This week’s new heavy metal releases include prog dorks, fun doom, uneasy listening, and more! To the metals…
Dream Theater – Lost Not Forgotten Archives: A Dramatic Tour of Events – Select Board Mixes
Genre: Progressive metal Origin: Long Island, New York Label: InsideOut
As you can imagine from this thing's title, Dream Theater are dipping into the live archives again on this one. Fans that missed their 2011-2012 tour, or fans that just want to relive it, will get tracks like "Forsaken," "The Great Debate," "The Count of Tuscany," and oodles more from that tour.
Erdve – Savigaila
Genre: Experimental sludge/hardcore Origin: Vilnius, Lithuania Label: Season Of Mist
Lithuania isn't exactly the first place I think of when I think heavy as fuck metal, but Erdve may single-handedly change that. The band's second album Savigaila is a beating in sonic form that only takes breaks for ominous atmosphere. This one hurts good.
Epoch of Chirality – Nucleosynthesis
Genre: Progressive metal Origin: England Label: Self-released
How about some nerdy stuff now? Epoch of Chirality is the solo project on multi-instrumentalist Richard How who is clearly a fan of sci-fi scores. This record combines 80's synth-driven prog with shreddy guitar metal. This is the soundtrack to a movie that I want to see.
Yngwie Malmsteen – Parabellum
Genre: Shred/hard rock Origin: Stockholm, Sweden Label: Music Theories/Mascot
Speaking of shreddy guitar, here we have one of the masters. On his twenty-second album Yngwie plays all the notes, and I'd wager many of them more than once. A few songs have vocals if you're into that sort of thing, but unsurprisingly the guitar work is the star here. Despite becoming a bit of a punchline he proves that he still has an unbelievable amount of talent with each album.
Mama Doom – Ash Bone Skin N Stone
Genre: Psychedelic/doom Origin: Newburgh, New York Label: Majestic Mountain Records
Let's slow things down a bit. As their name implies Mama Doom bring the doom. The band also utilize fun synths and the occasional prog rhythm. Fear not though (or do fear as their whole thing seems to be embracing spookiness), this band is still very much about fuzzy riffs.
Alexis Marshall – House of Lull House of When
Genre: Noise/experimental Origin: Providence, Rhode Island Label: Sargent House
Wrapping this week with something a bit atypical. Alexis Marshall is perhaps best known for his work fronting Daughters. On his own he is leaning into the experimental side of what Daughters did on You Won't Get What You Want. This record isn't heavy per se, but the urgency of his vocals and the unease overall creates an atmosphere that haunts you more than a corpse painted shriek could.
Also dropping today…
Lee Aaron – Radio On! (Metalville) – Rock
The Age of Truth – Resolute (Contessa Music) – Hard rock/stoner
Archangel A.D. – Casus Belli (Self-released) – Thrash
Attila – Closure (Self-released) – Metalcore
Azok – Azok (Self-released) – Black metal
Borkr – Copper (Pest Productions) – Black metal
Capstan – Separate (Fearless) – Post-hardcore/progressive
Cavern Deep – Cavern Deep (Interstellar Smoke Records) – Doom/psychedelic
Craven Idol – Forked Tongues (Dark Descent) – Black metal/thrash
Crypt Monarch – The Necronaut (Electric Valley Records) – Doom/psychedelic
Descendents – 9th and Walnut (Epitaph) – Punk
Eradicator – Influence Denied (Metalville) – Thrash
Exil – Warning (Armageddon Label) – Hardcore
Flame, Dear Flame – Aegis (Eisenwald) – Doom
Fulci – Exhumed Information (Time To Kill Records) – Brutal death metal
Ghorot – Loss of Light (Inverse Records) – Blackened doom metal
Godslave – Positive Aggressive (Metalville) – Thrash
(hed)p.e. – Sandmine (Suburban Noize Records) – Rap metal
Heavy Water – Red Brick City (Silver Lining) – Hard rock
Hexenklad – Heathenheart (CDN Records) – Folk metal
Hookers & Blow – Hookers & Blow (Golden Robot) – Hard rock covers
Kryptan – Kryptan (Debemur Morti Productions) – Black metal
Laetitia in Holocaust – I Fall with the Saints (Brucia Records) – Black metal
Lotus Eater – Where The Body Goes (Hopeless Records) – Metalcore/nu metal
Luminous Veil – Vespers for the Loom and Lain (BMC Productions) – Black metal
Lykhaeon – Opprobium (Repose Records) – Black metal
