New Music Roundup: Shrapnel Storm, The Crinn, Shape of Despair, Medeia, Domovoyd and Aethyr
New hams for yous to jam.
Straight to the point gents, some killer death metal here. I featured them first some time ago and multiple persons seemed to enjoy them. Now Shrapnel Storm are releasing their first full-length album Mother War on May 29th through Witches Brew. The music hasn’t gone anywhere; it’s steamrolling death metal very much akin to Bolt Thrower without as much melodic work, and it features a guitar solo played by the underrated Zachary “Marco’s brother” Hietala (of Tarot, way better than Nightwish). Stream “Radars Down” below.
I had never heard of The Crinn before but apparently they are some kind of a math-rock band – but not in a super-TDEP-kinda way – and someone here likes them. Shadowbreather, out now, is their first album in four years and it’s not bad at all. You can jam it below.
You can stream “DarkSide“, a new song by Sepultura that’s really some of the stronger material they have produced since Chaos A.D. I don’t even miss Igor’s groove-y playing and that is saying a lot.
Or in case you’re not really feeling that beat right now (because let’s face it – it sounds like post-Cavalera Sepultura), you might want to feel the beat of this new Domovoyd song, “Mystagogue”, streaming over at TheObelisk. Or listen to the 13-minute, “single edit” of “Domovoyage” here. Svart Records will unleash their self-titled sophomore on May 8th. This might just be the post-acid-stoner-space-rock-doom album of the year.
Shape of Despair has finally decided to release new album, Monotony Fields, on the 15th of June through Season of Mist. It’s been over a decade since they last released a full-length and they’ve got a new harsh vocalist. I don’t know about you guys, but I have been missing them. This new song isn’t exactly following the more keyboard-dominant debut or the more guitar-driven follow-ups; it’s a little different from what they’ve done before. It’s still unquestionably funeral doom, but a lot more soothing than I’d have expected. You can go stream the new song here, and you really should.
Medeia used to be on my radar because of Keijo Niinimaa (Rotten Sound) but after their last studio outing he decided to quit. This initially killed my interest in the band until “Franpire”, in which their new vocalist – Fran – portrays a vampire, appeared before my eyes. I’ve never quite been able to put my finger on what exactly Medeia is playing, so maybe it’s best you check their latest single out yourself. This is probably something you should check out, especially if you have a feeling you won’t like it. Manning The Helm EP is to be released sometime this summer.
When I first heard of Aethyr, I was really unsure about them. But now that Towards The Realm of Nothingness is out, I’ve found them to be a pleasant surprise. Melodic death metal with – barely – a blackened edge; the way they use the symphonic elements brings to mind Enthrone Darkness Triumphant at its finest. Plus, I’m a sucker for horns, even if the execution is flawed. Wintersun and Ensiferum are other bands that spring into mind on occasions. The best thing about the symphonic side of the band is that it doesn’t drain all the strength of the guitars and that the melodic work is split between instruments. You can check out the video for “Lullaby To A Mourning Moon” by stabbing here, but I recommend streaming below. Considering that TTRoN (what a delightful abbreviation) is only Aethyr’s debut I wouldn’t be surprised if they managed to change my perception of Spain as a metal country within few years.
