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This Month's Recommended New Releases (May 2018)...

5/30/2018

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Manacle - No Fear To Persevere (No Remorse)

Balls to the wall classic metal is the order of the day on the debut from these Toronto maniacs. Power vocals, thrashing, proggy riffs and sing along choruses...can't beat that. Fans of early Savatage, EP-era Queensryche and Messiah-era Candlemass will all dig this one. 
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ALMS - Act One (Shadow Kingdom)

The debut album from this Baltimore quintet is an absolute clinic in how to incorporate keyboard/organ into a doom band. Add in the solid riffing, the huge leads and the smooth dual vocals and you have yourself one hell of a debut. Retro doom that doesn't sound forced or gimmicky.

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Evil-Lÿn - Disciple of Steel (No Remorse)

Another debut and another super-catchy throwback classic metal album from Finland. Everything is in place here for a killer record - great songs, boss guitar, 80's vibe - but I'm not 100% on board with the pirate vocals. I wish they incorporated more of the high-pitched vocals that cut through at times. It's still a lot of fun and a great start.

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Iron Void - Excalibur (Shadow Kingdom)

The British trio continues with their no-frills doom on their third release. Traditional doom with plodding pace and crushing riffs and emotive leads. Throw in the fantasy King Arthur themed lyrics and I'm sold. You've heard this stuff before, but you liked it then and you'll like it now.

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Traitors Gate - Fallen (No Remorse)

These Welshmen were together from 1979-1989 but have only recently recently reformed and released their debut record. I didn't think we needed another Manilla Road, but I've changed my mind after jamming this one. The guitar tone is almost too thick for a NWOBHM-style release, but it doesn't detract from the amazing vocal performance and the well-crafted songs.

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Witch Mountain - Witch Mountain (Svart)

Losing a dynamic vocalist like Uta Plotkin would be the death knell for most bands, but these Portlanders reloaded with the equally-impressive Kayla Dixon and kept moving forward. Pretty typical WM release with the crushing doom vibe and riffs and ultra-bluesy vocals. Dixon's range is absolutely stunning on this record and worth the price of admission alone.

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Witchsorrow - Hexenhammer (Candlelight)

The heaviest record on this list by far. The Brit trio returns with their 4th album of Electric Wizard-esque doom metal. Thick ass riffs, plodding paces and witchcraft themed-lyrics makes a solid recipe for a doom record, no? Like I mentioned, if you're into EW and looking for more in that vein, start with this record and work your way back. Great stuff.

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Best Q1 2018 Metal Releases...

5/11/2018

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Catching up on some releases from the first quarter of 2018 that I really enjoyed.
[Click on band name for samples and more info]
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Visigoth - Conqueror's Oath (Metal Blade)

I really enjoyed this Utah 5-piece's 2015 debut, but their 2nd release is on another level. Swords and sorcery themed traditional heavy metal with an insane amount of hooks, riffs and leads. There's not one bad song on here. Early contender for 2018 Album of the Year. 

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The Watchers - Black Abyss (Ripple)

This Texan quartet deals out some riffs heavier than a Whataburger patty melt on their debut full-length. They manage to tread the fine line between stoner rock and doom metal with deft balance, leaning more towards the heavy end but retaining that classic Texas groove and swagger.

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Black Wizard - Livin' Oblivion (Listenable)

Somehow these guys have managed to fly under my radar for a decade now, but I'm rectifying that with their 4th release. Riff-heavy, up-tempo, duel guitar doom metal with pummeling drums and smooth vocals. This is what Orange Goblin should be releasing these days.

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Gygax - Second Edition (Creator-Destructor)

This is the perfect record to blast out of your Trans-Am now that the weather has finally come around. 8 tracks of D&D-themed  Thin Lizzy worship are featured on the LA foursome's second record. Best guitar harmonies I've heard in a long time.

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High Reeper - High Reeper (Heavy Psych)

In a world where everyone rips off Sabbath, you need to do a fantastic job to stand out and these Philly hippies manage to pull it off quite well on their debut. I could've used a beefier bass tone, but otherwise, this is a solid worship record that doesn't get tired on repeat plays.

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Fuzz Lord - Fuzz Lord (Fuzzdoom)

Okay, so the band is called Fuzz Lord and their own label is called Fuzzdoom...so I don't really need to explain what you're getting here. But it's really good debut from the Chillicothe, OH trio and it sounds absolutely fantastic for a record recorded in a basement and self-released.

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Speedclaw - Beast in the Mist (Shadow Kingdom)

Speed Metal isn't usually in my wheelhouse, but these Croatians manage to pack a whole lot of fun into under 30 minutes on their second EP. Buzzsaw riffs and shredding leads complement the throaty vocals and the surprisingly well-written lyrics. This would've blown you away in 1983. Reminiscent of my other speed crush Bewitcher.


