This Toilet Tuesday (2/16/16)
The corpse of the massive rat beneath you expels a final gurgle as you extract your blade from its throat. This whole journey has been a nightmare; you barely managed to fight your way into the sewers through the undead hellscape above, only to find the underground teeming with monstrous vermin. You wipe your sword clean and hold your torch aloft, trying to regain your bearings in the labyrinthine catacomb. Settling on a direction you don’t think you’ve gone before, you trudge off through the ankle-deep muck as stealthily as you can.
You cautiously peer around a corner, bracing yourself for another ambush, but nothing occupies this stretch of tunnel. A sudden loud sloshing from behind you breaks your concentration. You whip around, blade at the ready, but it’s too late. A mass of living sludge comes crashing down on you, extinguishing your torch and pinning you to the floor under its viscous form. You try to struggle against its crushing weight, but you can’t breathe; liquid excrement seeps into your lungs and blocks your airways. Soon, you give in. As the world fades to black, all you can think of is the warmth of a distant flame. The warmth of home.
The oppressive darkness awaits us all. This is Toilet Tuesday.
Pogavranjen – Jedva čekam da nikad ne umrem (Arachnophobia Records) [Weird Black Metal]
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Shrugging off any notions of what black metal can or should be, Pogavranjen reach deep into experimental territory with their third full length. The nihilistic, piss-and-vinegar attitude of dissonant black metal forebears is ever present, but the sound itself wanders far outside the need for constant heaviness and into a maze of dizzying rhythms, noisy layering, and spacious, even laid-back doom. Admittedly, “laid-back” may be a poor choice of words, as the Croatians never let go of their dark and hostile edge despite the majority of the album being without distortion or harsh vocals. The hypnotic, cyclic percussion is a highlight of this strange beast, providing an unsettling backdrop for the angular dissonance and meandering guitar experimentation. The ever-changing vocal characterizations, ranging from clean chanting to harsh yelling to sickly recitative, give the monster an ugly yet captivating face. Don’t expect anything before listening to this album, but be ready for everything. 2/15/16 (Stockhausen)
Entropia – Ufonaut (Arachnophobia Records) [Blackened Sludge]
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The Polish metal conquest continues with Ufonaut by Entropia. Similarly to other Arachnophobia artists, Entropia are a difficult act to categorize. The approach could be loosely described as black metal, but there are so many diverse elements contributing to the whole that only avant-garde or progressive seems truly appropriate. In the span of a single song, you may find crusty d-beats, crunchy OSDM-style bass lines, scathing tremolo riffs, atmospheric electronic ambience, and tortured vocals. The next song may then offer something totally different, including blast beats, post-metal riffs, and church bells. Amazingly, every element combines to form a spellbinding whole that transforms from furious to gorgeous at the drop of a hat while remaining perpetually novel. If you like experimentation in your extreme metal, don’t miss this. FFO: Abusiveness, Bloodway, Antagoniste 2/15/16 (W.)
Lebensnacht – Raging Storm of Apocalypse (Naturmacht/Rain Without End) [Black Metal]
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If Entropia are a little too out there for you, might I suggest the folkish approach of Lebensnacht? Raging Storm of Apocalypse doesn’t really do anything out the ordinary for folksy black metal, but it is certainly heartfelt and endearing. Turbulent tremolo riffs are juxtaposed against woodsy synths and sampled environmental effects to create a stormy and tumultuous atmosphere that invites you into the pagan heart of nature. You should know exactly what to expect, but in this case, that isn’t a bad thing. FFO: Sado Sathanas, Vintersorg, Thyrfing 2/20/16 (W.)
