This week’s new heavy metal releases include hard to nail down bands, grooves, metaled up movie songs, and more! To the metals…
The Acacia Strain – You Are Safe From God Here
Genre: Deathcore/metalcore
Origin: Chicopee, Massachusetts
Label: Rise
Buy now The Acacia Strain
In 2023 The Acacia Strain dropped two records. One sludge and the other chaotic hardcore/deathcore. You Are Safe From God Here sees the band returning to a more balanced approach rather than separating. It’s heavy as fuck, just like you’d hope though.
Bonginator – Retrodeath
Genre: Death metal
Origin: Boston, Massachusetts
Label: Testimony Records
Buy now on Bandcamp
With a name like “Bonginator” you’d expect a sludge/stoner sound, right? Nah. Retrodeath is a nod to classic horror or 80’s films with music of the time infused into death metal. It’s very fun to hear those digital rototom things in a grinding metal section. They brought a lot of friends to help them party on this like members of Big Ass Truck, Belushi Speed Ball, and more.
Conjurer – Unself
Genre: Sludge/post-metal
Origin: Rugby, Warwickshire, England
Label: Nuclear Blast
Buy now on Bandcamp
Conjurer‘s third record hits like a steamroller. It’s not a fast one, but it’ll still flatten you. When a song builds to a melodic moment, good golly does it hit.
Galactic Empire – Cinemetal
Genre: Movie scores, but metal
Origin: Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Label: Pure Noise Records
Buy now of Bandcamp
There was a time when Galactic Empire played Star Wars metal, then it was also John Williams metal (so you got Jurassic Park and Indiana Jones). Lately they’ve just been doing whatever, so on album number four they’re expanding their whole thing even further by covering stuff from Avengers, Pirates if the Caribbean, Batman, and beyond. It makes the outfits make less and less sense, but who cares. It’s super fun.
Leprous – An Evening Of Atonement
Genre: Progressive metal/rock
Origin: Notodden, Vestfold og Telemark, Norway
Label: InsideOut
Buy now on Bandcamp
I am a big Leprous fan, but one thing I think their latest albums doesn’t quite capture is how much of a force they really are. This live record showcases recent material and shows that it still hits like the early stuff when they’re on a stage. See them in person if you have a chance, but if you can’t this is the next best thing.
Serj Tankian – Covers, Collaborations & Collages
Genre: Alternative/nu metal
Origin: Los Angeles, California
Label: Serjical Strike
Buy now from Serj
Sometimes the title of a record does all my work for me. This is one of those times. Serj’s latest collection of songs is sort of a compilation, but it’s sort of an album. There are guests like Canadian mouse-themed knob turner Deadmau5, New Zealand singer Bic Runga, and Spanish composer Lucas Vidal and there are covers of songs you’re probably not super aware of.
Soulfly – Chama
Genre: Groove metal/thrash
Origin: Phoenix, Arizona
Label: Nuclear Blast
Buy now on Amazon
One of the Max Cavalera family bands is hitting you with some grooves on album number thirteen. You know what you’re in for with a Soulfly record, so ready your head to be banged. Todd Jones from Nails is on a song and that one is extra heavy.
Sumo Cyco – Neon Void
Genre: Alternative/modern metal
Origin: Toronto, Canada
Label: Self-released
Buy now from Sumo Cyco
Man, this is some catchy stuff. This has some metalcore anthems, groove metal…well, grooves, and pop hooks. It’s hard to perfectly nail down their sound and I think that’s a point in their favor.
Vowws – I’ll fill your house with an army
Genre: Shoegaze/experimental
Origin: Los Angeles, California
Label: Out Of Line Music
Buy now on Bandcamp
Like Sumo Cyco, the new Vowws record is hard to nail down. This has some new wave, showgaze, and some whatever Puscifer-is-up-to vibes to it. I guess they call it “death pop,” and sure, I hear that. Whatever it is, it’s rad and probably my favorite thing this week.
