By the time you read this we’ll either be shin deep in ice or floating down cold ass river in some rain. Who knows BUT I’m getting this knocked out ahead of time because preparedness is next to… something… whatever. Anyway, new releases this week clobber us with new violence from Shine who do the whole extreme death metal thing extremely well. So well, in fact, it’s been at the top of my “hey you really like this” listening list pretty much since we got it. Very very good indeed. Next up we get more death metal from Eximperitus who also do their thing very well so score this as another you need, then we’ve got another death metal effort for your earholes in the form of an EP from Citrinitas, and we close the top slots with Qasu who are giving off some strong Lion King vibes. But with black metal. And screaming… And, there you have it folks. Oh but WAIT! There’s more in the list that follows. Get after it…

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Shine – Wrathcult (Dark Descent Records) – death metal

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Eximperitus – Meritoriousness of Equanimity (Willowtip Records) – death metal

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Citrinitas – Unending Descent (Caligari Records) – death metal

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Qasu – A Bleak King Cometh (Phantom Limb / Apocalyptic Witchcraft) – black metal

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Also on tap:

A///Plague – An Exit In Darkness (Fiadh Productions) – black metal

Abissi – Paramagia (Octopus Rising) – psych rock

Accabadora – Mazzolu, EP (Self) – doom

Amenspear – Ego’s Carrion (Self) – black metal

Athelas – Rhymes of Lore (Fiadh Productions) – ambient

Banisher – Metamorphosis (Selfmadegod Records) – death metal

Beyond The Pale – Monument In Time (Black Metal Archives) – thrash / death metal

Bödel – Dödsbringaren (DISTAT Records) – punk

Circular Ruins – A Sermon In Tongues (Vendetta Records) – black metal

Defaced – Icon (Massacre Records) – death metal

Evil Damn – Eons of Horror (Hells Headbangers) – death metal

Faerie Folk – S/T (Fiadh Productions) – folk

Francis Rossi – The Accidental (earMUSIC) – rock

Gavran – The One Who Propels (Dunk! Records) – post‑doom

Goren’s Ghost – Kingsfall (Fiadh Productions) – synth

Gorrch – Stillamentum (Avantgarde Music) – black metal

Grave Gnosis & Tunnels of Set – Heralds of the Atemporal Blight (TSQR) – black metal

Hällas – Panorama (Aventyr Records) – progressive metal

HÉR – Monochrome (Season of Mist) – nordic fusion

Hieron – From The Temple To The Grave (Vendetta Records) – black metal

Indica Blues – Universal Death Heat (Majestic Mountain Records) – stoner doom

Invictus – Nocturnal Visions (Memento Mori / Me Saco Un Ojo) – death metal

It It Anita – HI HI HA HA (Vicious Circle Records / Luik Music) – noise

Jagged City – There Are More Of Us, Always (Pelagic Records) – instru‑metal

Lord Elephant – Ultra Soul (Heavy Psych Sounds) – instrumental psychedelic doom

Malignant Aura – Where All of Worth Comes to Wither (Memento Mori / Grindhead / Primitive Moth) – death metal

Mascharat – Ars Aurea Mortis (Self) – black metal

Minus Youth – Lines Crossed (Self) – hardcore

Møl – Dreamcrush (Nuclear Blast Records) – blackgaze

Nightmarer – Hell Interface, EP (Total Dissonance Worship / Wax Vessel) – extreme

Noirnoise – Plant Resilience (Club Inferno Ent.) – alt‑rock / noise

Obscurity – Ascheregen (Trollzorn Records) – death / vikings

Old Sorcery – The Outsider (Avantgarde Music) – black metal

Our Mirage – Fractured Minds (Arising Empire) – metalcore

Planet Hunter – Soothsayer (Sharkhound) – metal

Profane Elegy – Herezjarcha (Self) – black metal

Red Sands – Evocations (Self) – metal

Red Vox – Retcon (Self) – hard rock

Roth – Alles Endet (Massacre Records) – metal

Sanctvs – De l’Abîme au Plérôme (Osmose Productions) – death metal

Shields – Death & Connection (Long Branch Records) – metal

Skulld – Abyss Calls To Abyss (Time To Kill Records) – death metal

Sleep Takes The Giants – Worship The Warship (Fiadh Productions) – synth

Summer Of Hate – Blood & Honey (Tee Pee Records) – post‑punk

Survivalist – A Place For Those Who Suffer, Alone (Seek and Strike) – metalcore

Sweatmaster – More! (Svart Records) – rock

Tarlung – Axis Mundi (Argonauta Records) – sludge / doom

The Hirsch Effekt – Der Brauch (Long Branch Records) – progressive metal

Therion – Con Orquesta, Live (Napalm Records) – symphonic metal

Urne – Setting Fire To The Sky (Spinefarm) – heavy metal

Wicked Leather – Season of The Witch (Lost Realm Records) – heavy metal

Witch – The Hex Is On… And Then Some, Comp. (Lost Realm Records) – metal

— Josh