At the time of writing this it’s raining and cold and I’ve got nothing much to add. Other than I’m ready for warm weather and sunshine for a long stretch. And thennnnn new releases kicked off by JUDAS PRIEST! It’s 2024 and Priest are still kicking ass, love it. Same could be said for everyone’s favorite southern metallers Exhorder as well or at least I love them and their new effort is all that and a bag of chips, next up is the undisputed metal punk kings Midnight, then we go the death metal route with Mutilated By Zombies. And of course there’s a litany of other goods hiding out in the list below these four so get to digging and we’ll see you here throughout the week. Maybe.

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Judas Priest – Invincible Shield (Epic) – PRIEST

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Exhorder – Defectum Omnium (Nuclear Blast Records) – heavy / thrash / southern metal

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Midnight – Hellish Expectations (Metal Blade Records) – metal punk

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Mutilated By Zombies – Scenes From The Afterlife (Redefining Darkness) – death metal

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Agonista – Grey and Dry (Armageddon) – punk

Apogean – Cyberstrictive (The Artisan Era) – tech-prog death

Besotten + Funerelic – Abyssal Synodality (Satanik Royalty) – death / doom

Beyond the Hate – Darkest Times (Inverse) – melodic death metal

Bite The Hand – Brutal By Design (Big Bite Records) – hardcore thrash

Bongzilla – Dabbing (Live) Rosin In Europe (Heavy Psych Sounds) – stoner doom

Cell Press – Cages (No List) – metal

Curse All Kings – Feral Earth (Breath Sun Bone Blood) – black metal

Discernment – To Leave (Independent) – prog death metal

Domain – Life’s Cold Grasp (DAZE ) – metallic hardcore

Early Moods – A Sinners Past (RidingEasy) – rock

Ecclesia – Ecclesia Militans (Aural Music) – heavy metal

Exiled Hope – The Silence is Deafening (Independent) – blackened power metal

Goat Major – Ritual (Ripple Music) – occult doom

Gost – Prophecy (Metal Blade) – slasherwave

Grey Skies Fallen – Molded By Broken Hands (Profound Lore) – doom

Houwitser – Sentinel Beast (Independent) – death metal

I Am The Intimidator – S/T (Miserable Pyre) – nascar metal…no shit

Isenordal – Requiem for Eirênê (Prophecy Productions) – blackened doom

Kelevra – Oneiric (Independent) – prog

Kollapse – AR (Fysisk Format Records) – sludge/noise

La Menäce – Erebus (Violence In The Veins, Hombre Montaña, 7 Lamentos Records) – neocrust

Magefa – Rotting Away (Metal Incorporated) – death metal

Merrimack – Of Grace and Gravity (Season of Mist) – black metal

Molten – Malicide (Transylvanian Records) – death thrash

Myrath – Karma (earMUSIC) – prog

Pantheïst – Kings Must Die, EP (Melancholic Realm) – doom

Punching Moses – Live Short and Suffer (Seeing Red Records) – punk

Puteraeon – Quindecennial Horror (Emanzipation Productions) – death metal

Romano Nervoso – From Villarosa to Rotherham (Mottow Soundz) – punk

Sahon – Blood Shall Be Paid (Brutal) – metal

Shadohm – Through Darkness Towards Enlightenment (Selfmadegod Records) – black groovy doom

Slimelord – Chytridiomycosis Relinquished (20 Buck Spin) – death metal

Sociasylum – Harmony of Discordance, EP (Independent) – hardcore

Sonata Arctica – Clear Cold Beyond (Atomic Fire) – melodic metal

Speedkiller – Inferno (Helldprod Records) – black thrash

Vicinity – VIII (Uprising Records) – progressive metal

Voltax – Ardentis (Independent) – heavy metal

— Josh