This Toilet Tuesday (8/18/15)
How did it come to this? you silently ask yourself. You crouch at the bottom of a squat, legs wobbling, trying not to be crushed by the 250 lbs. on your shoulders. It’s your first day back at the gym after almost a year being away, and you foolishly thought you could pick up right where you left off. You knew this was a bad idea when you struggled just to get the loaded bar off the rack, but you went ahead with it anyway. Now at the lowest point of your life, you’re starting to wonder if you might die here in this smelly weight room, covered in sweat and surrounded by judgmental strangers.
No. You won’t let it end here. You’re better than this, and you’re going to show the whole gym. Gathering as much strength as your pathetic noodle-legs can muster, you begin to stand again. You feel as though you’re pushing the earth away from yourself, and the bar is fighting to crush you under its weight. With a mighty roar, you give one final push and stagger forward. The bar slams into the rack and you successfully drop it into place. “Woo!” you thrust your fists into the air and shout, turning around to face the other staring gym goers. They don’t seem to be looking at your face though. Just as you start to wonder what they’re looking at, a familiar stench hits your nostrils. You don’t even need to look to know that that warm droplet trickling down the back of your leg is a sickly brown. But you’re alive; you’re not going to let this get you down. You look the crowd in their faces and waddle out of the weight room, doing your best to clench your leaking butt closed.
Bear your colors proudly on This Toilet Tuesday.
Adversarial – Death, Endless Nothing and the Black Knife of Nihilism (Dark Descent Records) [Death Metal]
Stream
Sometimes album titles tell you exactly how awesome an album is going to be. Death, Endless Nothing and the Black Knife of Nihilism is easily one of the best titles you’ll see all year, and thankfully the music cashes the check that name wrote. Adversarial ply in a bleak, misanthropic brand of death metal that is all the rage right now. What sets this band apart from their competitors is the thoughtfulness applied to album construction. The ground and pound vitriol is often suspended for brief moments of quiet unease, allowing a creeping, despondent atmosphere to build. The nice variety in the songs keeps the uber-brutal approach from ever growing stale. FFO: Autokrator, Pissgrave, Antediluvian 8/21/15 (W.)
Scythian – Hubris In Excelsis (Hells Headbangers) [Death Metal]
Listen to “Beyond the Dust,” “Hubris in Excelsis”
The introduction to “Beyond the Dust” might make you wonder if you’re about to embark on an epic journey with Keep of Kalessin or a Hellenic black metal band, but then the old school riffs and galloping drums kick in, and you realize you’re about to have your nads punted up into your throat by some killer death metal. The two songs that are streaming now both show Scythian as masters of their craft; the album is definitely classic in its approach but something grander in execution. The razor-sharp riffs are accented by cherubic vocal flourishes, Eastern modes, and a polished production. Grab your magic carpet and prepare for headbanging. FFO: Craven Idol, Bathory, Desaster 8/21/15 (W.)
Act of Defiance – Birth and the Burial (Metal Blade) [Thrash]
Listen to “Throwback,” “Legion of Lies”
Full disclosure: I’m a tremendous Chris Broderick fanboy, so I might be a little biased in favor of this one. Given how brilliant he was as a live guitarist for Nevermore, I was a little disappointed that he didn’t get to show off much in Megadeth. Now we have Act of Defiance, Broderick and Shawn Drover’s post-Deth act. Just listening to this, you can practically feel the tension has been lifted. Their performances are less stiff than they’ve been in years, and the songs are just plain better than Megadeth’s latest couple albums. For most people, I imagine this won’t be much more than a serviceable thrash album in the same vein as Testament, but for me, it’s immensely refreshing. (Spear)
