This week's new heavy metal releases include sludgy thrash, a pair of Washington legends, chaos, and more! To the metals…
Couch Slut – You Could Do It Tonight
Genre: Noise rock
Origin: New York, New York
Label: Brutal Panda
Buy now on Bandcamp
Starting this week in a noisy way. Couch Slut have a name that will catch your attention and a sound that won't let it go. There's some hardcore, some punk, and a whole lotta rage.
Dvne – Voidkind
Genre: Progressive sludge/post-metal
Origin: Edinburgh, Scotland
Label: Metal Blade
Buy now on Bandcamp
I feel like there aren't that many bands that blend prog and sludge in a compelling way like Dvne can. Voidkind is a dynamic listening experience though oodles of ebbs and thankfully just as many flows. You're getting something like The Ocean if you mixed in some Baroness and Elder.
The Ghost Inside – Searching For Solace
Genre: Metalcore/melodic hardcore
Origin: El Segundo, California
Label: Epitaph
Buy now on Bandcamp
Understandably it took these guys a while to get back on their metalcore feet after their well-documented accident. Now they are back with their second album after all that, in a reasonable time-frame. So it's business as usual, and I mean that as a good thing since it seemed iffy if they ever would be back like this. This is more melodic, catchy as hell jams that will empower and move you.
High on Fire – Cometh the Storm
Genre: Sludge/thrash
Origin: Oakland, California
Label: MNRK
Buy now on Bandcamp
Time is weird. How has it been six years since the last full High On Fire record? This is all the fuzz and sludge that you've been missing. Slow? They got you. Thrashy? Yup, that too. This is is their first studio outing with new drummer Coady Willis (Big Business and Melvins) and of course he fits right in. Speaking of (the) Melvins…
(the) Melvins – Tarantula Heart
Genre: Experimental/sludge
Origin: Montesano, Washington
Label: Ipecac
Buy now on Bandcamp
As you'd expect, this is a weird one. Buzz and the boys are bringing the sludge, experimental metal, and more while trying something different along the way. A lot of the album includes duel drummers as usual suspect Dale Crover and ex-Stone Sour drummer Roy Mayorga beat the hell out of you and their drums. So it's more crushing than usual.
My Dying Bride – A Mortal Binding
Genre: Gothic metal/doom
Origin: Bradford, West Yorkshire, England
Label: Nuclear Blast
Buy now on Bandcamp
Album number fourteen form these moody doomsters is another dark and epic one. Their first record in four years has them being sad and heavy as always. There is some mystery surrounding this one as they just cancelled all their dates this year. So enjoy this one as it might be your only shot to year them this year.
Oak, Ash & Thorn – Our Grief Is Thus
Genre: Blackened power/folk metal
Origin: Denver, Colorado
Label: Lost Future Records
This is a rad one that caught me off guard. The band mixed black metal darkness, power metal might, and some melodic death metal into one compelling package. This has catchy melodies and riffs for days. If you're a fan of anything ICS Vortex sings on (so Dimmu Borgir, Arcturus, Borknagar), you'll dig this quite a bit.
Pearl Jam – Dark Matter
Genre: Grunge/rock
Origin: Seattle, Washington
Label: Monkeywrench
Buy now on Amazon
In many ways Dark Matter is another Pearl Jam record that's hard to be mad at (unless you're generally mad at Pearl Jam). You have some chill Tom Petty-ish jams, some rockers with slick solos, and some grungy numbers. This record was produced by Andrew Watt (Miley Cyrus, Post Malone, Ozzy), so there is also a rather modern shine to it. If you've dug anything since the avocado record, you'll probably enjoy this.
SeeYouSpaceCowboy – Coup De Grâce
Genre: Mathcore/metalcore
Origin: San Diego, California
Label: Pure Noise Records
Buy now on Bandcamp
Wrapping this entry in an oddly familiar yet fresh way. This is like fifty percent early 00's metalcore and fifty percent present day experimental mathcore. They're like if It Dies Today covered The Callous Daoboys, or vice versa. Very fun record. I'm excited to get hit with the first of a stray firt from a hardcore dancing kid when they fittingly open for Better Lovers in a few weeks.
Also dropping this week…
- Antichrist Siege Machine – Vengeance Of Eternal Fire (Profound Lore) – Black/death metal
- Ater – Somber (Torque Records) – Blackened metal
- Atræ Bilis – Aumicide (20 Buck Spin) – Technical Death metal
- Balance Of Power – Fresh From The Abyss (Massacre Records) – Heavy metal
- Big|Brave – A Chaos Of Flowers (Thrill Jockey) – Experimental rock/metal
- Blaze Of Perdition – Upharsin (Metal Blade) – Black metal
- Blazing Eternity – A Certain End Of Everything (Mighty Music) – Gothic metal
- Dayseeker – Replica (Spinefarm) – Hard rock/electronic
- Dool – The Shape Of Fluidity (Prophecy) – Dark rock
- Feuerschwanz – Warriors (Napalm) – Folk metal
- Folterkammer – Weibermacht (Century Media) – Operatic/symphonic black metal
- Haust – Negative Music (Fysisk Format Records) – Black metal/punk
- Haunted – Stare At Nothing (Ripple Music) – Stoner/doom
- In Vain – Solemn (Indie Recordings) – Progressive death/black metal
- Ivy Gardens – Goon (Self-released) – Stoner/grunge
- Life's Question – Life's Question (Flatspot Records) – hardcore
- Lightworker – How The Beautiful Decay (Solid State) – Metalcore
- Maere – …And The Universe Keeps Silent (Transcending Obscurity Records) – Dissonant death metal
- Billy Morrison – The Morrison Project (TLG) – Rock
- Never Elected – Turbulent (Self-released) – Rock/grunge
- Nocturna – Of Sorcery And Darkness (Scarlet) – Symphonic/power metal
- NOFX – Half Album (Fat Wreck Chords) – Punk
- Opium Death – Genocidal Nemesis (Self-released) – Death metal
- The Outfit – Go (Pavement Entertainment) – Rock
- Praying Mantis – Defiance (Frontiers) – Heavy metal
- Quantum – Down The Mountainside (Black Lodge) – Progressive rock
- Satanic North – Satanic North (Reaper Entertainment) – Black metal
- Selbst – Despondency Chord Progressions (Debemur Morti) – Black metal
- SRD – Vragvmesiton (One Parole Productions) – Black metal
- Thief – Bleed, Memory (Prophecy Productions) – Dark electronic
- Tomorrow's Rain – Ovdan (AOP) – Doom
- Unpeople – Unpeople (SharpTone) – Hard rock/weird pop
- Uragh – Maelstrom (Stoutcore Records) – Modern/progressive metal
- Valley Lodge – Shadows in Paradise (Tee Pee Records) – Hard/psychedelic rock
- Vanden Plas – The Empyrean Equation Of The Long Lost Things (Frontiers) – Progressive metal
- Verikalpa – Tuomio (Scarlet Records) – Folk metal
- Winter – Live In Brooklyn NY (Svart) – Death metal/doom
- Zao – Live From The Church (Observed/Observer Recordings) – Metalcore
This Saturday is Record Store Day. Here's the list of those releases.
