This week's edition is one of the more eclectic ones this year. It includes some soaring melodic death metal, sludgy doom, tons of feedback and more! To the metals…
Blackfield – V
Genre: Progressive/Alt rock
Origin: Ramat Gan, Israel/Kingston upon Tames, England
Label: Kscope
Buy now on Amazon.com
This long time collaboration between Steven Wilson and Aviv Geffen, is finally a collaboration again. Wilson has been occupied with his solo work for the past several years. IV was still good, but featured less of Wilson. Now with Steven back, and production from Alan Parsons, the group has made their finest work yet.
[youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rDxZ6mQOcVE[/youtube]
Dead Witches – Ouija 
Genre: Psychedelic/"Songs to dig graves to"
Origin: Italy/England
Label: Heavy Psych Sounds
Buy now on Amazon.com
"Songs to dig graves to" is an oddly accurate description for this band, or rather the sound this band is going for. This features former members of Electric Wizard and Psychedelic Witchcraft, so they've got plenty heavy, spooky, fuzzy. A solid debut from these occult rockers, and I hope for more down the road. However, I'm curious to what they will do since their guitarist Greg Elk passed towards the end of 2016.
[youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CK92Kc9uc9s[/youtube]
Trevor de Brauw – Uptown 
Genre: Drone
Origin: Evanston, Illinois
Label: The Flenser
Buy now on Amazon.com
Trevor is best known for his guitar work in Pelican, and his solo material has some elements of them, but less of a traditional song structure. Actually, is sorta sounds like Pelican, if it was ONLY Trevor. So no drums, maybe no bass, and no vocals of course. Instead, Uptown is droning guitar riffs, guitar feedback, and the occasional keyboard, that seems like it would be a chore to get through, but it's so hypnotic and interesting. "From The Black Soil Poetry and Song Sprang" is god damned beautiful in fact.
[youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iZSqkq0Aubw[/youtube]
Mors Principium Est – Embers Of A Dying World
Genre: Melodic Death Metal
Origin: Pori, Finland
Label: AFM
Buy now on Amazon.com
This band is one of my favorite bands in their scene, and Embers gives me exactly what I've come to hope for from them. This is melodic, epic, and driving death metal. Their video (included below) confuses me though. Did their bassist and drummer not make it out to the abandoned house on the shoot day?
[youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7AXY3_JoBKA[/youtube]
Mutiny Within – Origins
Genre: Progressive Melodic Death Metal
Origin: Edison, New Jersey
Label: Self
Buy now on Amazon.com
So stoked to see this band's name coming up again. Fans of the work of Mike Semesky (Ordinance, HAARP Machine, Intervals, etc) should check this band out. The musicianship is technical and catchy, while the vocals of Chris Clancy are godlike. This is an absolutely underrated band overflowing with talent.
[youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RG6GbbsWXX8[/youtube]
Nidingr – The High Heat Licks Against Heaven 
Genre: Blackened Death Metal
Origin: Borre, Norway
Label: Season Of Mist
Buy now on Amazon.com
This one is those pining for something that is "real metal" or whatever. The oddly titled The High Heat Licks Against Heaven is an record of darkness and galloping rhythms. For fans of Behemoth before Nergal got into the symphonic accompaniment.
[youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vd9pEmUeNvg[/youtube]
Overkill – The Grinding Wheel 
Genre: Thrash
Origin: New York City, New York
Label: Nuclear Blast
Buy now on Amazon.com
This is the bands eighteenth album, and it may be one of the better ones I've heard from them. The riffs are fantastic and it just oozes old school thrash. However, there are some moments of soaring power metal, pummeling hardcore punk, bluesy Sabbath-esque breakdowns, and more. So, it's not just thrash by numbers. Surprisingly great album.
[youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5tN-70ESO3A[/youtube]
Omar Rodriguez-Lopez – Chocolate Tumor Hormone Parade
Genre: Experimental
Origin: El Paso, Texas
Label: Ipecac
Buy now on Amazon.com
I can't even pretend like I know what Omar is up to anymore on these Ipecac releases. They seem to be drifting more and more towards noisy electronic nonsense, and yet I'm still intrigued. This one is made up of live recordings and features songs from his albums Octopus Cool Aid, Un Corazon de Nadie, and Saber Querer, Osar, Y Callar. The songs are not how I remember them at all, but perhaps that's the point.
Sample on Bandcamp
Weltesser – Crestfallen 
Genre: Doom/Sludge Metal
Origin: Tampa, Florida
Label: Prosthetic
Buy now on Amazon.com
Ending this week in the heaviest way I could. This band is lurching, fuzzy, sludgy, dissonant, and feedback-laden. So essentially, the perfect album of its type.
[youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dmMiv0rm6K0[/youtube]
Also dropping today…
Def Leppard – And There Will Be A Next Time: Live From Detroit DVD/CD (Eagle Rock) – Glam
First Blood – Rules (Pure Noise) – Hardcore
Once Human – Evolution (earMusic) – Groove metal
Wiegedood – De Doden Hebben Het Goed II (Consouling Sounds) – Black metal