Dark Sermon – The Oracle (Good Fight Records) [Blackened Death]
Listen to “Rat King,” “Myth of Sanity”
This is a case of a band changing for the better if you ask me. By better I mean for the fucking great. Dark Sermon used to make really top notch modern metal with some deathcore influences, but in my humble opinion there wasn’t anything too special about it. However, everything I have heard from their new album sounds fucking filthy and it goes fucking hard! The first single they released called “The Rat King” reminded me of Nails. Need I say more? Don’t miss this one kids! (Jack Bauer)
Rivers of Nihil – Monarchy (Metal Blade) [Progressive Death Metal]
Stream
Rivers of Nihil have improved on their brand of already facemelting death metal with technical influences by doing what Job For A Cowboy did last year and adding a lil’ prog and some of dat bass. This has resulted in them absoultely catapulting past the sound they had on the preceding album and any fan of death metal should give these guys a chance! (Jack Bauer)
Aggression – Fractured Psyche Demons (Galy Records) [Thrash]
Listen to “Cut Your Sins Off”
Alkonost -Tales of Wanderings (Beverina) [Folk Metal]
HEARKEN, BRAVE ADVENTURER, TO “THE SWORD OF FATE,” “TALES OF WANDERING,” “WONDERLAND”
Ancient Spheres – In Conspiracy With the Night (Satanath Records) [Black Metal]
Listen to “Invoking Darkness”
Battlecross – Rise to Power (Metal Blade) [Thrash]
Listen to “Not Your Slave,” “Absence”
Bloody Mortir – Vandalisme Massal (Playloud Records) [Grindcore]
Preview
Crisalida – Terra Ancestral (Mechanix Records) [Prog Metal]
Listen to “Morir Aquí”
Crossing Edge – Breakout (Massacre Records) [Metalcore]
Listen to “Part of Me”
Crow’sClaw – Indigo Blue and Black Stout (Independent) [Instrumental Rock/Prog]
Preview
December XII – Twelve Candles (Fono Ltd.) [Power Metal]
Listen to “Autumn Road”
DISTURBED – IMMORTALIZED (REPRISE/WARNER BROS.) [DAVID DRAIMAN]
OHH-WA-AH-AH-AH
Extinction AD – Faithkiller (Good Fight Music) [Thrash]
Listen to “Faithkiller”
From the Vastland – Blackhearts (Symbol of Domination) [Black Metal]
Listen to “Blackhearts”
Ghost – Meliora (Loma Vista Recordings) [Heavy Metal]
Full album stream
Harpyie – Freakshow (Metalville) [Folk Metal]
Preview
Hate Eternal – Infernus (Season of Mist) [Death Metal]
Stream
Horrific Disease – Outbreak (Satanath Records) [Death Metal]
Listen to “Distracting Decision”
Inkvisitor – Doctrine of Damnation (Independent) [Thrash]
Stream
Kadavar – Berlin (Nuclear Blast) [Doom/Rock]
Listen to “The Old Man”
Lychgate – An Antidote for the Glass Pill (Blood Music) [Black Metal]
Stream
The Murder of My Sweet – Beth Out of Hell (Frontiers Records) [Gothic Metal]
Listen to “Humble Servant”
Myrkur – M (Relapse Records) [Folky Black Metal]
Stream
Necrodium – Remnants (Breaking Wheel Productions) [Death Metal]
Listen to “Torture Test”
Nekro Drunkz – Absolute Filth (Moribund Records) [Toiletgrind]
Listen to “Hump the Stump”
Raise Hell – Written in Blood (Black Lodge) [Thrash]
Listen to “Six Feet Under”
Re-Armed – Total Lack of Communication (Independent) [Death Metal]
Listen to “Total Lack of Communication”
Royal Hunt – Devil’s Dozen (Frontiers Music) [Prog Metal]
Listen to “So Right So Wrong”
Serpentor – Legiones (Icarus Music) [Thrash]
Listen to “Legiones”
Skullthrone – Biomechanical Messiah (Satanath Records) [Death Metal]
Listen to “Antichrist Retaliation”
The Sword – Hight Country (Razor & Tie Records) [Doom]
Listen to “High Country”
Unbreakable Hatred – Ruins (Unique Leader) [Tech Death]
Stream
Vardan – Between the Fog and Shadows (Moribund Records) [Black Metal]
Vomit of Doom – Obey the Darkness (Satanath Records) [Black Thrash]
Listen to “Haunting,” “Perversecution”
Vortex of End – Fvlgvr Lvx Terror (Deadlight Entertainment) [Blackened Death]
Listen to “Fvlgvr Lvx Terror”
War Pestilence/Nocturnal Death – Cursed Tombs of Perverse Conjuration (split- Engulfed in Darkness) [Black Metal]
Wolfheart – Shadow World (Spinefarm Records) [Melodeath]
Listen to “Aeon of Cold”
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, VIA, and VIA)
