By the time this goes to print, I’ll be on the way back from the Holy City where I’ll have indulged in breweries, old architecture and a graveyard or two (hey, old architecture there too) but for sure will have several of this week’s new offerings in my ears for the duration. What exactly is new this week? Read on to find out…
Kicking this thing off in grand fashion is the ever suffocating and esoteric maelstrom of darkness that is Ævangelist on Matricide In the Temple of Omega, this is a band that defies categorization but always pushes the boundaries of black and death metal as well as its listener’s limits. Don’t just sample it, completely bury yourself in its hour of audio terror. Next up is Ghostly White from Deceased who over the course of 30 years and some change have put out consistently great death metal and this eighth full length is no exception but furthermore after all this time the band seems to have more energy than ever and dare I say the best chops yet. Moving along is Introvert from Norway’s Slegest which really scratches that black ‘n’ roll itch I get from time to time, this things just rocks. Period. Last in this week’s opening four is Arête with their debut full length Hymnal which expands on everything that made their 2016 EP such a hit. They’ve taken a genre tag, atmospheric black metal, and offered us the very definition of its parts – as the weather turns cold this is an outstanding companion to steal away from the surrounding world and its crazed pace.
Plenty more inside to explore so jump in and don’t miss a thing.
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Ævangelist – Matricide In the Temple of Omega (I, Voidhanger Records) – black / death [feature review]
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Deceased – Ghostly White (Hells Headbangers) – death metal
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Slegest – Introvert (Dark Essence Records) – black ‘n’ roll [feature review]
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Arête – Hymnal (The Fear and the Void Recordings) – atmospheric black metal
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Also on tap:
1914 – The Blind Leading The Blind (Redefining Darkness) – death metal
All Hail the Yeti – Highway Crosses (Minus Head) – sludge / stoner
Amon Amarth – The Pursuit of Vikings: Live At Summer Breeze (Metal Blade) – viking metal
Artillery – The Face of Fear (Metal Blade) – thrash
Atlas – Primitive (Inverse Records) – metalcore
Atria – New World Nightmare, EP (CDN) – modern metal
Azusa – Heavy Yoke (Solid State) – metal [full review]
Barbarian Hermit – Solitude and Savagery (APF) – sludge
Baring Teeth – Transitive Surgery (Translation Loss) – death metal
Black Oath – Behold the Abyss (High Roller) – heavy metal
Brothers of Metal – Prophecy of Ragnarok (AFM Records) – power metal
Dead Waves – God of the Wild (Entheon Records) – rock / folk
Death Vanish – Cold Hammer of Melancholy (Eternal Death) – black metal
Disrule – Sleep In Your Honour (Seeing Red Records) – doom / stoner
Dissonant Distance – S/T (Sliptrick) – prog rock
Divine Ascension – The Uncovering (ViciSolum Productions) – progressive metal
Funeral Chic – Superstition (Prosthetic Records) – black / crust
Irk – Recipes From the Bible (Independent) – noise rock
Karg – Dornenvögel (AOP) – atmospheric black metal
King Nine – Death Rattle (Closed Casket Activities) – hardcore
Kosm – Cosmonaut (Independent) – modern metal
Little Jimi – EP. 1 (Heavy Psych Sounds) – psych rock
Mentor – Cults, Crypts and Corpses (Pagan Records) – blackened thrash / hardcore
Of Grace and Hatred – Toxic Vows (Loyal Blood) – hardcore
Organic – Carved In Flesh (Testimony Records) – death metal
portrayal of guilt – Let Pain Be Your Guide (Gilead Media / Holy Roar) – extreme metal [feature review]
Rigor Sadonicus – Ridenti Mortuus (Independent) – funeral doom
Roadkiller – S/T (Independent) – thrash
Saboter – Architects of Evil (No Remorse) – heavy metal
Sacrificium Carmen – Hermetica (Saturnal) – black metal
Seething Akira – The Islander (Armalyte Records) – alt metal
Shattered Skies – Muted Neon (Incendia) – progressive metal
Sigh – Heir To Despair (Candlelight Records) – black metal
Skull Pit – S/T (Metal Blade) – heavy metal
Sobaki Tabaka – XX-XXIV (WOOAAARGH) – industrial
SuidAkrA – Cimbric Yarns (AFM) – ambient / folk
The Crawling – Wolves and the Hideous White (Grindscene Records) – doom / death
The Great Sabatini – Goodbye Audio (No List / Ancient Temple / No Why / Pink Lemonade) – sludge / noise
Trollwar – Oath of the Storm (Independent) – black / folk
Various Artists – Sound of the Raging Steppe (Tengger X Cavalry Recordings) – folk metal
Warkings – Reborn (Napalm) – power metal
– Josh