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Gatekeeper - East of Sun (Cruz Del Sur)

If you release a Conan the Barbarian themed record, I'm going to listen it. Period. And if it's as good as this one, it ends up on the blog. It's that easy. Bonus points if you're Canadian. Excellent thrash/trad metal. They also cover Omen and Savatage, in case you were wondering where they're coming from. 

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This Week's Recommended New Releases (02/24/17)...

2/27/2017

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This week's recommended new releases (02/24/17):
[Click on band name for samples and more info]
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Bathsheba - Servus (Svart)

Belgian quartet
Debut full-length
Doom Metal

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Ex Deo - The Immortal Wars (Napalm)

Montreal quintet
3rd album
Symphonic Death Metal


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Manetheren - The End (Avantgarde)

Minneapolis quartet
5th album
Black Metal


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This Week's Recommended New Releases (02/10/17)...

2/16/2017

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This week's recommended new releases (02/10/17):
[Click on band name for samples and more info]
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Dead Witches - Ouija (N/A)

​​Mark Greening, former drummer with Electric Wizard, returns with his newest Doom Metal band, a quartet based out of England and featuring stunning Italian singer Virginia Monti, of Psychedelic Witchcraft fame. This is most blatantly that Greening has mimicked EW in all of his post-Wizard projects, but that’s not necessarily a bad thing. The fuzzed out, repetitive riffs burn and churn like molten lava and the bass rumbles along underneath, while Greening adeptly handles the kit. Meanwhile, Monti’s vocals provide a soulful counterpart to the typical EW grunts and howls, even though the vocals are buried beneath a mound of reverb. Thousands of bands have tried to copy the Wizard over the past 20 years and no one ever really comes close, but Dead Witches have come closer than anyone. This album will absolute please any EW fans and may even grab a few new listeners. In a world of atonal Doom, it’s nice to hear some melody and ace songwriting once in a while.

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Demonic Death Judge - Seaweed (Suicide)

​This Finnish quartet returns with their 3rd full-length album, an absolute raging slab of Sludge/Stoner Metal. The guitar tones and massive riff hooks immediately grabbed me on this one, offsetting the disappointing, typical shouted Sludge vocals. The vocals have grown on me after repeated listens, but they’re just a tad too routine to push this record into the stratosphere. The music, on the other hand, is fantastic. The typical overdriven stoner sounds are loaded up on steroids here, creating an absolutely gargantuan barrage of tasty heaviness and the riffs always end with a huge hook that sticks in the listener’s brain immediately. There’s a lot of Kyuss influence here, as should be expected in genre where no one really pushes the envelope, but in a much more metallic sense than the industry standards. The psychedelic interludes offer a pleasant reprieve and are sprinkled throughout evenly and tastefully. This is a very solid record for fans of the stoner genre who need a little more aggression in their music.

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​Mors Principium Est - Embers of A Dying World (AFM)

One of the few bands who can hang with Insomnium in the dying world of Melodic Death Metal, Mors Principium Est are back with their 6th album. After the genre ran its course in the classic Gothenburg era, there wasn’t much room left to explore, but this Finnish 5-piece and their aforementioned countrymen continue to not only carry the banner, but impress the hell out of me with every subsequent release. I could do without the bullshit electronic elements here, but they are sparse enough to ignore. Basically all I ask for in a 21st century Melodeath album is stunning musicianship and an overwhelming sense of melancholy. This record has each in spades. Heavy, thrashy riffs are complemented by gnarly, intricate melodic counterparts and some pretty killer leads. The vocals are good enough to not distract from the majestic beauty of the music and the lyrics actually add to the atmosphere ("The only god is death and he has won'). This one is a headbanger from start to finish and goes on the way-too-early list of top albums for 2017.

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Wiegedood - De Doden Hebben het Goed II (Consouling Sounds)

Frequent perusers of this space know that I’m not particularly fond of Black Metal (and believe me, I get more BM promos than anything else, so I hear a lot of terrible shit), but those readers also know that when I hear an incredible BM album, I give credit where it’s due. This Belgian trio (no bass…grrr), featuring two dudes from Oathbreaker and a member of Doom titans Amenra have crafted a brilliant piece of atmospheric heaviness on their second album. With only 4 songs clocking in at just over 33 minutes, it’s a quick listen and bludgeons the listener over the head without becoming monotonous. The dreaded blast beats are kept to a minimum, which is always appreciated. The tremolo-picked guitars weave a haunting tapestry and the raspy vocals mostly blend in with the overall sound. These guys are quickly becoming darlings of the underground and it’s quite apparent that they deserve those accolades with two excellent releases to date.

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This Week's Recommended New Releases (09/23/16)...

9/22/2016

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This week's recommended new releases (09/23/16):
[Click on band name for samples and more info]
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Insomnium - Winter's Gate (Century Media)

The 7th album from the Finnish masters of Melodic Death Metal contains just one track, clocking in right at 40 minutes, and it’s right on par with the level of excellence that we’ve come to expect from these guys. There’s simply no other band on the planet (that I’m aware of) that can conjure up a sense of melancholy and dread with a single melodic guitar line over a barrage of Death Metal riffage and drums. The clean vocals, which sound too much like Opeth to me, return on this album, but much more sparingly than the last release. I think this one slots in nicely with the rest of the discography, no better or worse than any of the previous releases. These guys just don’t make albums that aren’t absolute masterpieces.

