This week’s new heavy metal releases include some apt Halloween albums, a explosive debut, lots of punks covering Lemmy and the boys, and more! To the metals…
Avatar – Don’t Go In The Forest
Genre: Melodic death/alternative metal
Origin: Mölndal, Sweden
Label: Black Waltz
Buy now on Amazon
I can’t think of a more Halloween appropriate band than Avatar (maybe Helloween?). Sweden’s clown-led melodic weirdos are back and hitting the listener from a bunch of different angles. There’s some folk metal, some groove metal, some alt rock, and a lot more. Another varied entry in an already diverse catalog.
Black Cross Hotel – Songs For Switches
Genre: Gothic rock/post-punk
Origin: Chicago, Illinois
Label: SomeoddPilot
Buy now on Bandcamp
It seems like this year – more than ever – The Atlas Moth crew want to do anything but The Atlas Moth. Last month saw the debut of Motherless which features Stavros and on Black Cross Hotel Ragin and Mike have returned with their driving industrial, post-punk outfit with – among others – Marcus from Stabbing Westward. This one is another perfect one for today in particular.
Chat Pile and Hayden Pedigo – In the Earth Again
Genre: Noise metal/avant-garde
Origin: Oklahoma City, Oklahoma/Amarillo, Texas
Label: Computer Students Records
Buy now on Bandcamp
This one is hard to describe. Chat Pile have been leading a new era of angsty noise rock lately and for this album they teamed with avant-garde artist Hayden Pedigo for a more floaty album. Still some dissonance, but what little I’ve heard is oddly pleasant in comparison to the usual CP stuff? Maybe the singles have been misleading.
Despised Icon – Shadow Work
Genre: Deathcore
Origin: Montreal, Quebec
Label: Nuclear Blast
Buy now from Nuclear Blast
Up next we are getting pummeled by the sonic fists of Despised Icon. Their first album in six years is a deathcore masterclass. It’s also full of friends. Those friends include Matt from Kublai Khan TX, Scott from Carnifex, Tom from Chelsea Grin, and Misstiq.Yay friends!
Primitive Man – Observance
Genre: Doom/sludge
Origin: Denver, Colorado
Label: Relapse
Buy now on Bandcamp
What if one day Primitive Man dropped an album that sounded like Owl City? Just happy little beeps and boops about glowing bugs. This is probably as far as you can get from that vibe. Just darkness, heaviness, sadness, anger. All that fun stuff.
Trivium – Struck Dead
Genre: Metalcore
Origin: Orlando, Florida
Label: Roadrunner
Buy now from Trivium
Trivium’s first release of new material is a trip of songs that serve as a farewell to drummer Alex Bent. The songs are in the ballpark of In Waves and Shogun. If the last couple weren’t aggressive enough for you, this might scratch that itch.
Various Artists – Killed By Deaf – A Punk Tribute To Motörhead
Genre: Punk
Origin: Various
Label: BMG
Buy now here
As the title of this suggests this is punk bands covering Motörhead. You’re getting Pennywise, Rancid, Anti-Nowhere League, The Damned (with Motörhead), and more. Motörhead songs have always been pretty punk, so to hear bands take them across that line is pretty cool.
Wiltwither – Pure Light
Genre: Experimental metal
Origin: South Carolina
Label: 3dot
Buy now from 3Dot
If you are a fan of The Callous Daoboys but wish they ditched all the silly parts, you’ll probably dig the debut from Wiltwither. This is an intense and adventurous album. Some deathcore here, some nu metal there, some mathcore there, some pure rage there. All pulled off very well.
