Ladies and gentlemen, children of all ages…wait, this ain’t no circus. This is metal. And we have plenty of it to sift through today on Initial Descent. Over the top? Meh, just do it already. Leading off is Cavernlight‘s debut full length As We Cup Our Hands and Drink From the Stream and don’t let that long title throw you, this is an album heavy on doom metal with chunks of noise and black metal expertly woven in to create a massive sound befitting of the long title. Next up are the “wall of death metal” masters Impetuous Ritual with their latest effort Blight Upon Martyred Sentience and trust me when I say: this band has done the impossible and not only bettered their previous outings but made it sound all the more dangerous yet crystal clear — a masterwork of avantgarde death metal. Moving along are the 27 year veterans Aposento with their second full length Bleed to Death and if you’re looking for death metal that’s in strict adherence to the old ways then this is it, highly recommended. Rolling on, if I were to tell you there’s an album out this week that blisters and bubbles in it’s heavy metal sincerity would you believe me? Rhetorical question, there is and it’s Iced Earth with Incorruptible — if you know then good, if not go find out. Not quite last but filling out the top slots is Tombs with The Grand Annihilation and having spent the better part of the last two days with this thing I can safely say this is one of, if not, the best album this band has done to date. Strong words indeed but the heavier lean on black metal combined with their trademark bruising is amazing. Don’t stop there as there is soooo much more to get to, after the jump. Continue reading →