Rain. Rain. More rain. I just can’t deal. Soooo tired of it and ready for dry and summer and longer days. Well, one out of three ain’t bad and if you read that and said ‘dammit, totally forgot to spring forward on my clock’ good luck explaining that one to the boss – happy Monday. We have a fix for the blahs though and it comes in the form of new metals. Read on friends…

It’s safe to say we’ve established Venom Prison as complete bad-assery and on Samsara they kick their venomous death metal up several notches since their last outing – is that even possible?! Anyway, everything about this album topples Animus and that’s no easy feat nor is it a slight to that album in any way, the band has grown and it’s obvious during the opening salvo of “Matriphagy.” Moving along, Noisem returns with a new lease on life and a new attitude on Cease To Exist which finds them stoking their death thrash with extremely confrontational grind and it’s a sound to behold. Next up is the debut, Nocebo, from MA’s Elizabeth Colour Wheel and the blackgaze tag seems too simple after the onslaught of 90s rock, noise and ethereal moments of bliss found all over this thing – it’s hard to pin down but it is a journey best left travelled and enjoyed, I very much have enjoyed it – just sayin’. Last up top is progressive death metal stalwarts Fallujah with their fourth full length Undying Light which finds them, once again, toying with tech death, blackened stylings, and proggy structures – definitely a step up and one you won’t want to miss.

Feeling better? See? I knew it and glad we could help. You’re welcome. Now, get to the rest of this list…

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Venom Prison – Samsara (Prosthetic) – death metal

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Noisem – Cease to Exist (20 Buck Spin) – grind/thrash

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Elizabeth Colour Wheel – Nocebo (The Flenser) – blackgaze

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Fallujah – Undying Light (Nuclear Blast) – progressive death metal

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Also on tap:

11Paranoias – Asterismal (Independent) – psych / doom / noise

Akasha – Canticles of the Sepulchral Deity (Independent) – black metal

Ambrotos – Cosmic Annulus, EP (Sleaszy Rider Records) – black metal

Asthma Castle – Mount Crushmore (Hellmistress) – stoner metal / sludge

Athanasia – The Order of the Silver Compass (Seeing Red / Rock of Angels) – metal

Backyard Babies – Silver & Gold (M-Theory Audio) – hard rock

Black Therapy – Echoes of Dying Memories (Black Lion) – melodic death metal

Bloodthirst – I am Part of that Power which Eternally Wills Evil and Eternally Works Wrong (Pagan Records) – thrash

Body Void – You Will Know the Fear You Forced Upon Us, EP (Seeing Red / Crown & Throne Ltd. / Dry Cough) – black / death

Contrarian – Their Worm Never Dies (Willowtip) – progressive death metal

Deafkids – Metaprogramação (Neurot Recordings) – punk / avantgarde

Dying Embers – Where Shadows Dwell Frozen (Black Sunset / MDD) – melodic death metal

Enisum – Moth’s Illusion (Avantgarde Music) – atmospheric black metal

Eugenic Death – Under the Knife (Heaven and Hell) – thrash

Eyes of the Living – War On Dead – More Dead (Pavement Entertainment) – thrash

Hot Lunch – Seconds (Tee Pee Records) – garage rock

Iota – Tales, Vinyl Issue (Small Stone) – heavy rock

Nitro Zeus – i. anomoly (Independent) – progressive death metal

Oreyeon – Ode To Oblivion (Heavy Psych Sounds) – stoner rock

Perversor – Umbravorous (Pulverised) – black / thrash

Spiral Skies – Cult (AOP Records) – doom

Superlynx – New Moon (Dark Essence) – doom

Tamerlan – Infinigrammaton (Casus Belli Musica / Steinklang) – neofolk

The Old Firm Casuals – Holger Danske (Demons Run Amok) – punk

The Scabby Ghouls – S/T (Out-O-Tune Records) – horror punk

Their Throats Are Open Tombs – Of Psalters and Snakes (The Fear and the Void Recordings) – black crust

Triste Terre – Grand Oeuvre (LADLO) – black metal

Twisted Tower Dire – Wars In the Unknown (No Remorse) – epic heavy metal

Uhtceare – El Genocidio Primordial Llevará El Nombre Infinito De La Empatia (Flowing Downward) – dsbm

Ûngrûn – Demo 2019 (Tartarus) – black metal

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One more that came out last week all slippery and sly-like without any warning but MUST be put out there for your consideration in opening the ol’ dusty wallet to support:

Netherlands – Green Lips and Lightning (Records and Tapes Records) – experimental metal

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– Josh