Happy Labor Day even though I know there will be a huge contingent of us that will be laboring away regardless. Let’s hope for an early out, yah? In better news, football is FINALLY back and I’m stoked that I can finally turn the tv on and have something worth my time to watch. What we’ve had since last football season is utter trash. And yes, you can @ me. Bring it. Anyway, new metal release time is upon us once again and for that we kick things off with Marrow of Man who has been getting quite the mileage around the ol’ Nine Circles water cooler, next up is the destructive force of Vølus, then some super dark occult rock from Aluk Todolo (NoEvDia and Ajna never miss!), then we’ve got some thrash ‘til death metal from Cult of Orpist…seriously, LOOK at that album cover! Alright, along with the rest of the list below that’ll do it for this edition of Initial Descent. Seek out some faves and we’ll see you here throughout the week.

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Marrow of Man – Ancient Hymns of Apocalypse (Fiadh Productions) – melodic black metal

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Vølus – Merciful the Dying Light (Vargheist Records) – blackened death metal

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Aluk Todolo – LUX (NoEvDia / The Ajna Offensive) – occult rock

(no embed available at time of writing. use the google machine)

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Cult of Orpist – Attack of the Zombie Cans (Brutal) – death metal

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Also on tap:

400 Lonely Things – The New Twilight (Cold Spring) – dark ambient

A Swarm of the Sun – An Empire (Pelagic Records) – post-metal

Black Sites – The Promised Land? (Self) – thrash

Blackstaff – The Storyteller (Self) – blackened doom

Blitzkrieg – S/T (Mighty Music) – heavy metal

Bloody Valkyria – Kingdom in Fire (Northern Silence Productions) – epic black metal

Castle – Evil Remains (Hammerheart) – doom

Curse The Sun – Delirium (Ripple Music) – stoner doom

Destro – Night of Vengeance (Avantgarde Music) – synthwave

Drunkelweizen – Pioneers of Alcohol (Self) – drunken folk metal

Eccentric Pendulum – Perspectiva Invertalis (Subcontinental Records) – prog death metal

Echo Broke Alone – The End of Humanity (Philip K Discs) – gazey

Eldamar – Astral Journeys Pt. I: Creation (Northern Silence Productions) – atmospheric black metal

Elephant Tree – Handful of Ten (Magnetic Eye Records) – stoner doom

ExpiatoriA – Shadows, Live (Diamonds Prod.) – doom

Fabulae Dramatis – Violenta (Self) – metal

Forgotten King – The Seeker (Majestic Mountain Records) – psych doom

Future Palace – Distortion (Arising Empire) – post-hardcore

Glacier – A Distant, Violent Shudder (Wolves and Vibrancy Records) – post-metal

God Dethroned – The Judas Paradox (Reigning Phoenix Music) – extreme

God Is An Astronaut – Embers (Napalm) – psych / krautrock

Grendel’s Sÿster – Katabasis Into The Abaton (Cruz Del Sur Music) – epic metal

Heinous Exsanguination – The Stench of Decaying Flesh (Gore House Productions) – death metal

Ifrit – Haunting Charnel Grounds (Brilliant Emperor / Gutter Prince Cabal) – death metal

Infrared – Manifestation (Self) – thrash

Mallevs – The Hammer (Floga Records) – NWOBHM

Midwife – No Depression In Heaven (The Flenser) – experimental pop

Misanthropia – Envy The Dead (WormHoleDeath) – prog death / thrash

Moose Cult – Book of the Machines (Eat Lead and Die Music) – envirometal

Mortal Blood – Harbingers of Chaos (Self) – gothic death metal

Mutant Blast – Soulsteeler (Rockshots) – thrash

New Ghost – A Dagger In Every Tide (Self) – shoegaze/grunge

Officium Triste – Hortus Venenum (Transcending Obscurity Records) – death/doom

Oneironaut – Alien Gnosis (Avantgarde Music) – ambient

Papangu – Lampião Rei (Repose Records) – avant-garde metal

Phaëthon – Wielder of the Steel (Gates of Hell Records) – heavy metal

Sanctuarium – Melted and Decomposed (Me Saco Un Ojo / BlackSeed) – death metal

Serotonin – Motiv (Nacroleptica Productions) – black metal

Sidewalk Mafia – Soulcrushers (Sliptrick Records) – gothic doom

Silvern Stardust – Sermons (Vendetta Records) – black metal

Solars – A Fading Future (Ripcord Records) – post-metal

Solitary – Embrace The Darkness (Twisted Into Form) – thrash

Somnent – The Feeding Hand (Self) – doom / death

The Blacktones – The Day We Shut Down The Sun (Sliptrick) – sludge

The Lucidia Project – Requiem, EP (WormHoleDeath) – melodic metal

Together to the Stars – The Fragile Silence (Northern Silence Productions) – post-black metal

Tour d’Ivoire – S/T (Antiq) – atmospheric black metal

Tusenårseken – Omhuldra (Grind to Death Records) – atmospheric black metal

Various Artists – Surrender To Death (Boris / Deanwell Global Music) – metal

Witchcraft – Eternal Sea (Edged Circle Productions) – thrash

Wolfheart – Draconian Darkness (Reigning Phoenix Music) – melodic death metal

Yai – Sky Time (Clandestine Label Services) – cybernetic jazz

Zeit der Dunkelheit – Die Letzten Tage (Self) – black metal / medieval folk

— Josh