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This Week's Recommended Releases...

4/29/2014

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This week's recommended new releases (04/29/14):
[Click on band name for samples and more info]
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Dismemberment - Embrace The Dark (Horror Pain Gore Death)

Debut full-length contains nine tracks of ridiculously tight blackened thrash from this Ohio quartet. Carcass-esque vocals fit perfectly in the mix, while tandem guitars shred and weave melodic lines over top of a brutal rhythm section. This is one of the top thrash/death releases of 2014 so far. These guys are probably tired of the comparisons, but if you dig Skeletonwitch, don't miss out on Embrace The Dark.

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Existance - Steel Alive (Mausoleum)

This French quartet channels NWOBHM on their full-length debut. This isn't just a throwback, tribute act. These guys have their shit together. Steel Alive is a well done album, start to finish, with all of the elements that we loved about 80's metal (the real stuff). Twin lead guitars, pounding drums, throbbing bass, and melodic vocals combine for one of the coolest records I've heard in a while. Dust off your denim vest and headbang along.

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Floor - Oblation (Season Of Mist)

Stoner rock legends return with their first album in 12 years. Oblation is as thick as you would expect from an album produced by Kurt Ballou. Massive riffs steal the show here, with the vocals sitting slightly in the background. If you liked Floor the first time around, or spinoff band Torche, you're not going to be disappointed. There's a little more doom/drone here than were used to from these guys, but it works.

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Fu Manchu - Gigantoid (At the Dojo)

Eleventh album and first in five years from stoner rock legends is pretty much exactly what we've come to expect from Fu Manchu. Killer, fuzzed-out riffs, huge drums and Scott Hill's surfer dude vocals are all present here. There's a little more aggression on Gigantoid than we've seen from the Fu in a long time. This is my favorite Fu Manchu release since 1997's The Action Is Go. Definitely one of the can't-miss albums of 2014.

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Insomnium - Shadows Of The Dying Sun (Century Media) [Full Review]

The sixth release from the Finnish masters of melodic death metal doesn't disappoint. Insomnium have a rare talent for creating somber, morose passages in the middle of crushing death metal. The harsh vocals are as brilliant as ever, though there's a little more emphasis on clean vocals on this album. There's really not a bad track to be found on Shadows Of The Dying Sun. This is just the latest in an astonishing string of consistently excellent albums.

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Lord Mantis - Death Mask (Profound Lore)

This is the filthiest, most disgusting album that you're going to listen to this year, maybe ever. The Chicago band starts with some black metal and adds some sludge and some noise. It's just too hard to describe. You'll have to listen for yourself. I have to admit that I haven't made it all the way through in one listen yet. It's just too intense for those purposes. I have to recommend Death Mask, though, because it's one of those rare releases that forces you to take notice.

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Portrait - Crossroads (Metal Blade)

The third album from this Swedish quartet stays right on track with more of the awesome Mercyful Fate-inspired classic metal that we've come to expect. Fans of 80's thrash and speed metal will find plenty to like here as the Swedes keep pace with fellow countrymen In Solitude in the race to recreate that classic sound while staying relevant in the 21st century. Solid album here, full of no frills heavy metal at its finest.

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Salem's Pot - ...Lurar ut dig på prärien (EasyRider) [Full Review]

Salem's Pot came out of nowhere to deliver one of my favorite albums of 2014. The three epic tracks that make up this record are full of some of the weirdest, creepiest doom I've ever heard. Add in one of the all-time great album covers and you have yourself a doom masterpiece. Killer riffs, haunting vocals, stunning production...I can't recommend this album highly enough. Stop whatever you're doing right now and give this a listen.

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Better Late Than Never...

4/25/2014

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There are a handful of records from early 2014 that didn't come to my attention until after they were released, thus they were not included in my weekly recommendations columns. In order to rectify those egregious omissions, I'm putting together a column called "Better Late Than Never" to capture such releases every 3 months or so. As always, you can click on the band name for samples and/or further information. -JO
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Beast Within - Adversity/Servitude EP (Sepulchral)

Blackened doom metal from Québec with actual hooks and choruses. Crushing debut EP featuring former members of Akitsa and Blackwind. (03/28/14)

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Cemetery Fog - Shadows from the Cemetery (Iron Bonehead)

Third demo tape from Finnish trio contains five massive tracks of dark, evil doomed-out death metal with tons of atmosphere and tension. (03/31/14)


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Mantar - Death By Burning (Svart)

Two man  outfit from Germany conjures up 10 tracks of evil, filthy sludge on full-length debut, somehow accomplished with bass (call me). (02/07/14)

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Neige et Noirceur - Gouffre Onirique et Abîmes Cosmiques (Sepulchral)

Raw, cold, doomy, ambient black metal on fourth album from Canadian one man project. (03/28/14)

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Sabbath Assembly - Quaternity (Svart)

Weirdo doomy folk with religious overtones. These guys/gals are actually using hymns from a defunct 60s/70s church. (03/28/14)

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Sammal - No 2 (Svart)

Progressive psych metal/classic rock from Finland, sung entirely in Finnish. Intermediate stop between debut album and upcoming full-length release (02/14/14).