Also dropping this week…
- Aephanemer – Utopie (Napalm) – Melodic death metal
- Archaic Thorn – Malicious Spears (High Roller) – Death metal
- Aviana – Void (Arising Empire) – Metalcore/djent
- Barren Path – Barren Path (Willowtip Records) – Deathgrind
- Bastard Cröss – Crossripper (Morbid and Miserable) – Blackened punk
- Believe In Nothing – Rot (Church Road Records) – Black metal/sludge
- Black Soul Horde – Symphony Of Chaos (Vinyl Store) – Sludge
- Bloody Moon – Lost & Damned (Bloody Moon) – Blackened melodic death metal
- Bloom – The Light We Chase (Pure Noise Records) – Melodic hardcore
- Boum Patat – Ma Belgitude (Wormholedeath) – “Electro-fun”
- Stephen Brodsky – Cut To The Core Vol. 1 (Pax Aeternum) – Acoustic hardcore covers
- Burned In Effigy – Tyrannus Aeternum (Self-released) – Melodic death metal
- Cemican – U k ‘u’ uk’ankil Mayakaaj (M-Theory) – Folk/death metal
- Laura Cox – Trouble Coming (earMusic/Verycords) – Rock
- Creeper – Sanguivore II: Mistress of Death (Spinefarm) – Groove metal/thrash
- Danheim – Heimferd (Season Of Mist) – Folk
- Defecto – Echoes Of Isolation (Frontiers Music Srl) – Progressive metal
- Embraced By Darkness – Ex Inferis (Non Serviam Records) – Black metal
- Empire Drowns – Endless Nights (Mighty Music) – Gothic metal/doom
- Flesia – Achterbahnekstase (Cultkill Music) – Black metal
- Gazpacho – Magic 8-Ball (Kscope) – Progressive rock
- Going Off – Kill List II (Self-released) – Hardcore
- Gumm – Beneath The Wheel (Convulse Records) – Post-hardcore/melodic hardcore
- Hades Of Deep Water – The Years On Borrowed Time (Meuse Music Records) – Death metal/doom
- Harkon – Love And Vore (Doc Gator Records) – Progressive metal
- Hope Deferred – Darkness Remains (The Charon Collective) – Death metal
- Howling Giant – Crucible & Ruin (Magnetic Eye) – Stoner metal
- Inferisium – In Hell (Self-released) – Death metal
- King 810 – Rustbelt Numetal (Self-released) – Nu metal/metalcore
- Liminal Spirit – Unwell (Self-released) – Doom
- Lunatic Soul – The World Under Unsun (InsideOut) – Progressive metal
- Duff McKagan – Lighthouse: Live From London (Blood Meridian) – Rock
- Moonspell – Opus Diabolicum (Napalm) – Gothic metal
- Mystic Circle – Hexenbrand 1486 (Rock Of Angels) – Melodic blackened death metal
- Newbreed – Outlaw (Selfmadegod Records) – Progressive metal
- ODC – Twisted Love (BLKIIBLK) – Alternative metal
- One Of Nine – Dawn Of The Iron Shadow (Profound Lore) – Melodic black metal
- Orm – Guld (Indisciplinarian) – Melodic black metal
- The Other – Alienated (Massacre) – Gothic rock
- Outlaw – Opus Mortis (AOP Records) – Black metal
- Pile Of Knives – Driven By The Blade (POK) – Death metal
- Precious Blood – False Prophets (Self-released) – Doom
- The Pretty Reckless – Taylor Momsen’s Pretty Reckless Christmas (Fearless) – Christmas music
- Saint Agnes – Your God Fearing Days Are About To Begin (Spinefarm) – Rock
- Sakna – De Syv Dødssynde (Hypaethral Records) – Folk/doom
- Sarayasign – Shadows Of The Dying Light (Black Lodge Records) – Heavy metal
- Smash Into Pieces – ArmaHeaven (Self-released) – Pop/alternative metal
- Solence – Angels Calling (Better Noise) – Electro-rock
- Spite – New World Killer (Rise) – Hardcore
- Stillbirth – Survival Protocol (Reigning Phoenix) – Death/surf metal
- Takomaha – American Basements (Loyal Blood Records) – Noise/drone
- Tapeworm Electric – Moonshine (Pitch Black Records) – Heavy metal
- Unprocessed – Angel (Self-released) – Progressive metal
- Various Artists – Spaceship Landing: A Tribute To Kyuss (Witching Buzz) – Kyss covers/desert rock
Want More Metal? Subscribe To Our Daily Newsletter
Enter your information below to get a daily update with all of our headlines and receive The Orchard Metal newsletter.
