Rolling in late (or early depending on your viewpoint) after a huge gathering of many people and many treats from local breweries means I’m satisfied and ready to hunker down with some of this list at maximum volume. And with the amount of releases this week that could take awhile…lucky thing for us it’s the weekend. Let’s get to it, noise rock purists Dodecad kick things off this week in the noisest and best way possible with their third effort Contempt and trust me when I say: if you’re even remotely a fan of noise rock you NEED this album immediately, it is that good. Next up is the debut, The Imprisoning War, from symphonic black metallers Hate Moon, and it’s the perfect balance of brute force and sweeping melodies. Moving along is Moonlight Desires with Just the Hits 1981-1985 and while this may not be the typical top slot candidate this album is an epic ton of fun with plenty of scorching rock theatrics, right now we all could use some fun and an opportunity to just let the rough side drag so let this album serve as such. Closing out the opening few is the dark americana EP Stands With Death from The Dark Red Seed, personally I’m a fan of all things King Dude and this EP scratches that itch as well as shares a guitarist with said Dude, highly recommended. There you have it, the lead off four but as usual we are nowhere even close to done. Pull up a chair and stay awhile, it only gets better from here. Oh and if you don’t like something or if you do let us know in the comments or don’t, but definitely enjoy.

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Dodecad – Contempt (Independent) – noise rock [full review]

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Hate Moon – The Imprisoning War (Folkvangr Records) – symphonic black metal [feature]

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Moonlight Desires – Just the Hits 1981-1985 (Infamous Butcher Records) – rock [full review]

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The Dark Red Seed – Stands With Death (Prophecy Productions) – dark americana

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Also on tap:

American Anyman – Flag Burner (Independent) – folk punk

Bad Mechanics – Precious Moments in the USA (Stonewalled) – pop punk

Biblical – The City that Always Sleeps (Tee Pee Records) – psych rock

BIG|BRAVE – Ardor (Southern Lord) – experimental

Blackfinger – When Colors Fade Away (M-Theory Audio) – doom

Black Mare – Death Magick Mother (Magic Bullet) – atmospheric

Blood Tyrant/Departure Chandelier – Split (Nuclear War Now!) – black metal

Church of Void – S/T (Argonauta) – doom metal

Cripper – Follow Me: Kill! (Metal Blade) – extreme metal

Demoniac – Intemperance (Witches Brew) – thrash metal

Devourerer – Across the Empty Plains (Iron Blood and Death) – black metal

Dyscarnate – With All Their Might (Unique Leader) – death metal

Ensiferum – Two Paths (Metal Blade) – melodic death metal

Expain – Pinching Nerves, EP (Independent) – thrash metal

Expander – Endless Computer (Nuclear War Now!) – thrash metal

Hell Is Other People – Embrace (CDN Records) – drone

Hexx – Wrath Of the Reaper (High Roller Records) – power metal

Highrider – Roll for Initiative (The Sign Records) – heavy metal

Hostilian – Monolith, EP (Transcending Obscurity) – death metal

Inquisitor – I am Sick, I must Die (Hammerheart Records) – death thrash

Josh Todd & The Conflict – Year of the Tiger (Century Media) – rock

Kaos Krew – Returno (Inverse Records) – industrial

Krossfyre – Burning Torches (Hells Headbangers) – death metal

Menin – Lord of Pain, EP (Doom Stew Records) – stoner doom

Midnite Hellion – Condemned to Hell (Witches Brew) – heavy metal

Morphosys – The Saw is Family (Witches Brew) – death metal

Neck of the Woods – The Passenger (Basick Records) – progressive death metal

Necrophile – Awakening Those Oppressed (Unholy Prophecies) – death thrash

Nocturnes Mist – Diabolical Baptism (Seance Records) – black metal

Oraculum – Always Higher (Invictus Productions) – death metal

Peasant – IV: Peak Fear (Independent) – hardcore

Purtenance – Paradox of Existence (Xtreem Music) – death metal

Riot – Army of One, Bonus Edition (Metal Blade) – heavy metal

Riot – Through the Storm, Bonus Edition (Metal Blade) – heavy metal

Sándor Vály – Young Dionysos (Ektro Records) – experimental

Soror Dolorosa – Apollo (Prophecy Production) – dark post-punk

Squalus – The Great Fish… (Translation Loss) – progressive sludge

The Minerva Conduct – S/T (Transcending Obscurity) – atmospheric progressive metal

Three Eyes Left – The Cult of Astaroth (Argonauta) – doom

Unleash the Archers – Behold the Devastation, Vinyl Issue (The Fear and the Void Recordings) – power metal

Vattnet – S/T (New Damage Records) – progressive rock

Zornheym – Where Hatred Dwells and Darkness Reigns (Non Serviam Records) – symphonic extreme metal

Zud – A Wilderness Left Untamed (Independent) – black metal

– Josh