Sh*t That Comes Out Today – September 22, 2023
Cannibal Corpse!!
Cannibal Corpse
Chaos Horrific (Metal Blade)
16 albums and Cannibal Corpse are not only the most-consistent band in death metal but they’re also the best. Written shortly after Violence Unimagined, Chaos Horrific feels like an expansion on the ideas established on their 2021 album. Guitarist Erik Rutan’s songwriting and playing style are clearly heard on the album, the rhythm section is as vicious as ever and Corpsegrinder isn’t slowing down at all. Jam this now.
Chaver
Of Gloom (BDHW)
I guess German trio Chaver technically play a mix of death metal and metallic hardcore, though it has a unique sound and style to it. You might have heard of them because they had the same album artwork as Doja Cat. Of Gloom is very melodic, with a driving rhythm section and dizzying guitar leads. Certain songs on the album feel more in line with post-metal than anything else, but when they double down, like on Turn to Skeletons, Chaver are explosive and intense.
Death Dealer Union
Initiation (Napalm)
Forget the drug dealers, dude, the death dealers have unionized and they’re playing kinda-melodic, kinda-groovy, kinda-symphonic metal. Some of the songwriting and singer Elena Cataraga’s vocal cadences remind me of a much heavier version of Nightwish’s Dark Passion Play, which stayed in my rotation for YEARS when it came out. You’ll find yourself headbanging along to these songs and then you’ll find yourself humming the melodies later. A surprising debut from from the European-sounding Los Angeles band.
Final Gasp
Mourning Moon (Relapse)
There’s a lot happening on Mourning Moon, the new album from Final Gasp. Falling somewhere under the death rock umbrella, Mourning Moon pulls from goth, hardcore and heavy metal; it’s melodic, danceable, stompy and sometimes heavy (but not overwhelmingly so). The hardcore punk and goth influences come out pretty hard and when Final Gasp soar, they really soar like on fist-pump anthem “Climax Infinity.” If you’ve attended goth night in the last year, hit this album.
KEN Mode
VOID (Artoffact)
VOID is the companion piece to last year’s NULL, recorded at the same time and maintaining a similar vibe. If you know KEN Mode, this builds on what they’ve always done, especially NULL; new saxophonist Kathryn Kerr first appeared on the previous album and is still here alongside Jesse Matthewson’s angular guitar assault and pissed-off vocals. VOID was written as a reflection of the shock and other emotions in 2021, when the world was reeling from the weirdest year in most of our memories. On their ninth album, KEN Mode show that they’re not slowing down any time soon.
Other Shit That Comes Out Today:
3TEETH, EndEx (Century Media) Listen
Cruel Force, Dawn of the Axe (Shadow Kingdom) Listen
Dead Feathers, Full Circle (Ripple) Listen
Eva Under Fire, Love, Drugs & Misery (Deluxe Edition) (Better Noise) Listen
Freya, Fight as One (Upstate) Listen
Hexvessel, Polar Veil (Svart) Listen
Necrotted, Imperium (Reaper Entertainment) Listen
Thy Art is Murder, Godlike (Human Warfare) Listen
Wolves at the Gate, Lost in Translation (Sorry State) Listen
