There’s nothing I can add or say about the events this week on US soil that hasn’t already been said or shouted at the top of devastated lungs…and I’ll leave it at that. I’m, instead, retreating to my happy place; metal. And there’s tons of it to get to here on Initial Descent. Finland’s first doom metal band Spiritus Mortis return from a 7 year absence with an absolute juggernaut of classic heavy metal and jaw dropping doom on The Year Is One, Gloam‘s Hex of Nine Heads receives the long overdue vinyl treatment, Saor offer up a friendly reminder as to why black metal and folk go so well together on Guardians, Hammer King still hold the heavy-power metal flag high on King Is Rising and at a time like this we all could use a pick me up, and In Flames are still riding clean on Battles but sound more like In Flames than they have on their past 4 albums combined, so thats a plus right? Anyway, all that and so much more after the jump.

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Spiritus Mortis – The Year is One (Svart Records) – doom metal

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Gloam – Hex of Nine Heads, LP (Gilead Media) – black metal, atmospheric [full review] 

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Saor – Guardians (Northern Silence Productions) – black metal, atmospheric, folk 

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Hammer King – King is Rising (Cruz Del Sur Music) – heavy metal [full review]

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In Flames – Battles (Nuclear Blast) – melodic death metal

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Also on tap:

Adaestuo – Tacent Semitae (W.T.C. Productions) – black metal

Aggression – Fragmented Spirit Devils (Xtreem) – thrash metal

Akasava – Nothing at Dawn (Triton’s Orbit) – doom metal, psychedelic

Animals As Leaders – The Madness of Many (Sumerian) – progressive metal

Asteroid – III (Fuzzorama Records) – psychedelic, fuzz

Bastard Noise / Sickness – Split (Relapse Records) – noise

Black Candle – Lost Light of the North (Possession Productions) – black metal, satan

Chhinnamasta – Vajra-Sarpa, LP (Iron Bonehead) – black metal

Djevel – Norske Ritualer (Aftermath Records) – black metal

Downfall of Gaia – Atrophy (Metal Blade) – sludge metal, black metal, post

Enslaved – The Sleeping Gods – Thorn, Compilation (By Norse Music) – black metal

Evocación – Evocación (Caligari Records) – death metal, doom metal [full review]

Face of Oblivion – Cataclysmic Desolation (Comatose Music) – technical death metal

Into The Storm – Where the Merfalo Roam (Alive and Breathing Records) – doom metal, sludge, rock

Mikko Joensuu – Amen 2 (Svart Records) – gaze, rock

Nephrolith – Paleness of the Bled World (Cursed Productions) – black metal

Old Chapel – Visions From Beyond (Chaos Records) – death metal, old school

Ravencult – Force of Profanation (Metal Blade) – black metal, satan

Rotten UK – That is Not Dead (Hells Headbangers) – punk

Ruinous – Graves of Ceaseless Death (Dark Descent Records) – death metal

Sirenia – Dim Days of Dolor (Napalm Records) – gothic metal

Superjoint – Caught Up In the Gears of Application (Housecore) – metal, crossover

The Freeks – Shattered (Heavy Psych Sounds) – rock

Trees of Eternity – Hour of the Nightingale (Svart Records) – progressive metal

Witchtrap – Trap the Witch (Hells Headbangers) – thrash metal

Xoth – Invasion of the Tentacube (Independent) – death metal

– Josh