Well, it’s November all of a sudden and we are hours away from the dreaded time change, aka HELL. But also, mere days away from the election and hopefully all of the bitterness and vitriol will subside once this is over, maybe? Or maybe not? Anyway, on to the matter at hand, new metal to be exact. And — as usual — we have you covered here on Initial Descent. Melodic death metal veterans Dark Tranquillity return with their triumphant eleventh full length Atoma, Cóndor evokes classic heavy metal on Sangreal, on Utter the Tongue of the Dead, Void Meditation Cult scare the hell out of everyone with their extremely blackened death metal (yes, this tag is actually warranted for once), Vader keep the flame of death metal burning on The Empire, HammerFall continue their tradition of glorious power metal on Built To Last, and Deathspell Omega thankfully jumped the gun with the digital release of their glorious black metal EP, The Synarchy of Molten Bones. All that and much more to come, after the jump.

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Dark Tranquillity – Atoma (Century Media) – melodic death metal

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Condor – Sangreal (Triton’s Orbit) – doom metal, classic metal

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Void Meditation Cult – Utter the Tongue of the Dead (Hells Headbangers) – black metal [feature review]

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Vader – The Empire (Nuclear Blast) – death metal

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HammerFall – Built To Last (Napalm Records) – power metal [full review]

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Deathspell Omega – The Synarchy of Molten Bones, EP (Norma Evangelium Diaboli) – black metal

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Also on tap:

Arkona – Lunaris (Debemur Morti) – black metal

Arkaik – Lucid Dawn (Unique Leader) – death metal, technical

Atlas – Death & Fear (Independent) – stoner doom

Avulsed – Deathgeneration, Comp. (Xtreem Music) – death metal

Black Witchery – Evil Shall Prevail, Reissue (Nuclear War Now!) – black metal, bestial

Brown Acid – The Third Trip, Comp. (RidingEasy Records) – heavy metal, psych, proto

Burial in the Sky – Persistence of Thought (Independent) – death metal, technical, progressive [full review]

Civil War – The Last Full Measure (Napalm Records) – power metal

Crippled Black Phoenix – Bronze (Season Of Mist) – rock

Dead End Finland – Slaves to the Greed (Inverse Records) – heavy metal, melodic

Domestikwom/Necrolytic Goat Converter – Split (Independent) – black metal

Fornicus – Hymns of Dominion (Negative Earth Records) – death metal, black metal

Gargoyle – Reborn in Blasphemy, Cassette (Shadow Kingdom) – doom metal

Hierophant – Mass Grave (Season Of Mist) – black metal, sludge, hardcore

Junior Bruce – Endless Descent (A389 Recordings) – sludge metal, stoner

Kingdom – Sepulchral Psalms from the Abyss of Torment (Godz of War Productions) – death metal, black metal

KYY – Beyond Flesh-Beyond Matter-Beyond Death (Saturnal) – black metal

Lord Almighty – Paths (Independent) – black n roll

Nashgul – Carcava (Selfmadegod) – grindcore

Necromorbid – El Dia de la Bestia (Caligari Records) – death metal, satan [full review]

Night Demon – S/T, Cassette (Shadow Kingdom) – heavy metal

Profanal – Supreme Fire (Iron Tyrant) – death metal, old school

Pylar – Pyedra (Alone Records) – doom metal

Soft Kill – Choke (Profound Lore) – punk

Soulemission – Tales of Inevitable Death (Black Lion Records) – black metal

Uburen – Fra Doden Fodes Liv (Via Nocturna) – black/viking metal

Unearthed Elf – Into The Catacomb Abyss (Independent) – power metal, doom metal

Vornth – Black Pyres (Iron Tyrant) – black metal, thrash metal

Warfist – Metal To The Bone (Godz of War Productions) – thrash metal

– Josh