SH*T THAT COMES OUT TODAY – FEBRUARY 8th, 2011

The record release season is now in full swing. New albums by Motorhead, Crowbar and Belphegor stand out today in a week that’s got some other relatively high-profile metal releases coming out as well. After the jump, Vic Vaughn slices and dices them all.

Battlelore – Doombound (Napalm)
The Finnish seven-piece band produce another slab of their brand of gothic metal. The band incorporates male and female vocals in addition to keyboards to play metal influenced by the writings of J.R.R. Tolkien. The record is mixed and mastered by legendary Swedish producer/musician Dan Swanö.

Belphegor – Black Magick Necromance (Nuclear Blast)
Belphegor’s ninth album overall is also their fourth for Nuclear Blast. Don’t expect too much of a shift from what they’ve always done… dark black/death metal that sounds seriously intense and extreme.

Crowbar – Sever The Wicked Hand (E1 Music)
FUCKING CROWBAR! SIX YEARS I have been waiting. After one (good) Down record and two (mediocre) Kingdom of Sorrow releases, the new album comes out six years to the day since the release of Lifesblood for the Downtrodden. This time around, Lord Windstein is joined by ex-Goatwhore bassist Patrick Bruders and Kingdom Of Sorrow bass player Matthew Brunson (on guitar). Stream the entire record here.

Helrunar – Sól (Prophecy Productions)
I have never heard of Helrunar; I had to do a ton of Googling just to get some basic info about them. I can tell you that these guys are from Germany and this is their third album. Judging from the songs I found online, Sól is going to be a seriously heavy/awesome record of dark, eeeeevil black metal. This record clocks in at an hour and a half over two discs. Yes!

Macabre – Grim Scary Tales (Willowtip)
If you’ve never listened to Macabre, prepare yourself. This is intense gore metal that draws a lot of their lyrical inspiration from real serial killers like Gacy, Ramirez, etc., but delivered in a tongue in cheek way. You can tell these guys are having a lot of fun, and if that doesn’t make sense to you, Macabre probably aren’t a band you’ll be listening to.

Motörhead – The Wörld is Yours (Motörhead Music)
Motörhead need no introduction, and I won’t give one. The Wörld is Yours is the twentieth studio album from the living legends, and while Motörhead are years away from their prime, they’re still putting out some good stuff. Although not every track is a classic these days, this is friggin’ Motörhead we’re talking about.

Onslaught – Sounds of Violence (AFM Records)
Sounds of Violence is Onslaught’s second album since they reunited in 2005. The band initially broke up in 1991 after releasing three records. Steve Grice (drums) and Nige Rockett (guitar) are the only constant members of Onslaught still with the group today.

-VV

These releases are available on CD and MP3 at Amazon.