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Insomnium - Shadows of the Dying Sun

4/24/2014

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Melodic Death Metal is a touchy subject within metal circles these days. You pretty much either love it or hate it and it seems to be a 90/10 split towards hate. I'm guessing that all of the intense dislike has something to do with the oversaturation of the genre in the late 90's and the subsequent birth of the genre's mutant, stillborn spin-off, metalcore. Personally, I'm a huge melodeath guy. In Flames' Whoracle and Clayman always find their way back into my listening rotation, along with the early At The Gates and Amorphis stuff and a couple of Carcass albums. That being said, the melodeath scene has become a barren wasteland lately. At The Gates broke up 20 years ago, Carcass makes a new record every 20 years, and In Flames shit all over their legacy with a string of unbelievably bad albums over the last decade. Then metalcore happened.

That's where Finland's Insomnium comes in. Formed in 1997, this FInnish quartet has released 5 full-length albums since 2002, finding their stride with 2004's
Since the Day It All Came Down and cranking out a series of unbelievably strong and consistent albums ever since. With next week's release of Shadows of the Dying Sun (Century Media), Insomnium proves once again that not only is melodeath still a viable genre, but it can still be absolutely devastating when created by it's current masters.

Shadows of the Dying Sun probably isn't going to convert anyone who refuses to acknowledge melodeath, but for those of us already in the loop, it's another masterpiece from Insomnium. These guys haven't changed up their approach much at all since the second record, but they always manage to create something that sounds so fresh and unique and that you never get tired of them. On Shadows of the Dying Sun we get the usual crushing riffs, introspective lyrics, and melodic leads, but it's not like anything that you've already heard. Insomnium has always had a way with creating the most somber, woeful atmosphere this side of the funeral doom department, but they still make everything sound so interesting. There's so much going on here that you can get lost inside each track and still find something new every time you listen. Finnish bands are usually obsessed with keyboards for some reason, but here Insomnium only uses piano parts to add to the atmosphere when necessary. The result is another challenging, intelligent album that only reveals it's uniqueness upon repeat listens.

Insomnium has definitely created an album that ranks up there with the best releases of 2014. There are a few moments that border a little too close to Opeth territory, but they've always had a few of those. I'm not concerned that these guys are headed down a slippery slope. Shadows of the Dying Sun is just the latest in the string near-perfect Insomnium records. If you haven't heard of this band or if you've been avoiding them for some reason, now is a good time to jump on the bandwagon. They haven't peaked and they haven't plateaued. They're just somehow always at the top of the mountain.



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Jackson Firebird - Cock Rockin

4/15/2014

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If you're already looking for a soundtrack to your summer, you can stop looking. Australian duo Jackson Firebird released their debut album, Cock Rockin, on Naplam Records on March 28 and it's pretty much exactly what it claims to be. Cock Rockin is all about driving cars, getting high and getting laid. I do one of those three things regularly, so I can only imagine how cool this record would be for someone who lives the cock rockin' lifestyle to the full extent.

Cock Rockin is fast, fun and easily digestible with hooks galore and sweaty, greasy riffs propelling each track. From the Memphis-tinged guitar in the album opener to the fuzzed out riffage on the later tracks, there's no shortage of guitar porn on Cock Rockin. I was actually really surprised to find out that Jackson Firebird is a two-man operation. The sound is so much bigger than you would expect from a duo.

One major beef, though. Track 4, "Quan Dang", borders way too close to Kid Rock territory for my taste. I almost gave up at that point, but if you can get past that, there's a ton to enjoy here. Like I said, this is your soundtrack to summer, whether you're grilling on the deck, chasing the muff around on the beach or cruising in your El Camino (or your fuel-efficient mid-sized SUV). Cock Rockin is an incredibly strong debut from Jackson Firebird. The retro coolness just oozes out of the speakers.

https://soundcloud.com/jacksonfirebird


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Unsigned Band of the Month - Wizard Union

4/11/2014

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Would you be interested if I told you that there was a band out there that combined Electric Wizard's crushing riffage with John Garcia's early-Kyuss vocals, back when he had a little aggression in his voice? If so, you're going to want to have a listen to Ann Arbor's Wizard Union. The Michigan trio isn't reinventing the wheel here, but they're taking everything good about stoner and doom and combining them into a pretty damn good stew. There's not a bad track on their debut album, Smoking Coffins, which was released back in January.

http://wizardunion.bandcamp.com/ 

Honorable Mentions:
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Nashville's Silent Monolith prove that there's more coming out of Music City these days than run-of-the-mill country fare. Big ass riffs, doomy themes and killer vocals remind the listener of why they got into heavy music in the first place. Fans of Sabbath, Sleep and Kyuss won't be disappointed by these dudes.

http://reverbnation.com/silentmonolith


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England's Lockersludge offer up a slightly new take on the stoner rock genre, with punk-influenced vocals accompanying the heavy riffs. Solid stuff here, all around. Plus, they have a track called "The Beard of Doom". That's always a bonus, even if it's about Kirk Windstein and not a certain blogger of doom.

http://lockersludge.bandcamp.com/

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Cult of Sorrow, a quartet out of Cincinnati, dip into 70's nostalgia on their recently released debut EP. Greasy, doomy riffs, thick production and occult-themed lyrics always make for a good combination. Check out the skull crushing riff on the final track, "Black Flame". Plus the bass player is pretty damn sexy.

http://cultofsorrow.bandcamp.com/

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