Shit That Comes Out Today: November 2, 2018
Quite a few of you left comments on last week’s column, but I have to say that I’m disappointed in you guys. Out of more than 100 comments, only one of you left a request for a featured album. I should have known no one can follow instructions, so STCOT readers, you’re grounded. Hashtown, you done good so you get a banana sticker. But other than that, the year is winding down. Releases slow down hardcore in November so there will be less and less stuff to write about in the coming days. I’ll probably end up writing about re-releases since that’s all that comes out. Not sure yet, but I’m open to suggestions even though you guys suck at them. Except you, Hashtown. U gud.
Arsis
Visitant (Nuclear Blast)
On a playlist with The Black Dahlia Murder, Archspire and Leprous
Listen: “Hell Sworn”
If you are a fan of TBDM then there is no doubt that you’re familiar with Arsis since both current TBDM lead guitarist Brandon Ellis and former lead guitarist Ryan Knight played in the band. Arsis have a somewhat difficult sound to describe justly, but they’re the most melodic technical death metal you’ll ever listen to. They have a signature brand of chaos that is unbelievably easy to chew on no matter how hard they go and how insane the riffs get. They’re the melodic equivalent of exfoliating your skin with a cheese grater and after five and a half years since their last album it’s great to have new shit from them.
I Am
Hard 2 Kill (1126 Records)
On a playlist with Pantera, The Acacia Strain and Entombed
Listen: “Paid in Sin”
I could probably just leave this paragraph with nothing but the three similar bands listed above and that would do these guys justice, but I do have a job to do. So, if you can imagine a Kerry King-led Pantera cover band that writes slam riffs, that’s what I Am bring to the table. Fortunately however, Kerry King wasn’t invited. Compared to Arsis, these guys go for the opposite of melody and are more content to kill you with a sledgehammer rather than death by a thousand cuts. Sometimes we don’t need anything but heaviness and this week, I Am have you covered for that.
The Ocean
Phanerozoic I: Palaeozoic (Metal Blade)
On a playlist with Between the Buried and Me, Dream Theater and Intronaut
Listen: “Permian: The Great Dying”
The Ocean are another one of those bigger bands that everyone seems to love while I’m over here living under a proverbial rock. I blame the internet because I don’t know what the word accountability means. Conceptually, Phanerozoic I: Palaeozoic takes place between previous releases Precambrian and Heliocentric/Anthropocentric and focuses on “the evolution and diversification of life during the Phanerozoic eon, and the destruction of it during five mass extinction events.” All of you prog fans are going to have to tell me what you think of this because prog has never really been my thing. Vince loves it, but I know that means nothing to about 95% of you so sound off in the comments.
Audiotopsy
The Real Now (Megaforce)
On a playlist with Mudvayne, The Bloodline and Sleepwave
Listen: “War”
So Audiotopsy are… interesting. As requested by MS reader Hashtown, I took the plunge with this band and although they certainly aren’t horrible, they’re not really anything to write home about either. They’re more of a radio-friendly metal band, which means that all 0f you guys might not like them too much. But I want to make it clear that I wouldn’t call them butt rock. The weirdest thing about Audiotopsy is their mix of alternating clean vocals and screaming — which of course is nothing new to metal — but the implementation here takes away from the music. So I don’t know. Listen if you wish. Some of you might like it but I bet most of you won’t.
Whitechapel
“Brimstone” (Single from The Valley)
Sounds like a combination of A New Era of Corruption and Mark of the Blade
Listen: “Brimstone”
I wasn’t super inspired by a lot of the other stuff that came out this week but Whitechapel dropped a single off of their newly-announced, upcoming album The Valley yesterday so, seeing as I’m just a drunk Walmart rip off of their vocalist, I’m going to write about that instead. I’ll admit that I was probably a little too nice on Mark of the Blade since I didn’t care for Our Endless War all that much. MOTB wasn’t perfect, but it saw Whitechapel strike a much better balance in the groove of their music, and with “Brimstone” it looks like they might have found the perfect balance between heavy and groovy. I’m pretty sure the last time anything chugged as hard as this song was me at a Halloween party in 2015, and I’ve gotta say that guttural intro got me all hot and bothered. So needless to say, I can’t fucking wait for The Valley to drop. Too bad it isn’t out until March 29.
OTHER SHIT THAT COMES OUT TODAY
Devil Master Manifestations (Relapse) listen
Graven Heirs Of Discord (Negative Grade Records) listen
No/Más Raíz Del Mal (Horror Pain Gore Death Productions) listen
Opeth Garden Of The Titans: Live At Red Rocks Amphitheatre (Moderbolaget Records/Nuclear Blast Entertainment) listen
Silent Planet When The End Began (Solid State/UNFD) listen
Steven Wilson Home Invasion: In Concert At The Royal Albert Hall (Eagle Rock Entertainment) listen
Sylvaine Atoms Aligned, Coming Undone listen
Touché Amoré 10 Years / 1000 Shows – Live At The Regent (Epitaph) listen
SHIT THAT COMES OUT AGAIN TODAY
Anthrax Kings Among Scotland (Vinyl Box Set) (Megaforce) listen
Circa Survive The Amulet (Deluxe Edition) (Hopeless Records) listen
King Gizzard And The Lizard Wizard 12 Bar Bruise (Vinyl) (Flightless Records) listen
King Gizzard And The Lizard Wizard Eyes Like The Sky (Vinyl) (Flightless Records) listen
King Gizzard And The Lizard Wizard Oddments (Vinyl) (Flightless Records) listen
King Gizzard And The Lizard Wizard Willoughby’s Beach (Vinyl) (Flightless Records) listen
Metallica …And Justice For All (Deluxe Edition) (Blackened Recordings) listen
The Dillinger Escape Plan Calculating Infinity (Vinyl) (Relapse) listen
The Dillinger Escape Plan Ire Works (Vinyl) (Relapse) listen
The Dillinger Escape Plan Miss Machine (Vinyl) (Relapse) listen
