Rolling Metal Thread 2014

oh my god, you have no idea

Generation of Vipers sadly didn't play the Devo cover, but were probably in second place for holy shit points

Yup.

new witch mountain at the end of september!!

https://twitter.com/profound_lore/status/491322235701821442

I know a lot of people on this thread know this already, but I reviewed the new Monarch today. It's really good.

The review's really good, too. Love this band, and this is their finest work yet.

That Witch Mountain cover is fantastic!

2014 continues to be a stellar year for metal!! Enjoying some of the latest releases:

Mastodon - Once More 'Round The Sun: I'm a bit of a fanboy, but this latest album from prog/sludge masters is really something, with a lighter, more psychedelic sound than previous, with the same blazing riffs and vocal trickery

Darkest Era - Severance: Cruz del Sur continue to put out impressive vintage metal, with yet another band that worships the metal gods of old, with more of a medieval/fantasy twinge than their peers

Lazer/Wulf - The Beast of Left and Right: Post-Hardcore/noise mixed with Meshuggah-esque prog metal? Sounds great to me

Demonic Resurrection - The Demon King: Not content with ripping off faces with Reptilian Death, Sahil 'The Demonstealer' Makijha unleashes yet more destructive, smoking death metal, with more of a melodic edge this time around

Mortals - Cursed To See The Future: Simply disgusting, filthy hardcore punk-infused black metal, with sickening vocals and raizing riffage

Judas Priest - Redeemer of Souls: I really didn't expect this, but it's absolutely excellent, bristling with the amazing Priest energy long though lost.

Still patiently awaiting new albums from Opeth, Electric Wizard, Godflesh, Alunah, YOB & Black Moth, plus many more besides. Between these and classic resissues like Slayer's Show No Mercy, there's a lot of metal to enjoy this year, and it's not even nearly Christmas yet!

Show No Mercy is being reissued? Any details?

I'm really looking forward to that Alunah album too. I loved their last one.

Things I enjoyed thus far this year:
Aborted - The Necrotic Manifesto
Apostolum - Winds of Disillusion
Arch Enemy - War Eternal
Black Anvil - Hail Death
Children Of Technology - Future Decay
Empire Auriga - Ascending the Solar Throne
God Macabre - The Winterlong... (Reissue)
Junius - Days Of The Fallen Sun (EP)
Midnight - No Mercy for Mayhem
Swans - To Be Kind
Twilight - III: Beneath Trident's Tomb
White Lung - Deep Fantasy
Young and in the Way - When Life Comes to Death

Things I need to get:
Agalloch - The Serpent & the Sphere
Alcest - Shelter
BABYMETAL - BABYMETAL
The Body - I Shall Die Here
Conan - Blood Eagle
Dead Congregation - Promulgation of the Fall
Electric Funeral - Total Funeral (Compilation)
Floor - Oblation
Goatwhore - Constricting Rage of the Merciless
Godflesh - Decline & Fall (EP)
Gridlink - Longhena
Impaled Nazarene - Vigorous and Liberating Death
Judas Priest - Redeemer of Souls
Mustasch - Thank You for the Demon
The Oath - The Oath
Overkill - White Devil Armory
Slough Feg - Digital Resistance
Sunn O))) & Ulver - Terrestrials
Thantifaxath - Sacred White Noise
Thou - Heathen
Triptykon - Melana Chasmata
Wolves in the Throne Room - Celestite

thanks for the headsup on the Monarch album. a while back I was buying everything they released w/o thinking but I guess I drifted off as I didn't know they were on Profound Lore now

Ah, mid-year progress report time! The layout/functionality of my list search needs work, but I am keeping it up to date: http://fastnbulbous.com/list.php

Faves so far, will no doubt change by EOY:

