This Toilet Tuesday (2/20/18)
Welcome once more to This Toilet Tuesday! We’ve got a lot of new music for you this week, and the majority of it is surprisingly good. There are also one or two things in there that are really, really bad. If you want a bit of fun (or just hate yourself), click away at random and hope for the best. Hans and I have a couple recommendations to help you navigate this minefield, so be sure to check those out if you’re in need of ear bleach.
Chronic Hate – The Worst Form of Life (Via Nocturna) [Death Metal]
Listen to “Parasites”
I listened to a fair bit of Blood Red Throne years ago, and I’m hearing a lot of what I liked about them here. Sometimes, some modern death metal with a production job that has a latter-day Behemoth level of oomph to it just hits the spot. The growling is hugely satisfying, too. Just kick back and let this flatten you after work, you’ll see what I mean. 2/23/18 (Hans)
Necropanther – Eyes of Blue Light (Independent) [Speed Metal]
Listen to “Imperium Overture”
The tag had me expecting mid-fi beer-fueled guitar wizardry (at best), but to my surprise, Necropanther are a lot more akin to something like Skeletonwitch or perhaps Runes Of The Evening. It probably qualifies as neither melodic black metal nor blackened thrash, yet melodic lead guitar, blackened vocals and no-holds-barred thrash are all present, and the mix is executed quite wonderfully. I’d like this to play while I head out to a party. 2/23/18 (Hans)
Esoctrilihum – Pandaemorthium (Forbidden Formulas to Awaken the Blind Sovereigns of Nothingness) (I, Voidhanger) [Blackened Death Metal]
Listen
Based on that cover art and the fact that they’re on I, Voidhanger, you wouldn’t be faulted for expecting some weird avant-garde black metal (probably prominently featuring saxophone) out of Esoctrilihum. I would have been fine with that personally, but what they actually bring to the table is equally pleasing. This is some of the nastiest, riffiest death metal you’re likely to hear today, with some experimentation that’s sure to please fans of the dissonant and cavernous branches of the genre. Highly recommended for all fans of death metal. 2/23/18 (Spear)
Usurpress – Interregnum (Agonia Records) [Prog/Death/Doom]
Listen to “In Books Without Pages”
If “In Books Without Pages” is any indication, the newest from Usurpress is going to sound a fair bit different from their old material. Their doomy death metal sound is still intact, but it comes with a jazzy twist, featuring clean guitars and malevolent crooning. As the band put it, it’s “an unholy mix between Camel and Bolt Thrower that somehow works flawlessly,” and I’ll be damned if they’re not right. 2/23/18 (Spear)
Adrastea – Pathetic Bluemoon (Black-listed Productions) [Power Metal]
Альбион – Исход нолдоров (Metalism Records) [Power Metal]
Preview
Alcyona – Trailblazer (Pride and Joy Music) [Symphonic Metal]
Listen to “Enchantment”
Alterbeast – Feast (Unique Leader Records) [Tech Death]
Listen to “Maggots Ascension,” “Apex Night Eclipse”
Apostle of Solitude – From Gold to Ash (Cruz del Sur Music) [Doom]
Listen to “My Heart is Leaving Here”
Arkheth – 12 Winter Moons Comes the Witches Brew (Transcending Obscurity) [Experimental Black Metal]
Listen
Armored Dawn – Barbarians In Black (AFM Records) [Heavy/Power Metal]
Listen to “Sail Away”
Âqen – Méditation Astrale (Endless Decrepitude Productions) [Black Metal]
Listen to “Terreur Intérieure”
Avslut – Deceptis (Osmose Productions) [Black Metal]
Listen to “Deceptis,” “Terra Mater”
Battlesoul – Sunward and Starward (CDN Records) [Power Metal]
Listen to “All I Understand”
Beorn’s Hall – Estuary (Naturmacht Productions) [Folk/Black Metal]
Listen to “Blood for Wotan”
Bhleg – Solarmegin (Nordvis) [Folk/Black Metal]
Listen to “Alvstråle,” “Sunnanljus”
Blackwülf – Sinister Sides (Ripple Music) [Hard Rock]
Listen to “Sinister Sides”
Candle – The Keeper’s Curse (Fighter Records) [Heavy Metal]
Listen to “The Secret,” “Embraced By Darkness”
Cauldron of Hate – Sickness (Kuolema Records) [Death Metal]
Listen
Coffins/Second to None – Nine Cocoons of Dens to F (split- Daymare Recordings) [Death/Doom]
Preview
Conjurer – Mire (Holy Roar Records) [Sludge/Post-Metal]
