Shit That Comes Out Today: September 20th, 2019
It is Friday, my dudes. Whatever that means to you — whether it’s an excuse to get hammered, maybe the start of a much-needed weekend getaway, or even if it’s just another day of benign existence — we’ve got a compendium of the latest heavy tunes to keep you going.
White Ward
Love Exchange Failure (Debemur Morti)
FFO An Isolated Mind, Ulver, Talk Talk
Listen “Love Exchange Failure”
A compelling and strikingly urban release, Love Exchange Failure is best enjoyed under the buzz of flickering streetlights, cigarette in hand, as you contemplate the fleeting nature of our time on Earth and what it means to be human. The music lies in an existential purgatory “caused by the inability to understand who we are and what our place on this planet is”, presenting a concoction of smooth jazz and black metal that both soothes and invigorates the soul. It’s certainly more commonplace these days to include “non-traditional” instruments in heavy music, but White Ward’s use of lounge-y piano and saxophone amid ultra-modern metallic sounds is about as metropolitan as it gets. This ephemeral and expressive record, while not for the closed minded, will certainly light up some new neural pathways and become the most interesting thing you’ve heard all week.
Exhorder
Mourn the Southern Skies (Nuclear Blast)
Listen “My Time”
You thought Tool took a long time to make an album? LOL. Veteran thrashers Exhorder haven’t put out a new record since Pantera stole their thunder in the early ’90s — 27 years, to be exact — but it’s never too late for a sensational comeback. While Mourn the Southern Skies doesn’t quite sound like the original Exhorder (as it shouldn’t), it still stays true to their raucous roots while taking things in a more contemporary direction. Neck-snapping thrash gets groovy with deep-fried Southern vibes, topped off with thick clean vocals. It’s a change of pace, for sure, but for an album that’s been three decades in the making, a little something new is never a bad thing.
Monolord
No Comfort (Relapse)
Full Album Stream
In only six short years, Monolord have managed to establish themselves as a staple band for doomers everywhere. Their first record since signing to Relapse, No Comfort offers immense, no-nonsense “traditionalist” doom in their most highly developed effort yet. Riffy, fuzzy vibes melt into the sonosphere with just enough melodic songwriting to be more than a head trip, enveloping both the body and mind in its earth-shaking vibrations. You can feel it in your bones, man!
Coffins
Beyond the Circular Demise (Relapse)
Listen “Forgotten Cemetery”
“No trends, no friends, no fashion.” Japanese death/doom champions Coffins have been in the game for 20 years, destroying all things non-kvlt with brute OSDM force. This particular offering is more death than doom, saving any departure from its rancid, oozing savagery for crucial moments. Vocoder fuckery, raw old-school production, and touches of punky angst bring character and personality to the table, making Beyond the Circular Demise an eccentric underground ripper that you won’t want to miss.
Cult of Luna
A Dawn to Fear (Metal Blade)
Listen “A Dawn to Fear”
Read the Metalsucks review
Post metal titans Cult of Luna have set a high bar for themselves over the years, earning themselves a revered spot on our 25 Best Albums of 2010-2019 list. It should go without saying that their Metal Blade debut, A Dawn to Fear, lives up to the hype, but I’m saying it here anyway because, well, that’s my job. A glorious journey unfolds into a multifaceted post-metal treasure, sprawling across the sonic spectrum as it entrances listeners with its crushing honesty and vulnerability. At 80 whole minutes, it’s gonna take some dedication, but those who are patient will be in for a wild ride.
**EDIT: New Blut Aus Nord just dropped! Listen to it here**
OTHER SHIT THAT COMES OUT TODAY
The Agonist – Orphans (Rodeostar) listen
And Hell Followed With – Chimerical Reality EP (Hollowed) listen
Arctos – Beyond the Grasp of Mortal Hands (Northern Silence) listen
Belenos – Argoat (Northern Silence) listen
Bones – Diseased (Transcending Obscurity) listen
Blink-182 – Nine (Columbia) listen
Engulf – Transcend EP (Everlasting Spew) listen
Kadavar – For The Dead Travel Fast (Nuclear Blast) listen
Kobra and the Lotus – Evolution (Napalm) listen
Michael Schenker Fest – Revelation (Nuclear Blast) listen
Murder Made God – Endless Return (Unique Leader) listen
No One Knows What the Dead Think – No One Knows What the Dead Think (Willowtip) listen
The Number Twelve Looks Like You – Wild Gods (Overlord) listen
Pangaea – Vespr (self-released) listen
Snow Burial – Ostrava (Prosthetic) listen
Torpor – Rhetoric of the Image (Sludgelord) listen
Urn – Iron Will Of Power (Season Of Mist) listen
