Sh*t That Comes Out Today: April 16, 2021
Go get vaccinated.
Bewitcher
Cursed Be Thy Kingdom (Century Media)
Bewitcher’s latest features a song called “Satanic Magick Attack” and that kinda sums up this whole beautiful beast of a record — simultaneously stupid and awesome while embracing every aspect of what makes metal the best damn musical genre to ever vomit itself into existence. It’s everything that rules about the 80-85 glory days wrapped into one perfect package, taking cues from legends like Motorhead, Venom, and Judas Priest while doing their own thing. I dunno if Bewitcher actually sold their souls at the crossroads for this eldritch masterpiece but they got a great deal if so.
Cannibal Corpse
Violence Unimagined (Metal Blade)
I had not seen that uncensored cover prior to popping it on this post and that is, uh, one hell of a thing, huh? Dunno how Vince Locke keeps topping himself after three decades but good work on delivering maximum nausea. Now fortified with vitamin Rutan, the Floridians’ fifteenth studio album serves as a periodic reminder that, no matter how many pig-squealing, crypt-plundering, meat-sculpting scavengers follow in their entrail-strewn wake, nobody will ever topple them from atop their flesh-embroidered throne.
Endseeker
Mount Carcass (Metal Blade)
What label would possibly be daring enough to release a death metal record to compete with Metal Blade’s crown jewel — oh, Metal Blade would. In case you necrovores want more after consuming the latest pound of flesh from Cannibal Corpse, Endseeker provide a more European perspective on the posthumous side of the metallic arts. Scaling Mount Carcass involves some dismemberment and bloodbathing and entombment, and these German gore-climbers come equipped with all the necessary gear to crest the summit with ease. Plus how many DM bands, OS or otherwise, would cover a John Carpenter theme?
Liquid Tension Experiment
LTE3 (InsideOut)
Prog rock is a timeless thing, as in its practitioners seem blissfully unaware that aesthetics change. How else do you explain Liquid Tension Experiment’s decision to go beyond the mind’s eye on the cover art for their first collaboration in two decades? Members and ex-members of Dream Theater and King Crimson reunite day and dream and proceed to make the most music they could possibly cram into an hour — including a head-scratching interpretation of the Gershwin standard “Rhapsody in Blue.” I love this stuff but it very much ain’t gonna convert you if you’re way into Throwdown.
OTHER SHIT THAT COMES OUT TODAY
August Burns Red – Guardians Sessions EP (Fearless) Listen
Greta Van Fleet – The Battle Of Garden’s Gate (Lava/Republic) Listen
Intonate – Severed Within (Willowtip) Listen
Marty Friedman – Tokyo Jukebox 3 (The Players Club/Mascot) Listen
Spectral Wound – A Diabolic Thirst (Profound Lore) Listen
The Vintage Caravan – Monuments (Napalm) Listen
