It’s a tragedy that Halloween is over and retail outlets the world over only want you thinking about Christmas BUT you do you and keep that Halloween spirit alive…eat some candy corn, watch a scary movie, dress up for work. Welllllll, that last one maybe not but you get the idea. Speaking of, our two death metal juggernauts, Massacre and Molder, that kick off this week’s edition of Initial Descent sure keep the ‘brutal’ and ‘bloody’ in mind so we’ve got that going for us, then Paysage D’Hiver go the tried ‘n’ trve raw sounding black metal route, and Witchpit even join the fun with an element of scary season right there in their name as well as offering up some pretty good sludge. So there it is, a worthy top four to keep you in the spooky spirit and tons more below to peruse. Enjoy and see you here throughout the week.

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Massacre – Necrolution (Agonia) – death metal

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Molder – Catastrophic Reconfiguration (Prosthetic Records) – death metal

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Paysage D’Hiver – Die Berge (Kunsthall Produktionen) – black metal

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Witchpit – Forever Spoken (Heavy Psych Sounds) – sludge

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Also on tap:

200 Stab Wounds – Piles of Festering Decomposition, Reissue (Metal Blade Records) – death metal

1000mods – Cheat Death (Ouga Booga and the Mighty Oug Recordings) – heavy rock

A Scar For The Wicked – Acolythus (Self) – deathcore

Abschwörzunge – Whorl, EP (I, Voidhanger Records) – death metal

Ad Vitam Infernal – Le Ballet des Anges (Dolorem Records) – death metal

Archsin – On Death and Dying (Self) – prog metal

Auriferous Flame – The Insurrectionists and The Caretakers (True Cult Records / Stellar Auditorium Productions) – black metal / thrash

Chaos Invocation – Wherever We Roam… (AOP Records) – black metal

Codespeaker – Scavenger (Ripcord Records) – doom / sludge

Dawnrider – Five Signs of Malice (Firecum Records) – heavy metal / doom

Defences – Shadow Light (Long Branch Records) – alt metal

Delain – Dance With The Devil (Napalm Records) – metal

Earthburner – Permanent Dawn (M-Theory Audio) – death metal/grind

Fiende – Snart er Alt Glemt (Hellstain Productions) – black / doom

Furious Descent – Judgement Day, EP (Brutal Records) – death / thrash

Impellitteri – War Machine (Frontiers Music s.r.l.) – heavy metal

In Dakhma – He Who Sows the Ground (Tower of Silence Records) – death metal

ISLEPTONTHEMOON – Only The Stars Know of My Misfortune (Bindrune Recordings) – postrock / slowcore

Just Reborn – Formae Mentis (WormHoleDeath) – metal

Klone – The Unseen (Pelagic Records) – art-rock

Legendarium – For Eternal Glory (Fiadh Productions) – power / death

Miracle of Sound – Materia Best Of 2011 – 2024 (Napalm Records) – power metal…ish

Necroferum – Visions from the Necrorealm (Nuclear Winter Records) – death metal

Ploughshare – Second Wound (Brilliant Emperor Records) – black / death / doom

Possessive – Res Ipsa Loquitor (Brucia Records) – black / death / doom

Rivers of Nihil – Hierarchy (Metal Blade Records) – metal

Shrykull – Beyond Subconscious Realms (Road To Masocist) – blackened deathgrind

Seven Kingdoms – The Square (Reigning Phoenix Music) – power metal

Shadows Decay – Agent of Chaos (Preoptic Distortion Records) – thrash

Soft Sun – Daylight In The Dark (Ripple Music) – rock

Suicide – Devour the Fallen (Self) – death metal

Suidakra – DarkanakraD (MDD Records) – melodic death metal

Tactical Pagan – S/T (Give/Take) – industrial 

The Browning – Omni (FiXT) – metal

Tungsten – The Grand Inferno (Reigning Phoenix Music) – symphonic metal

Valontuoja – Luonnon armoilla (Inverse Records) – black metal

Venus Twins – /VVVV, EP (Three One G Records) – punk

Witnesses – Joy (Self) – metal

Wormsand – You, The King (Mrs Red Sound) – sludge / grunge

Yoth Iria – Blazing Inferno (Edged Circle) – black metal

— Josh