This Toilet Tuesday (10/6/15)
The harsh beeping of your alarm clock startles you from your sleep, and you slam your fist down on the “off” button. 3:00 AM. No human should be awake at this hour, but your new job says otherwise. Groggily arising from the comfort of your bed, you shuffle into the living room in a haze and sit down on the couch. You sleepily contemplate your existence for half an hour before it occurs to you that you should probably get to work. Now lacking the time to make coffee, you pound a 12 ounce can of a specialty energy drink (labeled “Extra Strength!”) before hopping in the car and driving away in the predawn calm.
By the time you reach the parking ramp, your body is ready to explode. Drinking that noxious substance was clearly a bad idea on an empty stomach, as you’re beginning to feel light-headed and nauseous. You fumble around with your keys and drop them outside the door. You get a tremendous head rush bending over to retrieve them; this can’t wait. You duck behind a column in a spot you pray isn’t visible to any security cameras, drop your pants, and squat down in silent desperation. It takes only a moment for the shit to flow, and flow it does. You can hear it spatter against the concrete in a steady stream before eventually dying down in fitful spurts. When it finally stops, you hazard a glance at the ground. A small lake of sickly greenish sludge has puddled around your shoes, but you’re in luck; a relatively clean-looking newspaper insert sits just in arm’s reach. You grab it and finish your business, able to retain at least part of your dignity on this disgusting morning.
Soldier through the filth on This Toilet Tuesday.
Die Choking – III (The Compound Records) [Grindcore]
Listen to “Death’s Waveform”
“Death’s Waveform” is so chaotic, frenetic, and abrasive that you may be surprised this song was written for a band’s first full-length. Die Choking sound like the work of a veteran more than a group of young, hungry hustlers with something to prove, but there’s a youthful energy that bleeds into the concussive force of this song. The end result is a track that sounds like a tornado of bone and metal whirling around in a percussive maelstrom. There’s even a faint hint of weirdo grind that has me salivating. FFO: Cretin, Theories, The Locust 10/8/15 (W.)
Kowloon Walled City – Grievances (Neurot Recordings) [Noise/Post-Metal]
Listen to “Grievances”
Time to get bummed out in that special Neurot-way. Kowloon Walled City have taken a decidedly more despondent approach on Grievances, one that suits their label home well. The title track is slow, dour, and emotionally heavy; the only moments of levity come from Scott Evans’ vocals, but even those have a sort of pained vulnerability to them. Time to get sad. FFO: A Storm of Light, Fight Amp, Tempel 10/9/15 (W.)
Ævangelist – Enthrall to the Void of Bliss (20 Buck Spin) [Spoopy Metal]
Stream
One year removed from Writhes in the Murk, Ævangelist return with their bag of riff laden nightmares. At this point you probably know what kind of weirdness to expect from an Ævangelist record, so if you’re expecting them to have released something that will suddenly sway nonbelievers you’re going to be quite let down. If you’re a fan though, you’re in for a demented treat of an album that features some of their strangest moments yet (is that rapping I hear?). 10/9/15 (Leif Bearikson)
Gods of Eden – From the End of Heaven (Rocket Distribution/Nerve Gas) [Tech/Progressive Metal]
Listen to “Overseer”
I didn’t really know what to expect from Gods of Eden, so as usual, I set my expectations pretty low before hitting play. Too low, as it turns out. I was absolutely floored by the opening of “Overseer” and stayed enraptured for duration. The song captures the sense of extraterrestrial wonder and discovery in a way that few metal bands do; plenty of tech death and prog groups write songs about space, but Gods of Eden make you feel like you’re flying through it for the first time. “Overseer” is a stunning piece of music, and it has set the bar very high for the rest of From the End of Heaven. 10/9/15 (Spear)
Akral Necrosis/Marchosias – (inter)SECTION (Loud Rage Music) [Black Metal]
Listen to “Separator” (Akral Necrosis), “Irkalla” (Marchosias)
Beaten To Death – Unplugged (Mas-Kina Recordings) [Grindcore]
Stream
Goatpreacher – Chaos Sabbath (Black Goat Terrorist 666) [Black Metal]
Listen to “Worship of Fukkin VVhore”
Heimdalls Wacht – Ut de graute olle Tied – Deel Twee (Land der Nebel) (Black Skull Records) [Black Metal]
He Whose Ox Is Gored – The Camel, The Lion, The Child (Bleeding Light Records) [Post-Metal]
Listen to “Crusade”
Immoralis – Connected Visions (Independent) [Metalcore]
Listen to “The Unwanted”
Insane Devotion – Infidel (Independent) [Black Metal]
Listen to “Obscure Blackened Night”
Iron Void – Doomsday (Doomanoid Records) [I wonder if it’s doom?]
Listen to “Doomsday”
Istidraj – Muerte Mundi Militia (Iron County Records) [Black Metal]
Listen to “Illuminating Darkness”
J.T.Ripper – Depraved Echoes and Terrifying Horrors (Into Dungeons Records) [Thrash]
Listen to “Seven Commandments”
Kvesta – Human Scum (Digipus Music) [Black Metal]
Mary’s Blood – Bloody Palace (Victor Entertainment) [Power Thrash]
Preview
Morodh – Posthumanism (Soundage Productions) [Doom/Depressive]
Listen to “Mathematics”
Mortifier – Kampfen (Hass Weg Productions) [Black Metal]
Preview
Night – Night (Hidden Marly Production) [Black Metal]
Listen to “Georges de la Tour”
Odd Crew – Mark These Words (Independent) [Groove Metal/Metalcore]
Listen to “Mark These Words”
Ouroboros – Emanations (Independent) [Tech Death]
Stream
Owl – Aeon Cult (Zeitgeister Music) [Death/Doom]
Preview
Power of Mirantic – Weep (Total Metal Music) [Power Metal]
Preview
Power Theory – Driven By Fear (Pure Steel Records) [Heavy Metal]
Preview
Putrevore – Tentacles of Horror (Xtreem Music) [Death Metal]
Listen to “Gable Window Portal pt. II”
Raventale – Dark Substance of Dharma (BadMoonMan Music) [Atmospheric Black Metal]
Listen to “Intra-Mantra,” “Destroying the Seeds of Karma”
Savage – 7 (Minus2Zebra) [Heavy Metal]
Seamount – Nitro Jesus (Church Within Records) [Doom]
Listen to “Bulletproof”
Sombras del Destino – Sueños perdidos (Independent) [Power Thrash]
Listen to “Viejo Amigo”
Thyrgrim – Dekaden (Talheim Records) [Black Metal]
Preview
Trancemission – Paranoia (Pure Rock Records) [Heavy Metal]
Varg – Rotkäppchen (Napalm Records) [Folk Metal]
Listen to “Rotkäppchen 2015”
Vreid – Sólverv (Indie Recordings) [Black Metal]
Listen to “Sólverv”
Vulnus – Vessels of Throe (New Standard Elite) [Brutal Death Metal]
Listen to “Neurons Subjected to Entropia”
War Agenda – Night of Disaster (MDD Records) [Thrash]
Preview
Wizard Eye – Wizard Eye (Black Monk Records) [Doom]
Listen to “Stoneburner”
Did we forget a new release? Is there a way we could improve this list? Let us know in the comments below!
(Images VIA, VIA, VIA, and VIA)
