Nine Circles

We start with a non new release related item: seek out the 2022 Joe Barresi Remix of Dio’s Holy Diver. Generally speaking, I’m not a fan of remixes or reimaginings or re-recordings but THIS is a remix I can get behind. And now for the new release items: most of these opening four have been highly anticipated and hotly hyped, but that hype is well deserved in the black metal of Blackbraid and Sigh, in the progressive metal of Dreadnought, and in the destructive black metal meets hardcore force of Hexis. Moving on, and as always is the case with these lists, there’s a ton lying in wait below so there’s plenty to keep everyone busy. Enjoy the search and we’ll see you here throughout the week.

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Blackbraid – Blackbraid I (Independent) – black metal

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Sigh – Shiki (Peaceville) – experimental black metal

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Dreadnought – The Endless (Profound Lore) – progressive metal

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Hexis – Aeternum (Debemur Morti) – hardcore / black metal

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Also on tap:

Absolute Darkness – Failure of State (Independent) – death / thrash

Align the Tide – Hollow (Cleopatra) – death metal

Anchillys – Elan Vital (Independent) – brutal death metal

Anthea – Tales Untold (Rockshots Records) – symphonic prog

Apeiron Bound – Multiplicity (Layered Reality Productions) – progressive metal

Armnatt – Immortal Nature (Signal Rex) – black metal

Auriferous Flame – The Great Mist Within (True Cult) – black metal

Becoming The Archetype – Children of the Great Extinction (Solid State) – prog metal

Blood of Indigo – Dawn of the Shaded World (Independent) – goth

Bloodbox – Post Human Disorder (Headwound) – death metal

Brymir – Voices In the Sky (Napalm) – melodic death metal

CB3 – Exploration (Majestic Mountain) – gaze 

Centershift  – Of…, EP (Independent) – rock

Consumption – Necrotic Lust (Hammerheart Records) – deathgrind

Death Scythe – Killing For Pleasure Forever (Independent) – melodic death metal

Deus Ex Machina – III (Independent) – death / thrash

Eaten By Sharks – Eradication (Independent) – death / djent

fallfiftyfeet – Lonely If You Go, EP (Independent) – metal / mathcore

Hierophant – Death Siege (Season of Mist Underground Activities) – death metal

Imperial Age – New World (Independent) – symphonic metal 

Intent – Exile (Independent) – thrash

Lacrimas Profundere – How To Shroud Yourself With Night (Steamhammer / SPV) – dark metal

Lustre – A Thirst for Summer Rain (Nordvis) – black metal / ambient

Manifest – The Sinking (ViciSolum) – post-metal

Might – Abyss (Exile On Mainstream) – doom / post-rock

Mystic Charm – Hell Did Freeze Over (Reissue) (Personal Records) – death and doom

Olhava – Reborn (Avantgarde) – blackgaze

Pianos Become the Teeth – Drift (Epitaph) – metal

Pineid – Blue Doom (Sympatry) – prog

Plasmodulated – S/T (Personal) – death metal

Red Rot – Mal De Vivre (Svart Records) – extreme metal

Santa Cruz – The Return of The Kings (M-Theory Audio) – hair…ish metal

Saturn’s Cross – Cheat Death (Avantgarde) – cold wave

Shroud of Despondency – Air of Abrasion (Independent) – black metal 

Species – To Find Deliverance (Awakening) – thrash

Spirit In the Room – Flamingo, EP (Housecore) – dark distortion

Stitched Up – Jupiter Jazz and the Suicide Cult (Independent) – rock / punk

Stormhunter – Strangle With Care, EP (GUC / Metal-Store24) – metal

Syryn – Heads or Tails (Independent) – heavy metal

The Effigy – One With My Enemy (Independent) – heavy rock

The Hirsch Effekt – Solitaer / Gregaer, EP (Long Branch) – avant

Thoughtcrimes – Altered Pasts (Pure Noise) – metalcore / mathy

Viserion – Reborn In Darkness (Independent) – black metal 

Wampyric Rites – The Wolves Howl to the Moon (Signal Rex) – black metal

War Ripper – Strength In Numbers, EP (Dying Victims Productions) – d-beat

– Josh