Slough Feg – Digital Resistance (Metal Blade) | Buy
Castle – Under Siege (Prosthetic) | Buy
Serpent Venom – Of Things Seen And Unseen (Church Within)
Satyress – Dark Fortunes (Satyress) | Bandcamp
Ogre – The Last Neanderthal (Minotauro) | Bandcamp
Demon Eye – Leave The Light (Soulseller/Megaforce) | Bandcamp
Monolord – Empress Rising (Riding Easy) | Bandcamp
Moab – Billow (Scion AV)
Purple Hill Witch – Purple Hill Witch (Church Within)
Mastodon – Once More 'Round The Sun (Reprise)
Judas Priest – Redeemer Of Souls (Sony)
Below – Across The Dark River (Metal Blade)
Blood Farmers – Headless Eyes (Resurrection) | Buy
Triptykon – Melana Chasmata (Century Media)
Agalloch – The Serpent & The Sphere (Profound Lore) | Bandcamp
Conan – Blood Eagle (Napalm)
Mortalicum – Tears From The Grave (Metal On Metal) | Bandcamp
Dopelord – Black Arts, Riff Worship & Weed Cult (Dopelord) | Bandcamp
Serpent Warning – Serpent Warning (I Hate)
Clouds Taste Satanic – To Sleep Beyond The Earth (Clouds Taste Satanic) | Bandcamp
Druglord – Enter Venus (STB) | Bandcamp
Ocean Chief – Universums härd (I Hate) | Bandcamp
John Gallow – Violet Dreams (I, Voidhanger) | Bandcamp
Blackfinger – Blackfinger (Church Within)
Pilgrim – II: Void Worship (Metal Blade)
Vestal Claret – The Cult Of Vestal Claret (Cruz Del Sur)
Morgue Of Saints – Monolith (Morgue Of Saints) | Bandcamp
Grand Magus – Triumph And Power (Nuclear Blast)
Lazer/Wulf – The Beast of Left and Right (Retro Futurist Records) | Bandcamp
Major Kong – Doom Machine (Major Kong) | Bandcamp
The Wounded Kings – Consolamentum (Candlelight)
Mount Salem – Endless (Metal Blade)
Slomatics – Estron (Head Of Crom) | Bandcamp
Bongripper – Miserable (Burning World) | Bandcamp
Tombs – Savage Gold (Relapse) | Bandcamp
Dark Forest – The Awakening (Cruz del Sur)
Novembers Doom – Bled White (The End)
Ancient Altar – Tidal (Midnight Collective) | Bandcamp
Demonic Resurrection – The Demon King (Candlelight)
Mope – Mope EP (Taxi Driver) | Bandcamp
Darkest Era – Severance (Cruz del Sur) | Bandcamp
Portrait – Crossroads (Metal Blade)
Kongh – Sole Creation (Agonia) | Bandcamp
Morbus Chron – Sweven (Century Media)
Volume IV – Long In The Tooth (Ripple Music) | Bandcamp
Sabaton – Heroes (Nuclear Blast)
Opium Warlords – Taste My Sword Of Understanding (Svart) | Bandcamp
Kobra And The Lotus – High Priestess (Simmons)
Mortals – Cursed To See The Future (Relapse) | Bandcamp
Serpentine Path – Emanations (Relapse) | Bandcamp
Behemoth – The Satanist (Nuclear Blast)

Also looking forward to Brimstone Coven remaster, Saturn, Cardinals Folly, Pallbearer, Black Moth, Opeth, Heat, Earth, YOB, Electric Wizard, Witch Mountain, Apostle Of Solitude.

Oh, and also Death Penalty, which I talked about in Rolling Stoner/Psych/Freak/Doom/Sludge/Retro/Drone/Space Thread 2014: These Start at 11

It's out in September on Rise Above. Gaz Jennings of Cathedral with Belgian singer Michelle Nocon from SerpentCult (circa the 2008 album Weight Of Light plus another dude from the band). Less doomy than Cathedral, more classic metal and NWOBHM. Those who liked Avatarium should dig this.

Forgot this too:

Satan's Satyrs - Die Screaming (Trash King) | Bandcamp
This is filthy, blown-out occult horror doom, kind of an unholy union of Electric Wizard and early Uncle Acid & the Deadbeats. Electric Wiz were such fans that they recruited Clayton Burgess into their current lineup on bass duties.

I feel strongly about Gridlink, Triptykon, Nux Vomica, Behemoth, Judas Priest, and some of the Babymetal tracks (it's more fun just to watch live videos than to listen to the album). Agalloch's withered a bit.

https://twitter.com/digearache/status/491987822010957825

digearache
‏@digearache
NAPALM DEATH fan Joko Widodo is now the actual, for real President of Indonesia -fkn RAD!

From enslavement to obliteration...of the other presidential hopefuls.

(there must be a better pun ou there)

You suffrage...but why?

