This week's new heavy metal releases include the latest former Dream Theater member's solo outing, new live recordings of very old metal, and more! To the metals…
Helmet – Left
Genre: Noise rock/grunge
Origin: New York, New York
Label: earMUSIC
Buy now on Amazon
Getting this week started with these noisy legends. Lots of you may just know them as the band that did "Unsung," but their catalog is rich and diverse and this album is another example of this. Left is aggressive, catchy, full of attitude, and occasionally shreddy. Helmet still got it and you should get what they got.
Mike Mangini – Invisible Signs
Genre: Progressive rock
Origin: Newton, Massachusetts
Label: Self-released
Buy now from Mike
On Mike's first solo outing he is offering up some big ol' proggy melodic rock songs, as you might expect. Helping him out are Gus G (Firewind), Jen Majura (ex-Evanescence) and more. Unsurprisingly the percussion is the star of this record and Mike is a beast.
MTVoid – Matter's Knot, Pt. 1
Genre: Experimental
Origin: Los Angeles, California/Swarzędz, Poland
Label: Lobal Orning
Buy now Lobal Orning
Now of a weird one. MTVoid is the glitchy, experimental project of Peter Mohamed (Sweet Noise) and Justin Chancellor (Tool). The sophomore record from the duo is hard to truly label, but it's atmospheric, chaotic, and pretty dark. It also features friends of theirs from Aric Improta (Night Verses), Isabel Munoz-Newsome (Pumarosa), and Andy Morin (Death Grips).
Shylmagoghnar – Convergence
Genre: Progressive black metal
Origin: South Limburg, Netherlands
Label: Napalm
Buy now on Bandcamp
Nimblkorg has returned after five years with another dynamic, blackened adventure of an album under his Shylmagoghnar banner. The record is equal parts beautiful and devastating. It's like getting the experience of a record by Ne Obliviscaris or Insomnium all channeled through one person.
Sodom – 1982
Genre: Speed metal/thrash
Origin: Gelsenkirchen, Germany
Label: Steamhammer / SPV
Buy now on Bandcamp
This EP is a must for Sodom bands or old, old school thrash fans. It includes re-recordings of some of the bands earliest songs like "Witching Metal," "Victims Of The Death," and "Let's Fight In The Darkness Of Hell." It also includes the new-ish titular track.
Triumph Of Death – Resurrection Of The Flesh
Genre: Black/speed metal
Origin: Zurich, Switzerland
Label: Noise/BMG
Buy now on Amazon
Speaking of old bands doing old stuff again, next up is a live record from Tom Gabriel and friends performing songs by his pre-Celtic Frost band Hellhammer. The band was short-lived in the early 80's and never put out a proper album. This live album features songs from their various splits, demos, single and EP live and sounding pretty sweet. Also check out our interview with Tom that Jeff did.
Vastum – Inward To Gethsemane
Genre: Death metal
Origin: San Francisco, California
Label: 20 Buck Spin
Buy now on Bandcamp
Taking us home with some straight up death metal. The band's first record in four years is devoid of fluff and should appeal to fans of Necrot, Autopsy, Tomb Mold, etc. I don't know man. I feel like I should be more poetic, but this is just solid. Put it in your ears.
Also dropping this week…
- Aglo – Build Fear (Brilliant Emperor Records) – Death metal/sludge
Autarkh – Emergent (Season Of Mist) – "Contemporary metal" - Calling Hours – Say Lewss (Revelation) – Melodic punk
- Cave In – Heavy Pendulum: The Singles – Live At BBC's Maida Vale Studios (Relapse Records) – Progressive sludge
- The Color Of Rain – Oceans Above (Void Wanderer Productions) – Post-metal
- D'Virgilio, Morse & Jennings – Sophomore (InsideOut) – Progressive rock
- Deorbit – Retrogradient (Self-released) – Progressive/post-rock
- Dissona – Dreadful Distinct (Seld-released) – Progressive metal
- Dreamwheel – Redeemer (Nefarious) – Post-punk/indie
- Empire Of Disease – Shadows In The Abyss (Xtreem) – Metalcore/melodic death metal
- Ex Everything – Slow Change Will Pull Us Apart (Neurot Recordings) – Hardcore
- Foghat – Sonic Mojo (Self-released) – Rock
- Gama Bomb – Bats (Prosthetic) – Thrash
- Hinayana – Shatter And Fall (Napalm) – Melodic death metal/doom
- Holy Wars – Cult Classic (Pale Chord) – Hardcore/punk
- Horsewhip – Consume And Burn (Iodine) – Crust/hardcore
- Hourhouse – Gold Tooth Guru (UNFD) – Nu metal
- Hugo's Voyage – Inception (Frontiers) – AOR
- Ignescent – Fight In Me (Frontiers) – Rock
- Incendiary Device – Incendiary Device (Bridge Nine) – Hardcore
- L.S. Dunes – Lost Songs: Lines And Shapes (Fantasy) – Post-hardcore
- Left Cross – Upon Desecrated Altars (Profound Lore) – Death metal
- Locket – Superluminal (Fearless) – Alternative
- Lower 13 – Deception (Self-released) – Metalcore
- Sophie Lloyd – Imposter Syndrome (Autumn Records Ltd) – Shred/hard rock
- MouthBreather – Self-Tape (Good Fight Music) – Mathcore
- Night Crowned – Tales (Noble Demon) – Melodic death/black metal
- Craig Owens – Volume 1 (Velocity Records) – Post-hardcore
- Plaguemace – Reptilian Warlords (Napalm) – Death metal
- Receiver – Whispers Of Lore (Gates Of Hell) – Stoner/heavy metal
- Saver – From Ember And Rust (Pelagic) – SLudge
- Scream – DC Special (Dischord Records) – Hardcore punk
- Secret Sphere – Blackened Heartbeat (Frontiers) – Power metal
- Spirit Leaves – To My Detriment (InVogue) – Post-hardcore
- Temple Balls – Avalanche (Frontiers) – Hard rock
- Vantage Point – Against Myself (Triple B Records) – Hardcore
- Verilehto – Kuoleman Siipien Havina (Self-released) – Black metal
- Wayside – What Does Your Soul Look Like (Nature Girl) – Alternative rock
- The Young Rochelles – Kicked To The Curb (Sounds Rad) – Pop punk
