NEW MUSIC ROUND-UP: NIGHTRAGE, JUNIUS, ANTERIOR, FALLOCH

Lotsa new metal hit the interwebs this week that we didn’t have a chance to report on because there was just so much going on. Make sure you’ve got plenty of time to crank this new stuff before continuing, because it’s all great! Let’s go:

Nightrage are about as traditional of a “Gothenburg” metal band as you’ll find without time-warping back to an era when Anders Friden didn’t start whining through all of In Flames’ choruses. No bullshit, no clean singing, no -core… just good old-fashioned heavy Swedish melodic death metal. New album Insidious is available for streaming in full right here.

U.K. metallers Anterior are cut from the same cloth as Nightrage, although their brand of Swedish-inspired melodeth at least somewhat acknowledges that the past ten years have happened. Anterior are also a touch more melancholic and epic than Nightrage, and wouldn’t feel out of place on a bill with either Nightrage or Insomnium. New album Echoes of the Fallen came out this past Tuesday, can be pre-ordered and streamed in-full here. Check out the track “Tyranny” below:

Anterior “Tyranny” by Metal Blade Records

It’s a big week for Junius, the “Neurosis meets The Smiths” hybrid who have been tapped to replace Ghost on the quickly approaching Enslaved U.S. tour.  Junius are also preparing to release Reports From the Threshold of Death, their first album for new label Prosthetic Records, on October 25th, and they’ve premiered a new track from that album, “All Shall Float,” via Brooklyn Vegan. I’ve always enjoyed seeing Junius’ intense live shows over the years, and although I’ve never been able to get into their albums with the same gusto I’m happy to see that they’ve been rewarded by signing with one of the most forward-thinking record labels in the biz and that they’re still cranking out the atmospheric, heavy jamz:

Junius – All Shall Float by SecretServicePublicity

Last but not least… Brooklyn Vegan premiered the new Falloch song “Beyond Embers and the Earth” two weeks ago so I’m a bit behind the ball, although new album Where Distant Spirits Remain doesn’t come out until September 27th. Falloch would actually fit in perfectly on tour with Enslaved and Junius; they’re heavier than Junius but still rely heavily on spacey atmospherics and dark harmonic structures to create that forlorn, aching mood, and they also incorporate just a touch of black metal into their sound. Stream the new song here.

-VN