My favorite metal of the year so far:

The Great Old Ones, Tekeli-Li
Dead Congregation, Promulgation of the Fall
Morbus Chron, Sweven
Lord Mantis, Death Mask
Wolvhammer, Clawing into Black Sun
Thantifaxath, Sacred White Noise
Mastodon, Once More 'Round the Sun

Also, they're not really metal, but definitely heavy-ish: Psalm Zero, Planning for Burial, and Have a Nice Life.

I've never heard Monarch before. This is great. Really interesting vocals in particular.

I was really let down by that Psalm Zero record, felt like a rare misfire for Profound Lore.

The Psalm Zero record really grew on me. I thought it was kinda awkward at first. Reminds me of Voivod with goth vocals, which is a good thing to my ears.

For those in Chicago, Reckless left me a message that they finally got Demon Eye - Leave the Light in, but I already got the CD via mailorder months ago. Anyone want it?

Lately I can’t get enough of bands mixing early 70s proto-metal with doom and NWOBHM, especially when done right by the likes of Brimstone Coven and Avatarium. The latest contender grew out of the classic rock tribute band Corvette Summer. While that is not such unusual, lead singer Erik Sugg’s dayjobs are. He’s a reference librarian who hosts a storytime for young kids. Mixing stories with his take on traditional children’s songs and his own music, Mr. Erik’s Rockin’ Storytime has expanded to kids’ parties, and he’ll even release a children’s record later in the year. Let’s hope some of the less cool parents don’t discover his adult nighttime job with Demon Eye, as the North Carolina folk may fear he’s indoctrinating their children with Satanic themes. I don’t think discovering this music at a tender age would be a bad thing for anyone. Maybe in a different world if more bands followed the Sabbath, Deep Purple, Pentagram and Maiden templates instead of Cream, Hendrix and Zep, I’d take bands like Demon Eye more for granted. In reality it’s hardly a path towards financial success and stardom.

Show No Mercy is being reissued? Any details?

I can't find any info on this. Expanded, remaster, usual bonus tracks?

Depending on which Reckless it is, I'll take it.

On an excursion to Atlantic City earlier this week, I made sure to stop in at the Rock Stop, the record store where Neill Jameson (AKA Imperial from Krieg, Twilight and several other projects of some renown and occasional Decibel contributor) rules the roost for metal purchasing. We only met once before, very briefly at a local show, and we shot the shit for an hour talking about a ton of topics. Dude is funny and incredibly honest about everything. He told me cool stories about working with Thurston Moore and Blake Judd and we shared mutual tales of record store employment. All around good dude.

I am moved to post here because, as I am prone to do in record stores, I asked Neill about what new things he liked that he would recommend me pick up. Without hesitating he pointed to the Young and in the Way CD When Life Comes To Death though he did so with the disclaimer that they were somewhat polarizing because they were "hardcore dudes."

When I saw that they were on Deathwish, I figured that it was a Deafheaven deal but I really saw what he meant when I Googled the band later and saw my friend (and occassional ILM poster) Kim Kelly's Pitchfork review which seems to say she doesn't quite trust them and getting venues closed down thanks to the overzealous use of pig's blood sure gives evidence that maybe they're trying a little bit too hard.

I've listened to the album several times now and I really enjoy it. I generally am a sucker for bands who mix up different ideas, something that even detractors of YAITW concede, but I think they're a lot better at it than they do, evidently, and I really don't give a shit about how "true" or "cult" they are (or whatever adjectives the kids use today). The disc has some great grimy riffs, perfectly residing between crust and black metal, and they seem to excel whether they are getting thrashy or atmospheric - and my favorite track "Take My Hand" does it all.

I was surprised that there was not a single mention of this album in this thread given the relatively high profile the band has and I wonder how the ILM denizens feel about the disc. I assume not as glowingly as I do since it hasn't come up yet...

Man, here's another article about that blood stunt, sounds like it's shutting down the venue for good. I'm all for theatricality and blood-soaked performances, but seems like it's a pretty dick move to not clear it with the venue first and not bothering to be involved with the clean-up.

only got the vaguest memory of even hearing this band's name before tbh. generally trust Kim's opinion on matters like these as much as any reviewer working right now, tho do disagree quite strongly with There’s not much room for weakness or emotion in ... hardcore punk but that would be getting off topic I guess

if the band didn't give the venue any indication they were going to bathe it in claret then I wd imagine they'd be p liable for damages? as such if the venue is shutting down off the back of this it does seem a leeeeetle like they might be using this as a chance to hurry along something that was going to happen anyway

Oh yeah, it does seem a bit of an over-correction to close the venue down over it.

speaking of hardcore i went to see trap them and converge the other night (and skipped about a dozen other openers). converge continues to play chess while their peers figure out checkers.