Listen to “Retch,” “The Mire”
Cultus Profano – Sacramentum Obscurus (Debemur Morti Productions) [Black Metal]
Listen
Dead Empires – Designed to Disappear (Silent Pendulum Records) [Prog/Sludge]
Listen to “Slay Rider”
Deathwhite – For a Black Tomorrow (Season of Mist) [Gothic Metal]
Listen
Deep River Acolytes – The Hour of Trial (Via Nocturna) [Heavy Metal]
Listen to “The Unknown Grandeur”
Deliverance – The Subversive Kind (Roxx Records) [Thrash]
Listen to “The Black Hand”
Demonomancy – Poisoned Atonement (Invictus Productions) [Blackened Death Metal]
Listen
Dimmu Borgir – Interdimensional Summit (Nuclear Blast) [Symphonic Blaaaah]
Eïs – Stillstand und Heimkehr (Prophecy Productions) [Black Metal]
Preview
Eleine – Until the End (Independent) [Symphonic Metal]
Listen to “Sanity”
Eye of Solitude/Marche Funèbre – Collapse / Darkness (split- Hypnotic Dirge Records) [Death/Doom]
Preview
Funerary Bell – Undead Revelations (Saturnal Records) [Black Metal/Doom]
Stream
George Bellas – Colonizing the Stars (Independent) [Space Noises, I guess]
Preview
Hammr – Unholy Destruction (Hells Headbangers) [Black Thrash]
Listen
Infernal Legion – Under the Cloven Hoof (Moribund Records) [Death Metal]
Stream
Insect Ark – Marrow Hymns (Profound Lore) [Experimental Doom/Drone]
Listen to “In The Nest”, “Sea Harps”
Kaoteon – Damnatio Memoriae (Independent) [Black/Death Metal]
Listen to “Damnatio Memoriae”
Kill Ritual – All Men Shall Fall (Dissonance Productions) [Thrash]
Listen to “Megalomaniac”
Maladie – …of Harm and Salvation (Apostasy Records) [Progressive Black Metal]
Listen to “Oblivio,” “Profunditas”
Midnight Force – Dunsinane (Independent) [Heavy Metal]
Listen to “Killer,” “Down With the King”
Mournful Lines – Versatility (Independent) [Symphonic Metal]
Listen to “See Through”
Necrophobic – Mark of the Necrogram (Century Media Records) [Black Metal]
Listen to “Mark of the Necrogram”
Night in Gales – The Last Sunsets (Apostasy Records) [Melodeath]
Listen to “The Mortal Soil,” “The Spears Within”
Of Feather and Bone – Bestial Hymns of Perversion (Profound Lore Records) [Death Metal]
Listen
Oryx – Stolen Absolution (Midnite Collective) [Sludge]
Stream
Ostura – The Room (Universal Music) [Symphonic Power Metal]
Listen to “Deathless”
Ov Shadows – The Darkness Between Stars (Black Market Metal) [Black (Market) Metal]
Listen to “The Darkness Between Stars”
Provocator – Satan, Chaos, Blood and Terror (Moribund Records) [Black Metal]
Stream
Sacred Leather – Ultimate Force (Cruz del Sur Music) [Heavy Metal]
Listen to “Power Thrust”
Salem – Attrition (Dissonance Productions) [Heavy Metal]
Listen to “Taking Control”
Schwarzer Engel – Kult der Krähe (Massacre Records) [Gothic Metal]
Listen to “Unheil”
Scumpulse – Rotten (Gore House Productions) [Crust/Black Metal]
Listen to “Alba Gu Bràth”
Sebastien – Act of Creation (Pride and Joy Music) [lolbuttz]
Listen to “Winner”
Seyminhol – Ophelian Fields (Lion Music) [Symphonic Metal]
Listen to “Behind the Mask”
Shadow Puncher – Shadow Puncher (Independent) [Deathcore]
Listen to “Shekinah,” “Conflict”
Shakma – House of Possession (Duplicate Records) [Thrash]
Listen
Skjult – Progenies ov Light (Satanath Records) [Black Metal]
Listen to “A Crown of Horns”
Spartan Warrior – Hell to Pay (Pure Steel Records) [Heavy Metal]
Listen to “Covered in Lust”
Splatterpuss – Labyrinths of Dark Energy (Vicious Instinct Records) [Brutal Death Metal]
Listen to “Reflection: Depression”
Squealer – Behind Closed Doors (Pride and Joy Music) [Thrash/Heavy Metal]
Listen to “Behind Closed Doors”
Thousand Eyes – Day of Salvation (Bloody Empire) [Melodeath]
Listen to “Day of Salvation”
Thy Antichrist – Wrath of the Beast (Napalm Records) [Blackened Thrash]
Listen to “Metal to the Bone”
Venus Mountains – Black Snake (Volcano Records) [Heavy Metal]
Listen to “Black Snake”
VOJD – The Outer Ocean (High Roller Records) [Heavy Metal]
Listen to “Behind the Frame,” “Funeral Empire”
Wake – Misery Rites (Translation Loss Records) [Deathgrind]
Listen to “Misery Rites,” “Embers”
Your End – Ghost Architecture (Independent) [Monstrous Death/Doom/Grind/Whatever]
Listen to “Rid of Sunlight”
Did we forget a new release? Is there a way we could improve this list? Let us know in the comments below!