As February draws to a close and just as spring has sprung early, this week the metal gods have rained fire upon us at Initial Descent. Keep the hoodies out for a little longer but dust the shorts off and prepare for a blisteringly loud round of new releases. The undisputed death metal kings Immolation have returned with their tenth full length Atonement and if you’ve yet to hear it GO NOW AND DO IT, for a band in their 29th year this New York group ages like a fine bourbon. King Woman gives us Created In the Image of Suffering and it is yet another stellar offering of doom metal with beautiful vocals, Stalking the Ghost is Unearthly Trance‘s sixth full length and much like I mentioned with Immolation this band also ages extremely well going into their 17th year with arguably their best album yet and Power Trip brings the hardcore thrash like only they can with Nightmare Logic. See? Told you it was going to be a loud and chaotic week — but as usual that’s not all so dig your headphones in deep and keep them there.

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Immolation – Atonement (Nuclear Blast) – death metal

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King Woman – Created In the Image of Suffering (Relapse Records) – melancholic doom [full review]

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Unearthly Trance – Stalking the Ghost (Relapse Records) – doom metal [full review]

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Power Trip – Nightmare Logic (Southern Lord) – hardcore, thrash metal [full review]

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Also on tap:

Arduini / Balich – Dawn of Ages (Cruz Del Sur Music) – progressive doom

Aseethe – Hopes of Failure (Thrill Jockey) – doom, ambient, drone

Autism – Film Noir (Independent) – post rock [full review]

Black Army Jacket – 222, Reissue (Magic Bullet Records) – powerviolence

Black Army Jacket – Closed Casket, Comp. (Magic Bullet Records) – powerviolence

Draugurinn – Myrkraverk, Reissue (Nordvis Produktion) – folk metal

Emma Ruth Rundle/Jaye Jayle – The Time Between Us, EP (Sargent House) – melancholic rock

Escape is not Freedom – Goldsmith (Independent) – sludge, noise rock [feature]

Ex Deo – The Immortal Wars (Napalm Records) – melodic death metal

Gjendød – Nedstigning (Hellthrasher Productions) – black metal

Henry Kane – Den Förstörda Människans Rike (Transcending Obscurity) – death metal

Inexorable  – Sea of Dead Consciousness (Godz Of War Productions) – death metal

Kadinja – Ascendancy (Klonosphere Records) – progressive tech metal

Kingnomad – Mapping the Inner Void (Ripple Music) – doom metal

Lethe – The First Corpse On the Moon (My Kingdom Music) – avantgarde metal

Lucifera – Preludio del Mar (Morbid Skull Records) – blackened thrash [feature]

Moloch – Verwüstung, Reissue (Argento Records) – black metal

Mordbrand – Wilt (Carnal Records) – death metal

Nula – Kenoma, EP (Black Bow Records) – sludge metal

Oozepus – Your Limit, EP (Malignant Records) – noise/industrial

Reaping Asmodeia – Impuritize (Prosthetic Records) – technical death metal

Rebel Wizard – Triumph of Gloom, Reissue (Prosthetic Records) – avantgarde metal

Resonance Casecade/Jarnbord – Hyperakusi, Split (WOOAAARGH/Downfall Records) – grindcore

Rückwater – Bonehead (Inverse Records) – stoner rock

Sanctuary – Inception, Reissue (Century Media) – thrash metal

Screamer – Hell Machine (High Roller Records) – heavy metal

Siberian – Through Ages of Sleep (The Sign Records) – sludge metal

SicociS – Requiem of the World (M-Theory Audio) – melodic death, progressive metal

Six Feet Under – Torment (Metal Blade) – death metal

Skogen – Eld, Reissue (Nordvis Produktion) – swedish folk metal

So This Is Suffering – Palace of the Pessimist (Unique Leader) – technical death metal

Streams of Blood – Allgegenwärtig (Folter Records) – black metal

Sunless – Urraca (Independent) – technical, avant-garde death metal

Talvienkeli – Hybris (WormHoleDeath) – progressive metal

This Ends Here/Conqueror Worm – Split (WOOAAARGH) – crust, grind

Trepid Elucidation – Upcoming Reality (Mosher Records) – technical death metal

Xibalba – Diablo, Con Amor…Adios, EP (Closed Casket Activities) – metallic hardcore

Zombie Motors Wrecking Yard – Supersonic Rock n Roll (Napalm Records) – heavy rock

– Josh