Also dropping this week…
- Adept – Blood Covenant (Napalm) – Metalcore/post-hardcore
- Aduanten – Apocryphal Verse (Nameless Grave Records) – Melodic death metal
- Arcane Tales – Ancestral War (Broken Bones Promotion & Productions) – Power metal
- Ars Onirica – 2.5 Nighttime (Ardua Music) – Melodic death metal/doom
- Arsenic Kitchen – Handbook For The Recently Deceased (Self-released) – Hard rock
- Gus Baldwin – Gus Baldwin (Permanent Teeth) – Punk/singer-songwriter
- Big Wreck – The Rest Of The Story (Sonic Unyon Records) – Post-grundge
- Blackshape – Prismer I (Papercut Recordings) – Atmospheric post-metal
- Born Divided – Chronicle of a Shipwreck (Self-released) – Progressive black metal
- Brainwave – Ill Intent (Self-released) – Hardcore/crossover
- Breath – Brahman (Argonauta Records) – Doom
- Cemetery Moon – Dominion Of Ashes (Self-released) – Black metal
- Centinex – With Guts and Glory (Black Lion Records / Sound Pollution) – Death metal/punk
- Coldrain – Optimize (Century Media) – Metalcore/post-hardcore
- Dayseeker – Creature In The Black Night (Spinefarm) – Post-hardcore/metalcore
- Deteriorot – Awakening (Xtreem Music) – Death metal
- Devastrosity – Eviscerating Desolation (Comatose Music) – Brutal death metal
- Disfiguring The Goddess – Galopogos (Self-released) – Deathcore
- Doro – Warriors Of The Sea (Rare Diamonds) – Heavy metal
- Downswing – And Everything Was Dark (MNRK) – Modern/groove metal
- Drofnosura – Ritual Of Split Tongues (Transcending Obscurity) – Sludge
- Elepharmers – Western Wilderness (Electric Valley Records) – Stoner metal/psychedelic
- Elettra Storm – Evertale (Scarlet) – Power metal
- Fatal Portrait – An Elusive Instinct For Lascivia Redvx (Black Lion Records) – Black metal
- Glasya – Fear (Scarlet) – Symphonic metal
- Goatfather – House Of The Rising Smoke (Argonauta Records) – Stoner
- Hail The Sun – cut. turn. fade. back. (Equal Vision) – Progressive/post-hardcore
- Heavy Pettin – Rock Generation (Silver Lining Music) – Heavy metal
- Hostilia – Face the Fire (Hammerheart) – Thrash
- In Lieu – Hooligan (Learning Curve Records) – Noise rock
- Jet Jaguar – Severance (Steamhammer/SPV) – Heavy/speed metal
- Juliet Ruin – Regime (Self-released) – Metalcore
- Karate Steve – Time Under Tension (Self-released) – Hardcore/melodic death metal
- Mammoth – The End (BMG) – Hard rock
- Leah Martin-Brown – Love & Other Crimes (Frontiers) – Rock/pop
- Liv Moon – The Land of Spirits (Walküre Records) – Symphonic/power metal
- Mastiff – For All The Dead Dreams (Church Road Records) – Doom/sludge
- Mos Generator – Live At Roadburn Festival 2008 (Savant Guarde) – Heavy/stoner metal
- Necronemesis / Gangrenesia – Putrid Sanctity (Horror Pain Gore Death Productions) – Death metal
- Nine Treasures – Seeking The Absolute (Metal Blade) – Folk metal
- Old Year – No Dissent (Apocalyptic Witchcraft) – Death metal/doom
- Our Oceans – Right Here, Right Now (Long Branch) – Progressive rock
- Outerburst – Witchcraft (Self-released) – Melodic groove metal
- Phaeton – Neurogenesis (INB Music) – Progressive metal
- Psychonaut – World Maker (Pelagic) – Post-metal
- Reverya – Afflication In Blood (Self-released) – Progressive metal
- Ronnie Romero – Backbone (Frontiers) – Hard rock
- Scorching Tomb – Ossuary (Time To Kill Records) – Death metal
- Shiraz Lane – In Vertigo (Frontiers) – Rock
- Sinister Days – Disconnect Society (Self-released) – Hardcore
- Speed – All My Angels (Flatspot Records/Last Ride Records) – Hardcore
- Spøgelse – Spøgelse II (Welfare Sounds & Records) – “Drunk n roll”
- Seraina Telli – Green (Metalville) – Hard rock/heavy metal
- Something Is Waiting – Livelick (Learning Curve Records) – Noise/heavy metal
- Them – Psychedelic Enigma (Steamhammer) – Heavy metal
- Torture Hammer – Torture Hammer (Creator-Destructor Records) – Death metal
- Tuesday The Sky – Indoor Enthusiast (Metal Blade Records) – Progressive metal/shred
- Valletta – Bitter Lucid Truth (Lifeforce Records) – Black metal
- Various Artists – Can’t Get Enough: A Tribute To Bad Company (Primary Wave Music) – Bad Company covers
- Warrant – The Speed Of Metal (Massacre Records) – Glam rock
- Wino – Create Or Die (Ripple) – Doom/hard rock
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