Coincidence that Fearless Editor™ Josh is away on vacation and the chill in the Northeast is just starting to abate? We may never know, but it gives me a chance to put the spectral black metal of Grima front and center on this week’s Initial Descent. Right behind them and continuing the frigid black metal is the mighty return of Havukruunu, so you know Colin is just going to be grinning from ear to ear all week. Switching gears this week sees Pelagic pushing the post-metal they do so well with you, infinite featuring former members of This Will Destroy You. And finally this wouldn’t be a post from me if I didn’t slide some prog in there, so when you’re beaten down from all the bludgeoning extremity, check out the latest from Naxatras and their sinewy psychedelic progressive rock. There’s a lot more below the jump, so get on it and we’ll keep the content flowing all week long.

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Grima – Nightside (Napalm Records) – black metal

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Havukruunu – Tavastland (Svart Records) – black metal

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you, infinite – you, infinite (Pelagic Records) – post-metal

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Naxatras – V (Evening Star Records) – pych rock/prog

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Also on tap:

Abandon Alien – Disturbing The Neighbors (Sliptrick Records) – alt-rock

Act of Impalement – Profane Altar (Caligari Records) – death metal

Ad Hominem – Totalitarian Black Metal – (Goatfucker Records) – black metal

Arion – The Light That Burns The Sky (Reigning Phoenix Music) – symphonic metal

Arkaist – Aube Noire (Antiq) – black metal

Atmaen – Canto Sagrado (Inertial Music) – ambient

Brainstorm – Plague of Rats (Reigning Phoenix Music) – heavy metal

Bronco – S/T (Magnetic Eye Records) – metal

Caustic Phlegm – Purulent Apocalypse (Hells Headbangers) – death metal

Celestial Scourge – Observers of the Inevitable (Time To Kill Records) – tech death

Christ Dismembered – Ov Vampiricy (Self) – vampiric black metal

Colossloth – The Harmony Knife (Cold Spring) – noise / industrial

Crown of Madness – Memories Fragmented (Transcending Obscurity Records) – death metal

D.E.A.D – Of Vile and Hate (WormHoleDeath) – metal

Dead Undying – For Life For Death (Self) – industrial death metal

Destroyers Of All – In Darkness We Remain (Self) – metal

Dirkschneider – Balls To The Wall RELOADED (Self) – metal

Emissary – Eldritch (Fetzner Death Records) – metal

Enemy Inside – Venom (Reigning Phoenix Music) – metal

Enowyn – Spellwork of the Insane (Fiadh Productions) – dungeon synth

Exordium Mors – Sworn To Heresy (Praetorian Sword Records) – black / death

Fanalo – S/T (Klonosphere Records) – rock

Fields of Mildew – IV (Nordvis Produktion) – dark folk

German García – Monsterpiece (Self) – progressive death metal

Goblin Hovel – Gobischkevrot! (Fiadh Productions) – heavy metal

Grave Infestation – Carnage Gathers (Invictus Productions / Dark Descent) – death metal

Grave Sermon – Liturgical Perversions (Fiadh Productions) – death metal

Hirax – Faster Than Death (Armageddon Label) – thrash

Insanity Cult – Κάθοδος (Tragedy Productions) – black metal

Ironrat – Beneath It All (Argonauta Records) – doom / sludge

Light Dweller – The Subjugate (Avantgarde Music) – death metal

Metaphobic – Deranged Excruciations (Everlasting Spew Records) – death metal

Nebula Nine – The Last Sky Piercer (Self) – progressive rock

Obrij – Joseph (Self) – deathcore

Obsidian Scapes – S/T (Darkness Shall Rise) – blackened death metal

Ocultum – Buena Suerte (Heavy Psych Sounds) – stoner doom

Ofnus – Valediction (Naturmacht Productions) – black metal

Pale Epiphany – S/T (Corrupted Records) – progressive metal

Pariah – Violence Is A Curse (Cursed Monk Records) – metalcore

Perfect Plan – Heart of a Lion (Frontiers Music s.r.l.) – metal

Refiner – Return To Dust EP (Rottweiler Records) – extreme metal

Rise Of Tyrants – The Chronicles of Cardinal Pablo Mendoza (Brutal Records) – death metal

Ritual Ascension – Profanation of the Adamic Covenant (Sentient Ruin) – death / doom

Ruinous Power – Extreme Danger: Prototype Weaponry (I, Voidhanger Records) – black / thrash

Saint Vengeur – Sex and Repression in Higher Society (I, Voidhanger Records) – industrial black metal

Schavot – Verstrikt in halflicht (Self) – black metal

Sepulchral Curse – Crimson Moon Evocations (Dark Descent Records) – black / death

Sivyj Yar – A Scarlet Sunset Over The Horrid Abyss (Avantgarde Music) – black metal

Sleep Parlysis – S/T (I, Voidhanger Records) – black metal

Spoiled – Collapse (Gruesome Records / Selvajaria Records) – thrash

Stress Test – S/T (Transylvanian Recordings) – thrash / death / metal

Ter Ziele – Embodiment of Death (Tartarus Records) – doom / post-black metal

The Dead and Living – Damage, EP (Rexius Records) – rock

The Grey – Kodok (Majestic Mountain Records) – post-metal

The Plague Divided – States of Hysteria (FiXT) – rock

Tons / Viscera/// – Split (Subsound Records) – sludge

Tubal Cain – Slime Abyss (Darkness Shall Rise) – old school metal

Unholy Impurity – Oculus Mortis (Self) – black metal

VA – Электронная Музыка АНС (Cold Spring) – experimental electronic

Vacuous – In His Blood (Relapse Records) – death metal

Venomous Echoes – Dysmor (I, Voidhanger Records) – death / black

Versus Machine – II (Self) – alt rock/grunge

Visualis – Rites of the Eclipse (Self) – melodic metal

Voodus – Emanating Sparks (Shadow Records / Regain Records) – black metal

Year Of The Cobra – S/T (Prophecy Productions) – doom / sludge

— Chris