We’re trying something new with Initial Descent this week. As you may be aware, we moved this segment to Mondays last week (covering the previous week’s new releases) to accommodate the new, industry-wide “New Release Fridays” transition. Except that arrangement meant we’d be looking back rather than forward each week, which isn’t exactly ideal.

So instead, we’re going to make these roundups a bit more current and publish them on Fridays—the day of these new releases. Then in the forthcoming week’s podcast, we’ll both cover the albums we highlight here and look ahead to the following week’s new releases, which will be dropping around the time said episode posts.

Make sense? It does to us, I swear. You’ll catch on. Anyway, here are this week’s highlights: 

July 24, 2015

Lamb of God – VII: Sturm und Drang (Epic)

—

Symphony X – Underworld (Nuclear Blast)

(Related: What on Earth kind of look is vocalist Russell Allen going for in this promo photo?)

—

Locrian – Infinite Dissolution (Relapse)

—

Other New Releases of Note:

• Joe Satriani – Shockwave Supernova (Sony)
• Indesinence – III (Profound Lore)
• Atheist – Unquestionable Presence CD/DVD re-release (Season of Mist)
• Destruktor – Opprobrium (Hells Headbangers)
• Tormentor – Prophetic Deceiver (Static Tension)
• Blasphemic Cruelty – Crucible of the Infernum (Hells Headbangers) [full review]
• Goat Torment – Sermons to Death (Armor Fati) [full review]
• Hope Drone – Cloak of Ash (Relapse) [full review]
• Meatwound – Addio (Magic Bullet) [full review]

—