Sh*t That Comes Out Today: July 24, 2020
I should be at Comic Con right now and bitching about it on Twitter. Instead, here I am, telling you guys about the latest metal releases.
Gosta Berlings Saga
Konkret Musik (InsideOut)
Named after the the German translation of French genre musique concrete, one of the first iterations of electronic music, the latest album from Gosta Berlingas Saga doesn’t quite live up to the avant garde heritage of Karlheinz Stockhausen but still offers plenty of weirdness. Synthy instrumental prog that sounds like menacing video game music? Yup, that’s the good stuff. Not exactly metal but it’ll annoy your parents so close enough.
Haken
Virus (InsideOut)
Is this thing finally coming out? I feel like I’ve listed it down below like three times. These guys seem popular with the prog metal crowd, and although I’ve moved away from that genre, I can see the appeal. Unlike a lot of their contemporaries, their influences don’t begin and end at Dream Theater. They incorporate Devin Townsend weirdness, blast beats, even chiptunes. It’s an engaging listen, even if the songs don’t necessarily stick right away. Funnily enough, the name isn’t even a reference to the current world situation — it’s a callback to a line from their last album.
Ice War
Defender, Destroyer (Fighter)
Ice War, what is it good for? Superb Canadian metal riffs, that’s what! Sole member Jo Capitalicide also plays in Zex and Aphrodite and he brings his snarling metalpunk attitude to this project as well. With a shiny new logo and a crusty old-school sound, these ten blasts of sloppy speed metal fury provide the perfect soundtrack for a mosh pit in the middle of a blizzard.
[Note: Although his label at the time published an account accusing Capitalicide of sexual assault in 2017, the allegations were determined to be unfounded and retracted almost immediately.]
Judicator
Let There Be Nothing (Prosthetic)
Do you like Blind Guardian but wish they’d sing about something besides fantasy novels again? Here’s Judicator, an American act that sing about real world knights and hearken back to BG’s classic sound — Hansi Kursch even guested on their last album. I wasn’t familiar with these guys before this record, but their muscular brand of power metal scratches all the itches you want from this stuff without the attendant cheese.
Valkyrie
Fear (Relapse)
Valkyrie’s name probably refers to the specific shieldmaiden that carried Phil Lynott’s spirit to Valhalla. Thankfully, they’ve evolved beyond just the Thin Lizzy influence here. If the intricate guitarwork sounds familiar, that’s because this project belongs to the Adams brothers — including Pete of (ex-) Baroness fame. His tone is unmistakable, and on proto-proggy tunes like “Brings You Down” you won’t miss his former bearded bandmates.
OTHER SHIT THAT COMES OUT THIS WEEK
The Acacia Strain – Slow Decay (Rise) Listen
Bedsore – Hypnagogic Hallucinations (20 Buck Spin) Listen
Blackballed – Elephant In The Room (Metalville) Listen
Bulb – Archives: Volume 5 (3DOT) Listen
Gaerea – Limbo (SoM) Listen
Let Us Prey – Virtues Of The Vicious (M-Theory) Listen
Morse, Portnoy, George – Cover To Cover Anthology (Vol 1-3) (InsideOut) Listen
Neck Deep – All Distortions Are Intentional (Hopeless) Listen
Primal Fear – Metal Commando (NB) Listen
