Sh*t That Comes Out Today: June 11, 2021
No Atreyu this week!
Crypta
Echoes of the Soul (Napalm)
Usually lineup shuffles lead to nothing good. In the case of Nervosa, it’s given us two killer death/thrash records in the same year! Hell yeah. Crypta consists of Nervosa’s former singer/bassist and drummer plus a few new recruits. Their debut album poses a serious challenge to their former act — one that the listener wins. Seriously throat-ripping thrash metal is the name of the game here, reminiscent of Johan Liiva-era Arch Enemy. Still, this international four-piece owns a plot in the graveyard all their own.
Go Ahead And Die
Go Ahead And Die (NB)
Nobody bellows like Max Cavalera. He’s had some serious fire in his belly as of late (incipient fascism will do that), and he gets to breathe it all over right-wing hypocrites on this, his son Igor’s baby. Probably the thrashiest/most straightforward thing the elder Cavalera has done since, I dunno, Nailbomb, these punk ragers point back to Schizophrenia and Morbid Tales while tackling very modern issues. Throw in some skin wreckage from Khemmis/Black Curse drummer Zach Coleman and you got yourself a real party.
Interloper
Search Party (NB)
These former Lucas Mann sidemen probably don’t feel very saturnine about their life choices now. Their new project ditches the deathcore part of their previous outfit and focuses on the prog part, allowing them to run rings around their last boss. This is heavy effin’ prog metal, too — their adept pathkeeping doesn’t prevent them from drifting with the power of a continental shelf. It’s nice to hear an example of this stuff that doesn’t feel stuck in the distant past. Instead, they’re searching for the future of the form.
Mr. Bungle
The Night They Came Home DVD/CD (Ipecac)
Basically what we have here is a live-in-studio performance of last year’s The Raging Wrath of the Easter Bunny demo rerecording with that same lineup, plus quasi-covers of Slayer, Circle Jerks, Seals and Croft, Van Halen, and Mr. Rogers. Unnecessary? Sure. It still absolutely rules — and if you couldn’t see their 2019 reunion shows, this is the closest you’re gonna get.
Witch Cross
Angel Of Death (High Roller)
Surprise! New Witch Cross! If you haven’t heard of these Danes, go check out their 1984 classic Fit for Fight and you’ll see they’ve carved their own little niche out in metal history. I’ll wait. Angel of Death comes eight years after their reunion record, and even though only 2 original members remain, this pandemic-recorded release feels surprisingly vital. It’s very NWOBHM and traditional doom influenced, sure — replete with obvious nods to Ozzy — but that sound has aged really well. Although the artwork seems kinda bargain basement, these riffs most assuredly do not.
OTHER SHIT THAT COMES OUT TODAY
Brother Against Brother – Brother Against Brother (Frontiers) Listen
Dornenreich – Du Wilde Liebe Sei (Prophecy) Listen
Gorgon – Traditio Satanae (Osmose) Listen
Hammer King – Hammer King (Napalm) Listen
Klone – Alive (Kscope) Listen
Machine Head – Arrows in Words from the Sky (NB) – Listen
Mammoth WVH – Mammoth WVH (EX1) Listen
One Desire – One Night Only – Live In Helsinski DVD/CD (Frontiers) Listen
Terra Odium – Ne Plus Ultra (Frontiers) Listen
Vincent Crowley Band – Beyond Acheron (Odium) Listen
Wristmeetrazor – Replica Of A Strange Love (Prosthetic) Listen
