SH*T THAT COMES OUT TODAY: JULY 10, 2012
I got an email from MetalSucks editorial stating that this week’s Shit That Comes Out Today represents “a great chance to ease dudes into unknown stuff!” That means only one thing: BUTT LOADS of big metal new releases this week!
An A-list Shit That Comes Out Today. AFTER THE JUMP.
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Vintersorg
Orkan (Napalm)
On a playlist with: In Vain, Thy Catafalque, Borknagar
Listen Orkan full stream (here)
Bands with vaguely naughty-sounding Scandinavian names usually turn out to be either shitty black metal acts with no awareness of drum mics or weird shit like this. Sweden’s Vintersorg is neither. While their sound has black metal woven into the fabric of their proggy folk metal, Vintersorg eschews both sub-genre’s borderline-silly indulgences while still keeping it epic. Orkan continues some sort of nature-themed quadrilogy; judging by the album art, I’d guess the element for this installment is fire, which makes sense given the bright, sunny vibe it exudes. And the title track is hella catchy.
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Ghostlimb
Confluence (Vitriol)
On a playlist with: Defeater, Converge, Counterparts
Listen Confluence full stream (here)
When a two- or three-minute song strikes you as a real “opus,” you know that you must be listening to a hardcore punk album. And few styles of heavy music are more satisfying during an FML day (had my fair share recently!). Accordingly, Ghostlimb’s whopping 23-minute butt-kicker Confluence brings the cathartic yelps, punchy chugs, and dark melodies en masse. It doesn’t strive to redefine this type of hardcore, but there is something to be said for an established sound executed with finesse. That’s certainly what you get here.
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P.O.D.
Murdered Love (Razor & Tie)
On a playlist with: Skindred, Rage Against the Machine, Hed P.E.
Listen Murdered Love full stream (here)
There appears to be some hype behind P.O.D.’s eighth (!) album, so maybe the SoCal four-piece has more fans than I ever realized. More than a decade removed from their multi-platinum Satellite, the nu-metal stalwarts are not unlike many of their contemporaries: briefly embraced by the mainstream and then forgotten as the youth of the nation grew less youthful. So it’s unsurprising that this is “one for the fans.” Sonny Sandoval still raps unapologetically over most tracks, but sings with a little more gusto than I can recall of past releases. The problem remains the awkward mix of righteous rhymes and half-baked party anthems.
Chaosweaver
Enter The Realm Of The Doppelganger (Napalm)
On a playlist with: Dimmu Borgir, Skyfire, Children Of Bodom
Listen Enter The Realm Of The Doppelganger full stream (here)
Chaosweaver is not a Scar Symmetry tribute band, but they do remind me of a number of other Scandinavian synth-ophiles. Dubbed “cinematic extreme metal,” the Chaosweaver sound boils down to power metal with all kinds of keyboards then black metal vocals on top. You either love or hate this stuff. Anybody else getting a serious Storm Corrosion vibe from that cover art?
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Mortillery
Murder Death Kill (Napalm)
On a playlist with: Anthrax, Bonded by Blood, Mantic Ritual
Listen “Despised by Blood” (here)
Recently MS editor Anso DF wrote about new Bonded By Blood and conveyed his sincerest butthurt about how some fans deny retro-thrash bands a fair chance. Now, for most metalheads, BxB and their ilk are too “been there/done that.” (For others like me, they’re too “not yet born/not yet cared.”) But even I can’t deny that Mortillery’s Murder Death Kill is wicked. Unlike most retro thrashers, the Alberta quintet has an actual hook — and it’s not just their supremely awful album art: They have a girl singer and she rules! Cara McCutchen is like Rob Halford, Arch Enemy’s Angela Gossow, and that Halestorm chick rolled into one. Backed by sturdy players, she gives this retro crew some serious bite.
Serj Tankian
Harakiri (Reprise)
On a playlist with: Serj Tankian’s Elect the Dead, Fair to Midland, anything that isn’t a new SOAD record
Listen Harakiri full stream (here)
A month ago I heard System Of A Down frontman Serj Tankian’s third solo album Harakiri in preparation for our MetalSucks interview. I was generally impressed by my cursory first listen, but it’s definitely grown on me since. A listener might’ve been weirded out by dominant orchestral stuff of 2010’s Imperfect Harmonies, so for them Harakiri is a welcome return of spazzy punk-metal Serj of SOAD, plus the daring, diverse Serj who levels Harakiri‘s proggy flair (á la his solo debut, Elect The Dead) with softer, electronics-tinged jamz.
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MORE SHIT THAT COMES OUT TODAY
Sacred Oath Sacred Oath reissue (DigMetalWorld)