Helion Prime – Helion Prime (Independent) [Power Metal]
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Power metal aficionado/true Dragon Reborn Randall Thor pointed this one out in the comments on yesterday’s news post, but I couldn’t help but share it again. Helion Prime sound like a cross between Judicator and early Unleash The Archers, so if you’re a fan of rollicking power metal with sweet riffs and mighty vocals, then this is a no-brainer. However, the real selling point of this album is the cyborg space dinosaur on the cover. Check it out, or forever dwell in the valley of the shadow of poserdom. (Spear)
Abandoned Life – Nihil ex Nihilo (Independent) [Death/Doom]
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Abortos de Satan – Pura mugre (Independent) [Thrash]
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Absenta – Eel (Necromance Records) [Black Metal]
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After the Burial – Dig Deep (Sumerian Records) [Deathcore]
Listen to “Collapse”
Alpha Drone – Moon Ballads (Independent) [Noise/Drone]
Among the Prey – Only for the Blinded (Inverse Records) [Metalcore]
Listen to “Smile,” “Pieces”
Axattack – Live Cuts Vol. II (live album- Independent) [Thrash]
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Braineater – Weak, Frail, and Powerless (Sun Chariot Records) [lolbuttz]
Listen to “Hooked on LCD”
Chaos Remains – Roots (Independent) [Melodeath]
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Charm Designer – Everlasting (Inverse Records) [Doom]
Listen to “Everlasting”
Cirith Gorgor – Visions of Exalted Lucifer (Hammerheart Productions) [Black Metal]
Listen to “Wille Zur Macht”
Collision – Satanic Surgery (Hammerheart Records) [Thrash/Grind]
Listen to “Satanic Surgery,” “Cripple the Cross”
Craving – Wielder of Storms (Independent) [Melodeath]
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Delain – Lunar Prelude (Napalm Records) [Symphonic Metal]
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Devilgroth – Morena (More Hate/Darknagar/Narcoleptica Productions) [Black Metal]
Listen to “Nav’,” “Shine of the North”
End of Aeon – Through Infant Eyes (Independent) [Death/Doom]
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Ethereal Riffian – Youniversal Voice (live album- Independent) [Doom]
Listen to “Sword of the Deathless,” “Beyond”
Fleshgore – Denial of the Scriptures (Xtreem Music) [Death Metal]
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Hardholz – Herzinfarkt (Massacre Records) [Heavy Metal]
Listen to “Herzinfarkt”
Hemelbestormer – Aether (Debemur Morti Productions) [Sludge]
Listen to “After Us The Flood”
Iván Ferrús – Rain Ritual (Independent) [Ambient]
Listen to “Imaginary,” “The Winds of Sould”
Maledikta – Air Mata Bumi (Devisi Pemberontak Productions) [Black Metal]
Morgue Supplier – Morgue Supplier (Obscure Musick) [Deathgrind]
Listen to “Heathen (The Throes of Poison),” “Cultic Rape”
Nervagust – Promo 2016 (Independent) [Death Metal]
Listen to “Semesta Bicara”
Omnium Gatherum – Grey Heavens (Lifeforce Records) [Melodeath]
Listen to “Skyline”
Post-Mortem – God with Horns (Great Dane Records) [Death Metal]
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Rats of Reality – Obsequies (Independent) [Crust/Black Metal]
Listen to “Catharsis”
Silence the Messenger – The Proclamation (Standby Records) [Buttcore]
Listen to “Outspoken”
Sleepy Hollow – Tales of Gods and Monsters (Pure Steel Records) [Heavy Metal]
Listen to “Bound By Blood”
Ten Thousand Miles Of Arteries – Even Spilled Seed Crawls Towards The Womb (Annihilvs Power Electronix) [Power Electronics]
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Thornbridge – What Will Prevail (Massacre Records) [Power Metal]
Thulr/Dystertid – ‘t warrt vertellt (split- Independent) [Black Metal]
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Thy Apokalypse – The Rest (Independent) [Black Metal]
Listen to “Part I”
Valerian – Stardust Revelation (Interlude Records) [Power Metal]
Listen to “Glorious Anthem”
War Inside – S.U.T.U.R.E (Finisterian Dead End) [Blackened Death]
Listen to “Connivance”
Warship – The Second Wave (Independent) [Heavy Metal]
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Whorid – Bloated Pig Carcass in a Shallow Wake (Annihilvs Power Electronix) [Power Electronics]
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Did we forget a new release? Is there a way we could improve this list? Let us know in the comments below!
