtube]
The Lord Weird Slough Feg – New Organon 
Genre: Heavy metal
Origin: Pennsylvania
Label: Cruz Del Sur
Praise the Lord! The Lord Weird Slough Feg, that is. It's been half a decade since Mike Scalzi and his gang of misfits graced the world with their odd stoner-ish heavy metal. It's been far too long.
[youtube=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m6q88SXpzgw][/youtube]
Also dropping today…
Abyssal – A Beacon in the Husk (Profound Lore) – Death metal
Bokassa – Crimson Riders (Kings Of Stonerpunk Records) – Stoner/punk
Collective Soul – Blood (Fuzze-Flex) – Rock
Critical Mess – Man Made Machine Made Man (Metalville) – Death metal
Hex Machine – Cave Painting Minimum (Underdrive) – Noise Rock/Sludge
Lightning Born – Lightning Born (Ripple) – Heavy metal
Luna Sol – Below the Deep (Slush Fund Recordings / Cargo Records – Stoner rock
The Meads Of Asphodel – Running Out Of Time Doing Nothing (Godreah Records) – Experimental black metal
Moonlight Haze – De Rerum Natura (Scarlet Records) – Symphonic power metal
The Odious – Vesica Piscis (Self-released) – Technical death metal
Organectomy – Existential Disconnect (Unique Leader) – Brutal death metal
Ragdoll Sunday – Puritan (Self-Released) – Hard rock
Ravensire – A Stone Engraved In Red (Cruz Del Sur) – Heavy metal
Sacri Monti – Waiting Room for the Magic Hour (Tee Pee Records) – Hard rock
Sonoran Rebel Black Magick – True Western Doom (New Density) – Doom/folk
Superstition – The Anatomy of Unholy Transformation (20 Buck Spin) – Death metal