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Witchskull - The Vast Electric Dark (Ripple)

This is technically a re-issue, as the album was released about a year ago, but somehow I missed it and now it’s getting the proper treatment from Ripple, so we’ll include it here. The debut album from these three Aussies is a can’t miss for fans of raucous, up-tempo Stoner/Doom Metal. The riffs are spectacular and the hooks will dig in deep, but the show stealer here are the majestic vocals. Rather than gurgling or trying to clone Ozzy for the 10,000th time, vocalist/guitarist Marcus De Pasquale just lets it rip, soaring over the music with his high register wails, reminiscent of the dude from Lo-Pan. This one is going straight to the year-end list, most likely a top-5 contender. Hopefully this is just the beginning for these guys.

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This Week's Recommended New Releases (09/09/16 & 09/16/16)...

9/21/2016

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This week's recommended new releases (09/09/16 & 09/16/16):
[Click on band name for samples and more info]
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Ayahausca - Yin (Self-Released)

Second album from Toronto trio combines Progressive Sludge Metal with Alice in Chains-esque vocal harmonies.


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Self-Hatred - Theia (Solitude)

Debut album from Czech six-piece blends atmosphere into incredible Doom/Death Metal epics.

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In The Woods - Pure (Debemur Morti)

First new album from Norwegian quintet in 17 years trades in Black Metal sound for a Prog/Doom vibe.

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Lotus Thief - Gramarye (Prophecy)

Second album from San Francisco duo melds Post-Rock and Black Metal into a stunning, dreamy mix.

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Mare Cognitum - Luminiferous Aether (I, Voidhanger)

4th album from California solo artist once again deals in gorgeous, spacey, Atmospheric Black Metal.

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Sumerlands  - Sumerlands (Relapse)

Debut album from Philly quintet is a strong contender for 2016 Top-5 records. Heavy/Doom Metal.

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This Week's Recommended New Releases (05/06/16)...

5/6/2016

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This week's recommended new releases (05/06/16):
[Click on band name for samples and more info]
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Messa - Belfry (Aural Music)

Italian quartet; Debut album; Doom Metal/Ambient/Drone


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The Morningside - Yellow (Solitude)

Moscow quartet; 4th album; Melodic Death/Doom Metal


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Quercus - Heart with Bread (Solitude)

Czech trio; 3rd album; Funeral Doom Metal


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Samavayo - Dakota (Setalight)

East Berlin trio; 5th album; Stoner Rock


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This Week's Recommended New Releases (04/29/16)...

4/29/2016

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This week's recommended new releases (04/29/16):
[Click on band name for samples and more info]
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Allfather - Bless the Earth with Fire (Static Tension)

UK quintet; 2nd release; Sludge Metal


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Dö - Tuho (N/A)

Finnish trio; Debut full-length; Doom/Stoner Metal
***Year-End Contender***


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Kannabinõid - Troon (Golem)

Estonian quintet; Debut full-length; Stoner/Doom Metal


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Valley of the Sun - Volume Rock (Fuzzorama)

Cincinnati duo; 3rd release; Heavy Rock


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This Week's Recommended New Releases (04/22/16)...

4/23/2016

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This week's recommended new releases (04/22/16):
[Click on band name for samples and more info]
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Beastwars - The Death of All Things (Destroy)

New Zealand quartet; 3rd album; Sludge/Stoner Metal

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Elephant Tree - Elephant Tree (Magnetic Eye)

London quartet; 2nd album; Doom/Stoner Metal

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October Tide - Winged Waltz (Agonia)

Swedish quintet; 5th album; Melodic Death/Doom Metal

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Tombstoned - II (Svart)

Finnish trio; 2nd album; Psychedelic Stoner/Doom Metal
**Year-End Contender


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This Week's Recommended New Releases (04/15/16)...

4/21/2016

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This week's recommended new releases (04/15/16):
[Click on band name for samples and more info]
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Black Rainbows - Stellar Prophecy (Heavy Psych)

Italian trio; 5th album; Stoner Metal

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Blizaro - Cornucopia della Morte (I, Voidhanger)

Rochester, NY trio; 2nd album; Progressive Rock/Doom Metal

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Goatess - Purgatory Under New Management (Svart)

Swedish quartet; 2nd album; Doom/Stoner Metal

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SIG:AR:TYR - Northen (Hammerheart)

London, ON solo artist; 4th album; Folk/Pagan/ Black Metal

Editor's Note: Due to work travel, I'm running a bit behind on my reviews, so these are last week's recommendations. I hope to get the 4/22 recommendations up this weekend and then I plan to resume full reviews next week. Thanks for bearing with me. - JO
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