
Not much small talk to be found. It’s early. And, I’m only on my second pot of coffee. So, let’s skip it. Now, if you’re an Enslaved fan, this is the week you’ve (we’ve) been waiting for as their fifteenth full length lands on Friday. It’s epic but that’s a surprise to literally no one. Anaal Nathrakh return with their most varied output to date and dare I say their most…progressive? On first blush it seems that way but you’ll have to decide for yourself—you know, your own opinion. Gorephilia nail the 90s death metal aesthetic and Fate plug into some seriously high voltage metal and punk to close out the top slots with a BANG. You know the drill by now but just in case, there’s a ton more to dig into below so go shuck cash at these artists and support them.
—

Enslaved – Utgard (Nuclear Blast) – black metal
—

Anaal Nathrakh – Endarkenment (Metal Blade) – extreme
—

Gorephilia – In the Eye of Nothing (Dark Descent / Me Saco Un Ojo) – death metal
—

Fate – II (Caligari) – metal / punk
—
Also on tap:
Agathocles / Grog – Smashed Hammer Feast (Murder) – deathgrind
All Are To Return – S/T, Cassette Issue (Tartarus) – doom
All Souls – Songs for the End of the World (Independent) – rock
Amiensus – Abreaction (Transcending Records) – progressive black metal
Among Phantoms – Memories/Catastrophes (DiGiDi) – metalcore
Ardormort – The Desolation Letters (Pacific Threnodies) – dungeon synth
Arroganz – Morsus (Supreme Chaos) – death metal
Ashlands – Ashlands II (Independent) – atmospheric black metal
Blasphemous Putrefaction – Prelude to Perversion (Dunkelheit Produktionen) – death metal
Briqueville – Quelle (Pelagic) – atmospheric metal
Catalan! – Veritas (Independent) – post-rock
Cosmic Reef Temple / Shrinkwrap Killers – Split (Wave Guardian) – space surf / punk
DevilDriver – Dealing with Demons I (Napalm Records) – groove / thrash
Dialogia – Nostrum (Independent) – dark metal
Eerie – End of an Era (Necromance / Base / Negra Hit) – black metal
Elder Spell – They Live In the Trees (Independent) – synthwave
Hadewych – Welving, Remastered Vinyl (Tartarus) – experimental
Harmonize – Warrior In the Night (Independent) – power metal
Hath – Hive, Reissue (Willowtip) – death metal
Häxenzijrkell – Die Nachtseite (Amor Fati) – black metal
Herbstschatten – Abschaum (Boersma) – post-black metal
Horde of Hel – Döden Nalkas (Blooddawn Productions / Regain) – black metal
I Am Waiting For You Last Summer – Self – Defence (Thou Blanc) – instrumetal
Iron Angel – Emerald Eyes (Mighty Music) – thrash
Kilter – Axiom, Vinyl Issue (ALTER-NATIV) – experimental
Monsterworks – Malignment (Eat Lead and Die Music) – metal
Nachtblut – Vanitas (Napalm Records) – dark metal
Nehoda – But Anyways… (Independent) – rock
Nightmare – Aeternam (AFM Records) – heavy metal
Nubivagant – Roaring Eye (Amor Fati) – black metal
Protokult – Transcending the Ruins (Independent) – heavy metal
Red Spektor – Heart of the Renewed Sun (Kozmik Artifactz) – stoner
Sammas’ Equinox – Tulikehrät (Signal Rex) – black metal
Sander Cohen – Channeling Hank, EP (HalfMeltedBrain) – alt-metal / post-hardcore
Sarcoptes – Plague Hymns (Transcending Obscurity) – black metal
Second To Sun – Leviathan (Independent) – black metal
Six Feet Under – Nightmares of the Decomposed (Metal Blade) – death metal
Skyless Aeons – Drain the Sun (Independent) – melodic death metal
Tallah – Matriphagy (Earache) – alt metal
The Mercy Kills – X (Golden Robot) – post-punk / metal
The Pilgrim – …From the Earth to the Sky and Back (Heavy Psych Sounds) – rock
Trident – North (Non Serviam) – black / death
Vaginal Anomalies – Violent Devotion to Kill (Necromance / Base Record Production) – brutal slam
Various Artists – A Tribute to Tiamat (Antichrist Magazine/Grand Sounds PR) – gothic/death/doom
– Josh