So, you dipped a toe into 2024. How’d it feel? Not much different than 2023 and you know it. But, a fresh new year means it’s time to shed all the bullcrap you’ve been hanging on to and make a fresh start. Or not. Choice is yours. As I said last week though, NO resolutions. Only revelations. OK then, we’ve got a better week here in terms of quantity and quality of new releases and I’m kicking it off with an exciting newish noise rock band Bronson Arm and since I’ve also got a review coming this week for it I won’t give too much away but I’ll say that I ADORE this album, then we’ve got some extremity from Escuela Grind who are getting an early lead on album cover of the year, and Engulf sets the dials for planet death metal. As always though, there’s more in the list that follows…yes, there actually IS more this week so get to digging and enjoy. See you here throughout the week.

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Bronson Arm – S/T (Learning Curve) – noise rock

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Escuela Grind – DDEEAATTHHMMEETTAALL, EP (MNRK Heavy) – extreme metal

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Engulf – The Dying Planet Weeps (Everlasting Spew Records) – death metal

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Also on tap:

Alluvial – Death Is But A Door, EP (Nuclear Blast) – doom

Artificial Heaven – Digital Dreams (My Kingdom Music) – gothic rock / punk

Cariosus – Will, Until Beauty (Independent) – melodic death metal

Casey – How To Disappear (Hassle) – rock

Crucifer – Hell is for the Hopeful (Independent) – death metal

Domination Campaign – A Storm of Steel (Prosthetic) – death metal

Drown In Sulphur – Dark Secrets of the Soul (Scarlet Records) – black / deathcore

Empire Demolition – Defenestration (Independent) – screamo

Invertia – Through The Black Bubble (Independent) – death doom

Iron Front – Hooked (Creator-Destructor Records) – brutal death metal

Karnak Seti – Restos (Independent) – death / thrash

KRVNA – The Rhythmus of Death Eternal (Zazen Sounds) – black metal

Linnea Hjertén – Nio systrar (Nordvis) – folk / ambient

Lull – Journey Through Underworlds (Cold Spring) – dark ambient

Mourning Dawn – The Foam of Despair (Tragedy) – black / doom

Nargathrond – Mourning Season (Independent) – dsbm

Neal Morse – The Restoration – Joseph: Part Two (Frontiers Music s.r.l.) – prog

No Terror In The Bang – Heal (Klonosphere) – cinematic metal

Ritual Earth / Kazak – Turned To Stone Chapter 9 (Ripple Music) – psych doom

Russell – Guns – Medusa (Frontiers Music s.r.l.) – hair metal

Sabotage India – Pishach (Independent) – thrash

Saevus Finis – Facilis Descensus Averno (Transcending Obscurity Records) – black / death

The Awesome Machine – …It’s Ugly Or Nothing, Reissue (Ripple Music) – stoner rock

The Clamps – Megamouth (Heavy Psych Sounds) – stoner rock

Yersin – The Scythe Is Remorseless (Trepanation) – metal

Zero Cipher – Nü Metal (Independent) – metalcore

— Josh