This week comes to a halt on April Fools Day so get all your hijinx ready to roll and be prepared. With that said, there’s no fooling in this week’s batch of new releases that we kick off with the bearded bashers Allfather and their newest collection of violent and deadly anthems, then we’ve got black metal from Blaze of Sorrow, serrated grindcore from Rotten Sound, and more black metal from Lamp of Murmuur. As always though, there’s a ton more hiding out in the list below that are sure to make all of you happy, mad, sad, want to tear down the walls, or whatever you need to do so get to digging and we’ll see you here throughout the week.
Allfather – A Violent Truth (Trepanation Recordings) – sludge / hardcore / metal
Blaze of Sorrow – Vultus Fati (Eisenwald) – atmospheric black metal
Rotten Sound – Apocalypse (Season of Mist) – grindcore
Lamp of Murmuur – Saturnian Bloodstorm (Argento / Not Kvlt) – black metal [full review]
Also on tap:
Aara – Triade III: Nyx (Debemur Morti Productions) – black metal
Absentia Lunae – Marching Upon Forgotten Ashes (ATMF) – black metal
Abysmal Grief – Despise the Living, Desecrate the Dead (Avantgarde Music) – dark
Ad Infinitum – Chapter III – Downfall (Napalm) – symphonic metal
Anathematise – Bizarre Tales from the Past and the Future (Awakening Records) – death thrash
Archetypes Collide – S/T (Fearless) – modern metal
Arrogant Destruktor – Written in Blood from the Blade (Awakening Records) – black metal
Atlas : Empire – Everything Is Temporary (WormHoleDeath) – alt-rock
Bad Blood – The Bad Kind Decides, EP (Flatspot) – hardcore
Behemoth – Grom (Metal Blade) – black / death
Blood and Sun – Ochre (Nordvis) – folk metal
Bloody Apostles – S/T, EP (Hells Headbangers) – old school punk
Bury Tomorrow – The Seventh Sun (Music For Nations) – metal
Cave In – Until Your Heart Stops, Rerelease (Relapse) – metal
Contemporary Noise Ensemble – An Excellent Spiritual Serviceman (Denovali Records) – jazz/electronica
Crown Lands – Fearless (Spinefarm) – rock
Dead End Finland – Victory (Inverse Records) – melodic metal
Dead Soul Revival – Ignite (Sliptrick) – rock
Decorpsetated – Human Words (Independent) – death / thrash
Demonstealer – The Propaganda Machine (Black Lion) – prog death
Derhead – The Grey Zone Phobia (Brucia) – black metal
Desert Storm – Death Rattle (APF) – prog metal
Diablation – Par Le Feu (Osmose) – black metal
DreamSpy – Out Of This World (Inverse Records) – dark rock
Edredon Sensible – Montagne Explosion (Independent) – free jazz
Evilcult – The Devil is Always Looking for Souls (Awakening Records) – heavy metal
Grafhond – In harmonie met de dood (Void Wanderer / War) – black metal
Grieve – Wolves of the Northern Moon (Werewolf) – black metal
Heezer – Sungrinder (Argonauta Records) – stoner rock
Hellion – The Magic Within (Awakening Records) – black thrash
Hot Graves – Plaguewielder (Gurgling Gore) – death metal
Invicta – Triumph and Torment (Sublevel) – melodic death / thrash
ISAAK – Hey (Heavy Psych Sounds) – stoner
Kommand – Death Age (20 Buck Spin) – death metal
Last In Line – Jericho (earMUSIC) – metal
Lordi – Screem Writers Guild (Atomic Fire Records) – monster metal
Lotan – S/T (UPRISING! Records) – black metal
Mammon’s Throne – S/T (Brilliant Emperor) – doom
Megalith Levitation – Obscure Fire (Aesthetic Death) – doom
Milanku – À l’aube (Folivora / D7i / Moment of Collapse) – post-metal
Monachopsis Art – An Empty Existence (Forgotten Friends) – black metal
Necronomicon Ex Mortis – S/T (Independent) – death metal
Nervochaos – Chthonic Wrath (Emanzipation) – extreme
Netherlands – Severance (Svart Records) – progressive sludge
Old Forest – Sutwyke (Soulseller) – black metal
Outlaw – Reaching Beyond Assiah (AOP Records) – melodic black metal
Pandemic – Crooked Mirror (Awakening Records) – speed thrash
Poh Hock – Gallimaufry (Independent) – experimental
Sermon – Of Golden Verse (Prosthetic Records) – prog metal
Sieluhaaska – Kun aurinkoni kuoli (Purity Through Fire) – black metal
Smallpox Aroma – Festering Embryos of Logical Corruption (Inhuman Assault) 0- grindcore
Spirit Possession – Of The Sign… (Profound Lore Records) – black metal
Swan Valley Heights – Terminal Forest (Fuzzorama) – psych rock
The Evil – Seven Acts To Apocalypse (Osmose) – doom rock
The Ongoing Concept – Again (Solid State) – rock
This Means War – Omnivore Doctrine (Gymnocal Industries) – thrash
Tilintetgjort – In Death I Shall Arise (Dark Essence Records) – black metal
Torrential Thrill – State of Disaster (Independent) – rock
Unpure – Prophecies Ablaze (Invictus / The Ajna Offensive) – black metal
VileDriver – The Rest Are Prey (CDN Records) – death metal
Vision Deprived – Self Elevating, Deep Inside the Void (Slaughterhouse) – death metal
Visions of Atlantis – Pirates Over Wacken (Napalm) – symphonic metal
Voidscape – Odyssey of Spite, EP (Nefarious Industries) – melodic death metal
Vredensdal – Sonic Devotion To Darkness (Soulseller) – black metal
Wulfskol / Hexella – Split (Goat Throne) – speedWyoming Young and Strong – Bend the Night, EP (Independent) – stoner / doom
— Josh
Nine Circles 