Sh*t That Comes Out Today: February 7, 2020

It’s Friday, which means it’s new metal day! Look forward to my usual idiosyncratic recommendations as well as things people actually want to hear about.

Envy
The Fallen Crimson (Temporary Residence)

Post-hardcore and screamo were never really my things, but apparently when you combine them and filter them through a Japanese hardcore sensibility they very much become my thing. Envy took a five-year break between releases of their proto-Deafheaven screaming vocals/pretty music dynamic, and thankfully returned with one of their best albums to date. A little more math rock this time around, but the numbers add up. Gorgeous.

Giöbia
Plasmatic Idol (Heavy Psych)

Giöbia seem perfectly engineered to be my new favorite band. Zombi-esque synth prog, mellow Iron Butterfly psych, weird Monster Magnet-y space jams, Pinkish Black freakouts, Floydian melancholy — I’m kinda mad nobody told me about these guys earlier. You have no such excuse. I’m telling you about them, and I’m telling you to tune in, turn on, and rock out.

God Dethroned
Illuminati (Metal Blade)

God Dethroned have been around for approximately forever. Unfortunately, they’ve yet to achieve the stated goal in their name. Frustrated with their lack of progress, they turned to World War I as a source of inspiration, but with Illuminati they’re back to their deity usurping. Their blackened death metal makes for some pretty great background music for your Christ-hating… in case you don’t have enough of that already.

OvO
Miasma (Artoffact)

Turns out it’s not just Nazis that can make noisy music — Italian anti-fascist duo OvO make a pretty convincing case that progressive politics can be advanced through weird shrieking and amp manipulation. OvO slam together genres ranging from grind to industrial to hip-hop for maximum clash value on their ninth album. While it doesn’t exactly come with catchy choruses, Miasma does have some weirdly infectious parts, so that puts it ahead of most stuff in this genre.

Sepultura
Quadra (Nuclear Blast)

Quadra makes a fantastic first impression — with its thematic split into the four eras of the band’s history, the first half is a potent reminder of Sepultura’s primal destructive power when allowed to unleash their thrash and groove fury. The second half, unfortunately, devolves into weird progressive stuff that, while executed well, fails to leave much of an indentation in your memory. The opening half dozen songs are their best in years, though, and make it worth checking out the first, uh, duodra.

Seven Planets
Explorer (Small Stone)

Seven Planets would be the best instrumental stoner/psych band in West Virginia if they weren’t already the best band in West Virginia by default. Earthless comparisons seem obvious, but they also work in some Clutch groove and Robin Trower bluesiness. While this is definitely beard metal, it’s not the well-groomed kind — they let their follicles run free.

OTHER SHIT THAT COMES OUT TODAY

Delain – Apocalypse & Chill (Napalm) Listen
Godsticks – Inescapable (Kscope) Listen
Krosis – A Memoir Of Free Will (Unique Leader) Listen
Loathe – I Let It In And It Took Everything (SharpTone) Listen
Svart Crown – Wolves Among The Ashes (Century Media) Listen
Sylosis – Cycle of Suffering (Nuclear Blast) Listen
Ye Banished Privateers – Hostis Humani Generis (Napalm) Listen

SHIT THAT COMES OUT AGAIN TODAY

Avenged Sevenfold – Diamonds In The Rough (Reissue) (Warner Brothers) Listen