This Toilet Tuesday (1/6/15)
It’s the first Toilet Tuesday of 2015! Woo! Today I write to you directly from the toilet, as the harsh Midwestern winter has frozen my ass to the seat. Fortunately for you, that means I’ve had plenty of time to dig up this week’s releases between trying to figure out how to escape without peeling off too much skin and finding new ways to amuse myself. As usual, W, Stockhausen, and I have gathered the best and present them below for your enjoyment. Now, if one of you could bring me a blow-dryer, that would be just dandy… [Spear]
Archaic Decapitator – The Catherine Wheel (Independent) [Death Metal]
Listen to “Ethereal Aspects,” “Sublevels”
No Clean Singing tells me a Catherine Wheel is an ancient torture device wherein a person would be tied to a giant ring and have all of their bones broken. Sounds pretty gnarly, just like these two tracks by Archaic Decapitator. “Ethereal Aspects” is loaded with juicy start/stop riffs and tasteful leads. “Sublevels” hits you like a pair of brass knuckles to the temple and continues to bludgeon you. Both tracks will break your bones. FFO: Suffocation, Feared, and Obituary. (W.)
Eye of the Destroyer – Ezekiel 16:21 (Independent) [Death Metal]
Listen to “Eaten Alive”
It’s always a pleasant surprise to come across a new band that does their thing really well. Eye of the Destroyer play meat-and-potatoes death metal, but they’re some pretty damn tasty meat and potatoes. “Eaten Alive” flows effortlessly through a smorgasbord of great riffs; if this song is the standard for the band, then I think these guys have a bright future ahead of them. FFO: Decapitated, Cannibal Corpse. (Spear)
The Kill – Kill Them…All (Blastasfuk) [Grindcore]
Listen to “Into the Drink”
Man, this is some sinister grind. Noisy, raucous, unrelenting… Everything you want in a grind band is here. This song is short, so I’m not going to drone on about it. If you like grind, don’t sleep on this. FFO: Agoraphobic Nosebleed, Cretin, Scab. (W.)
Nailgun Massacre – Boned, Boxed & Buried (Xtreem Music) [Death Metal]
Listen to “Where the Head?”
I was a casual fan of Nailgun Massacre’s first album, Backyard Butchery, and preparation for their next album flew way off my radar. I was glad to be reminded of these Dutch death metallers and to jam the pre-release track, “Where’s the Head?” As you might imagine from their name and album title, these guys follow in the footsteps of tried-and-true OSDM traditions, and with satisfying results. What I really like about Nailgun Massacre is the extra touch of vocal variety, and that the delivery style has more than a hint of being truly unhinged. I like my OSDM with some groovy, visceral greasiness, so I know I’ll be digging on this one. (Stockhausen)
Volahn – Aq’ab’al (Crepusculo Negro) [Progressive Death Metal]
Listen to “Halhi K’ohba”
I had no idea what to expect going into an album named Aq’ab’al. Maybe that makes me a poser, or maybe that makes a person that has friends and does things, but either way, my expectations were wide open. “Progressive death metal” is a very complicated label, as it can describe something perfectly and give you no idea what it really sounds like. These guys fall in that interesting middle ground; they aren’t shattering any boundaries, but there is a lot of nuance, complexity, and creativity to their sound that makes it hard to pinpoint. Take some Cormorant earthiness, a hint of the furious, blackened riffing and vocal delivery of Plebeian Grandstand, and some of the more interesting but polished elements of Serdce and you’ll be in the right ballpark. We only have one track to go off of, but it’s a serious journey, and I can’t wait to hear this whole album. (Stockhausen)
Battle Beast – Unholy Savior (Nuclear Blast) [Power Metal]
Listen to “Madness,” “Touch in the Night”
Bewitcher – Midnight Hunters (Heretic Fire) [Blackened Thrash]
Listen to “Speed ‘til you Bleed”
Caedes Cruenta – Ερείπια ψυχών (Bestial Burst) [Black Metal]
Listen to “Under the Shadow of Death”
Caligo – Banish the Weakness of Man (No Life Records) [Black Metal]
Listen to “A Fortress Lost in Time”
Dethlehem – Destroyers of the Realm (Independent) [Melodeath]
Listen to “Oathbound”
Emperor of Myself – Built in Distrust (Goetic Records) [Atmospheric Black Metal]
Stream
In Legend – Stones at Goliath (Independent) [Melodic Metal]
Listen to “Envoys of Peace”
Jupiter – The History of Genesis (Universal Music Group) [Melodic Metal]
Preview
Ketha – #!%16.7 (Instant Classic) [Progressive Death Metal]
Listen to “The Sounderiad”
Musarra – Musarra (Independent) [Instrumental Prog Metal]
Listen to “Namtar”
No Turning Back – Never Give Up (Take Control Records) [Hardcore]
Revetreth – Funeral Darkness ov Bottomless Swamps (Narcoleptica Productions) [Black Metal]
Stream
Wasteland – Slava Palim Ratnicima (Winterrealm Records) [Black Metal]
Preview
Did we forget a new release? Is there a way we could improve this list? Let us know in the comments below!
(Photos VIA, VIA, VIA, VIA, and VIA)
