SH*T THAT COMES OUT TODAY – THE APRIL 26TH, 2011 EDITION
The release week of April 26th doesn’t bring any big-time heavy hitters, but what it lacks in muscle it makes up for in quality and volume: new releases by Krallice, Deafheaven, Explosions in the Sky, Graviton, Primordial, Vomitory and an Agoraphobic Nosebleed / Despise You split, among many others, hit the stores and e-waves today. Vic Vaughn on each and every one of ’em after the break.
Agoraphobic Nosebleed / Despise You – And On And On… (Relapse)
This split features Despise You’s newest recorded material in almost ten years, in addition to seven new tracks from Agoraphobic Nosebleed. Despise You’s side of the split features eighteen tracks, Agoraphobic’s side seven.
Bermuda – Isolationist(s) (Mediaskare)
The debut EP from the Oxnard, CA crew shows a lot of promise. The tight metalcore outfit is no game-changer, but they produce proficient music in the style they’re going for, and it’s interesting to listen to.
Betrayal – Abandonment (Mediaskare)
Abandonment is decent mid-tempo hardcore/metalcore, but nothing really makes these guys stand out from the pack. Is it still a good listen? Sure. But it’s not too distinguishable from a million other bands doing the same thing. This is Betrayal’s second album, following 2008’s The People’s Fallacy.
Deafheaven – Roads To Judas (Deathwish Inc.)
Incorporating elements of black metal and post rock, Deafheaven is a sonic assault of awesome in Roads To Judas, their debut album. The San Francisco-based band incorporates frantic yet controlled drums, melodic yet scorching guitar lines and guttural vocals. In short, this is the shit. The album was recorded by Jack Shirley, guitarist for Comadre.
Endwell – Punishment (Mediaskare)
Endwell make pretty generic metalcore. They have some decent moments, but for the most part, they end up sounding like a poor man’s version of Unearth. The album was mixed by Steve Evetts, who has also mixed records for Every Time I Die, Poison The Well and Earth Crisis.
Explosions In The Sky – Take Care, Take Care, Take Care (Temporary Residence Ltd.)
The sixth album from post-rock titans Explosion In The Sky is exactly what you expect it to be: soaring instrumental passages shifting into louder, heavier parts and back again. They have a formula and they don’t tweak it too much, which is a good choice in this case. The album is the first since 2007’s All of a Sudden I Miss Everyone.
Feral – Dragged To The Altar (Ibex Moon)
Standard death n’ roll/death metal tunes. This is the Swedish band’s debut recording, and although it’s an alright debut, this one’s not really that captivating. This is the band’s first release under this name, as well as their first for Ibex Moon.
Graviton – Massless (Translation Loss)
You’ve already been hearing a lot about this band, seeing as you’re currently on Metalsucks. We’ve been streaming this bad boy for two weeks already, and for good reason. Graviton, featuring members of Intronaut and National Sunday Law, have formed a heavy ambient, technical and all-out excellent debut album.
Hero In Error – The Highpoint For New Lows (Mediaskare)
The debut EP from the Irish melodic metal band is a good listen. Melodic and technical with just enough brutality, the band shows a lot of promise. The band has already done shows with Mastodon, Architects and Iwrestledabearonce, and if this EP is any indication the band has a bright future ahead of them.
Hope for The Dying – Dissimulation (Facedown)
The second release for the progressive metalcore band, the entire thing is streaming on their Facebook page. Incredibly technical and catchy at the same time, this is a great record. Mixed well, played well, written well. Definitely worth a listen to any metal fan.
Krallice – Diotima (Profound Lore)
Brooklyn black metallers Krallice are back with Diotima, their third album following 2009’s Dimensional Bleedthrough. Our own Sammy O’Hagar loved the album while Anso DF not so much, but think for yourself fellow headbanger by streaming the full record here.
Nightshade – Lost In Motion (Bullet Tooth)
And here we have a perfect example of the kind of shit that just wastes my time. If you like your metal to sound like a hybrid of All That Remains and Lamb Of God’s worst moments and you want an occasional chorus to sound like an autotuned R & B song, this band is for you. Fuck this.
Primordial – Redemption at the Puritan’s Hand (Metal Blade)
Long-running Irish black metal band Primordial return with the follow-up to 2007’s To The Nameless Dead. This is the band’s seventh record overall, and their third for Metal Blade.
Texas In July – One Reality (Equal Vision)
One Reality is the metalcore band’s first release for Equal Vision, and their third released overall, following 2009’s I Am and 2008’s EP Salt Of The Earth, both released on Pennsylvania label CI Records. This is impressive, considering the band members range in age from 18 to 21. The record was produced by Zeuss (Hatebreed, Throwdown, Shadows Fall).
Vomitory – Opus Mortis VIII (Metal Blade)
The eighth release from the Swedish death metal band doesn’t change anything from what a band called Vomitory is bound to play: brutal death metal up your ass. While the band certainly has tweaked small elements of their style over the years to avoid sounding dated, this is everything you would expect. And thank you, Vomitory, for not screwing it up.
Winterus – In Carbon Mysticism (Lifeforce)
Black metal from Kalamazoo, Michigan. Formerly known as The Ancient, the record is a collection of instrumentals, straightforward songs with vocals and three live tracks. The album was mixed by Ken Sorceron of Abigail Williams.
Wolf – Legions Of Bastards (Century Media)
Swedish BWOHM revivalists Wolf give us Legions of Bastards, their sixth record overall. The album follows 2009’s Ravenous, which was a seriously awesome record. LoB will also have a limited edition digipak version featuring a cover of Metal Church’s “Method to the Madness.”
-VV
