Sh*t That Comes Out Today: November 26, 2021
Happy Black (Metal) Friday! Go buy some records!
Black Label Society
Doom Crew Inc. (eOne)
Bad news: Zakk Wylde’s voice has not gotten better with age. Good news: his guitar skills haven’t gotten worse. As always, it’s too long, the hooks get lost in all the pyrotechnics, and dear God he’s still doing piano ballads. That said, it’s still some perfectly satisfying biker rock. If you want more of Wylde’s distinctive brand of shred, this is more of it for sure.
Hitten
Triumph & Tragedy ( High Roller)
I don’t know, folks, when someone tells you that they are here to rock, sometimes you just gotta believe them. And Hitten ain’t gonna stop! Unabashedly 80s, this Spanish act captures the sound and spirit of post-NWOBHM melodic metal masters like Dokken and Queensryche without feeling like pastiche. It’s big and dumb and absolutely perfect. Look at all that glorious hair in the video below!
Lock Up
The Dregs Of Hades (Listenable)
Didn’t I review a Tomas Lindberg release, like, last week? He’s back in Lock Up, joining Kevin Sharp (Brutal Truth), Shane Embury (Napalm Death), Adam Jarvis (Pig Destroyer), and Anton Reisenegger (Criminal). That’s a pretty super group no matter how you cut it! This unrelenting burst of deathgrind cuts like Jason Voorhees with a rusty machete – a good thing for sure. Absolute sonic destruction.
Lordi
Lordiversity (AFM)
Seven full new Lordi studio albums recorded during quarantine. 100% not kidding. They basically took the concept of their fake decades-spanning 2020 “greatest hits” album Killection and recorded the actual albums. I’ve listened through most of them (great driving music!) and the only real misfire is the flaccid pomp rock of Masterbeast of the Moon. Otherwise, a lot of fun to be had here. Also wookiee sounds. Surprisingly, my favorite of the lot may be the disco album, Superflytrap, which proves that their Eurovision success wasn’t a fluke – they write some damn fine pop hooks.
Negura Bunget
Zau (Prophecy/Lupus Lounge)
This final release from the long-running Romanian atmospheric black metal outfit almost didn’t happen, mostly because band mastermind Gabriel “Negru” Mafa died of a heart attack back in 2017. Fortunately, they were far enough along in the process that the remaining band members were able to put together this loving and lovely tribute to their fallen comrade. And it’s a stunning work – cold and beautiful and utterly absorbing. A fitting epitaph.
OTHER SHIT THAT COMES OUT TODAY
Archgoat – Worship The Eternal Darkness (Debemur Morti) Listen
Cynic – Ascension Codes (SoM) Listen
Death Angel – The Bastard Tracks (NB) Listen
Deep Purple – Turning To Crime (earMusic) Listen
Eternity’s End – Embers of War (Prosthetic) Listen
Hypocrisy – Worship (NB) Listen
Imperial Triumphant – An Evening With Imperial Triumphant (Century Media) Listen
The Ocean – Phanerozoic Live (Metal Blade) Listen
Opera Diabolicus – Death On A Pale Horse (SoM) Listen
Rhapsody Of Fire – Glory For Salvation (AFM) Listen
Sunn O))) – Metta, Benevolence BBC 6Music: Live On The Invitation Of Mary Anne Hobbs (Southern Lord) Listen
Teeth – Finite (Translation Loss) Listen
Victory – Gods Of Tomorrow (AFM) Listen
