Upcoming Metal: Week of September 21st
Cosmic Reaper
Bleed The Wicked, Drown The Damned
Releases September 26th on Heavy Psych Sounds Records
Genre: Stoner/Doom Metal
From the discordant, feedback-heavy drones on album opener “Hammer”, Cosmic Reaper’s second album adds that gritty, bass-heavy chug I love in the genre. With a stank-face inducing, Crowbar-like riff, its that doomy, dirge-pacing heaviness that just brings the heaviness in a dense miasma of bluesy gloom. Thad Collis’ vocals have that haunting, melancholic delivery on the song as well as on “Pot of Gold”. I love the ethereal, lost in the fog vibe of “Dwelling” as well, especially with the eerie riff from Pete Snasdell and Collis’ effect-heavy vocal performance. Bleed The Wicked, Drown The Damned truly embodies the origins of traditional heavy metal and the doomy/fuzzy aesthetic that Black Sabbath and Electric Wizard nail.
SCORE: 4.5 / 5
Last Retch
Abject Cruelty
Releases September 26th on Time To Kill Records
Genre: Death Metal
The album’s title track sets an eerie and evil tone with the spoken word intro, before guitar and double bass punch you in the gut. Finlay Blakelock has some deep guttural vocals that cut through pretty well in the mix. Over a slam-infused chugfest of guitars. ”Beasley Meth Merchants” has some hybrid mix of melodic death metal and brutal death metal in the riff playing by Derek Brzozowski & John Russell. I truly loved the gnarly sounding guitar tone and brutal intensity of “In The Polder They Reek”. Delivering a death n’ roll vibe that reminds me of early Six Feet Under, but way heavier and nastier sounding. And “Dissolve in Lye (Down To Rot)” has some heavy and groove-laden drumming by Spencer Robson. If you want meat-and-potatoes, straightforward, gore-heavy death metal, this record will deliver in all those boxes.
SCORE: 5 / 5
Royal Sorrow
Innerdeeps
Releases September 26th on Century Media Records/InsideOutMusic
Genre: Progressive Metal
The orchestration of piano and heavy guitars on “Let Go” are done very well and the sheer heaviness in the production is well balanced. Vocals are so clean and clear, with beautifully mixed harmonies. “Metrograve” gave me Animals as Leaders vibes in the play style, while “Release Your Shadow” delivered a grandeur elements of Trivium, combined with proggy elements and a thumping bass throughout. “Evergreen” has such a headbang-inducing riff and light breakdown near its closing moments. Good record that has moments of the metalcore/Octane-core sound of the core genre currently, but truly shines above the rest of those with creative musical arrangements, a strong vocal performance, and a sound that could help the band stand out from its peers.
SCORE: 4 / 5
ELBE
Peculiar
Releases September 26th on Octopus Rising
Genre: Post-Metal
”Sen” has such a heavy and thundering bass lead that is soaked in atmosphere and cannon-like snare strikes. Bringing a really heavenly, ethereal sound that draws comparisons to Cult of Luna. Pavel Hrncir’s vocals are so heavy in not only gritty growls, but a deep baritone delivery that almost gets buried in the mix from the loudness of the band. “Never Again” hits like a sludgy, post-metal powerhouse throughout. My favorite track was “You and Me and The End”. Bringing together doomy, gothic metal vibes while also bringing a darker, sorrowful performance in the vocals and pacing. Though there were some moments that I felt could have been better, both in musical choice and production, the album was a solid listen and will appease the shoegaze fans as well as some of the death/doom fans.
SCORE: 3.5 / 5
Zombie Eater
FACES
Releases September 26th on Argonauta Records
Genre: Sludge Metal
Bringing the garage rock, fuzz heavy production style like on Weedeater’s God Luck and Good Speed, Zombie Eater’s debut album hits hard with a booming bass presence. From the get-go of album opener “Fisherman’s Fiend”, the band has such a weight to their sound in sheer heaviness and that bluesy, grimy bass and guitar tone. “Toastmaster” has this heavy, sludgy sway to the bass and guitar playing amongst the gravelly, sniveling vocal delivery. “Corner” just delivers with a surge of heaviness and Melvins pacing, before “Bottle Hymn” brings you crashing back down. “Midnight Mower” is another groove-heavy track that the bass is just a beast in the mix and has so much grittiness to the sound. And the band’s cover of ZZ Top’s “El Diablo” truly has a stank-face inducing riff on it that I think the band would love. Overall, a riff-heavy album that captures that smoke-heavy basement and black-light posters on the wall that brings the heaviness, trippy vibes and sleazy sound while you take another hit.
SCORE: 5 / 5
Infest
Ambassadors of Aggression
Releases September 26th on Violent Creek Records
Genre: Death/Thrash Metal
I LOVED the rising drum and heavy as hell riff of “Man-God”. It’s sheer intensity and hostility, especially in that double bass barrage, is just so damn aggressive. “Songs of Violence” continues the onslaught in the same way early Kreator gives off. Just brutality and not letting up as the listener is gasping for air. Tracks like “Seed of Corruption”, “Screaming Your Name” and “Shoot To Kill” are just songs that delivered a thrash attack, but also had elements of grindcore, and first wave black metal in the playing and sheer speed. Do some neck stretches for this one, cause you’re gonna have a sore neck after windmilling for the entire thirty-five minute runtime that this beast delivers.
SCORE: 5 / 5
Overt Enemy
Insurrection
Releases September 26th independently
Genre: Thrash Metal
”Resinated” delivers that chugging, almost groove metal, delivery in the riff and vocal performance by Leo Ortiz. Even with a pretty similar Dimebag Darrell-esque solo at the halfway mark and then all hell breaks loose for the rest of the track. “No One Left To Live” is another banger of a track and delivers the brash, pissed-off energy of classic 80’s crossover thrash. The booming drums of Saul Castillo add such booming power to “Bleed Like I Do”. The haunting choir adds a sinister and dark element tot he song which I just drank up. And “Go Hard or Go Home” just hits like a freight train from the opening riff, making the three minute track just fly by in time and pacing. One hell of a debut and an act to keep an eye on, not only live but to see how much heavier and faster they can go on their follow-up.
SCORE: 5 / 5