YAITW are awfully good at what they do, the music is as intense as anyone could possibly make it, but for me the songs on this album just don't stand out enough.

Depending on which Reckless it is, I'll take it.

The Loop! They can transfer to any location. It's under yr name now!

Castevet are no more, doh

http://www.invisibleoranges.com/2014/07/castevet-break-up/

Show No Mercy is being reissued? Any details?
I can't find any info on this. Expanded, remaster, usual bonus tracks?

the first castevet is one of my top 2010s albums : /

lol siegbran

Speaking of reissues, completely out of left field Relapse is doing Num Skull's Ritually Abused. Probably because of the name I'd never checked them out, but now that I've done so, great googly moogly. It's like my favorite kind of thrash: heavy, dark, unhinged, somewhere between Dark Angel and Possessed.

Totally re-recorded by the new lineup and the San Francisco Symphony Orchestra, with guest vocalists Howard Jones, Ice-T and that chick from Within Temptation.

Sources near the band claim the guys are super enthusiastic and consider it the best record they ever made.

I'm waiting for the remix disc by Fieldy and Skrillex.

I dig the Kobra and the Lotus disc. solid heavy metal with occasional dips into power metal territory, tuneful, with solid riffs. nothing you haven't heard before, but well executed and memorable. Only song I haven't liked is one that sounded a little too in Lacuna Coil territory songwriting wise. Love Kobra's voice too. Very pure tone.

It should be noted what a monster track Witch Mountain's "Psycho Animundi" is. Uta's vocals are at another level here, and the band sounds heavier than ever.

http://metalhammer.teamrock.com/news/2014-07-25/exclusive-devastating-doomsters-witch-mountain-reveal-new-track

I'm curious why they don't make their debut Come The Mountain (2001) available on the Bandcamp. I'd guess they don't want to emphasize the pre-Uta lineup, but it's really quite good. There's some Kyuss influence in Rob Wrong's vocals, but I like it. Certainly at least as good as formative first albums like Sleep's Volume One (1991) and Electric Wizard (1995). Maybe Nate can answer if he sees this.

Caught Hellion, film written and directed by Kat Candler, with Aaron Paul and Juliette Lewis. Terrific if you want a downer but not hopeless flick about people struggling to get by despite odds stacked against them. Mentioning it here because I think it's got the best use of metal in an English language film soundtrack since River's Edge (Dead Snow and Trollhunter's soundtracks were pretty great too). Nothing too crazy unusual but really effectively used -- the scene of two kids thrashing out to "Battery" is kinda priceless. And I'd buy Curtis Heath's scoreful of angry feedback swells in a hot second if someone put it out.

crap meant to include http://www.what-song.com/Movies/Soundtrack/1448/Hellion

Possessor - Electric Hell - Ooh!
http://possessor.bandcamp.com/album/electric-hell
http://www.thesleepingshaman.com/reviews/album-reviews/p/possessor-electric-hell-dd-2014

Got my copy of the new Monarch in today's mail. Nice packaging.

Yeah, I really like that album cover. Hopefully getting it in the mail today.

Two great metal discoveries today:

- http://open.spotify.com/album/0S7HZRVXpzAgLkAKoI6hpu
- Austrian blackgaze band Harakiri for the Sky's second album Aokigahara. Keeps more black in the blackgaze mix than Alcest or Deafheaven, but still has plenty of gaze. Inspired me to add blackgaze to my genre map (even though I already had "atmospheric black metal"). http://everynoise.com/engenremap-blackgaze.html and http://open.spotify.com/user/glennpmcdonald/playlist/2HozoQdoUebrxqP2BWfv5Q.

- http://open.spotify.com/album/380sEUYEIIF7HZupR5J3Tj
- Estonian mostly-instrumental mostly-post-(mostly)-metal-ish band Ocean Districts' debut album Expeditions. Slow, textured and crunchy.

Is is just me or is Children Of Bodom, Machine Head, Epica and Battlecross kind of an odd quadruple-bill?

Keeps more black in the blackgaze mix than Alcest

This was enough to sell me on checking it out.