Sh*t That Comes Out Today – July 7, 2023
Stacked new release day. I’m out of jokes but I have recommendations, so let’s jump in.
Better Lovers
God Made Me An Animal (Sharptone)
Former The Dillinger Escape Plan singer Greg Puciato links with most of Every Time I Die minus vocalist Jordan Buckley and guitarist Andy Williams (who’s busy kicking ass as a pro wrestler) and Will Putney to deliver something that meets in the middle of its varying influences. Puciato sounds pretty unhinged on the four-track EP, his screams and howls as nasty as they’ve ever been, and the rest of the band back him up with tense riffs and a jackhammering rhythm section. Better Lovers are more Every Time I Die than they are Dillinger Escape Plan, but if you love early 2000s chaotic hardcore and metalcore, God Made Me An Animal will be your jam.
Blackbraid
Blackbraid II (Independent)
There’s something truly special about Blackbraid II. The brainchild of sole member Sgah’gahsowáh, Blackbraid take a Scandinavian melodic black metal template and mixes in traces of US black metal a la Wolves in the Throne Room, leaving atmospheric touches throughout the album. Sgah’gahsowáh has a unique way of presenting ideas that aren’t necessarily new in a way that still feels fresh and like something worth sinking your teeth into. Blackbraid II finishes with a phenomenal cover of Bathory‘s “A Fine Day to Die,” leaving little doubt that this is the black metal album of 2023.
Butcher Babies
Eye for an Eye / …’Til The World’s Blind (Blood Blast Distribution)
It’s a double platter of Butcher Babies! For reasons not entirely clear to me, this pair of releases was handled as an album an EP as opposed to a double album but that’s what we’ve got. Eye for an Eye is chock full of poppy, fist-pumping metal jams. ‘Til The World’s Blind fits more in line with what you expect from Butcher Babies, slinging riffs that fall somewhere between groove and metalcore with a good cop/bad cop vocal approach. This is probably too much Butcher Babies for one day but there’s something for every fan.
Nita Strauss
The Call of the Void (Sumerian)
On her second album, Nita Strauss delivers a solidly mixed bag. Strauss herself is on fucking fire throughout The Call of the Void, shredding all over the place and ripping guitar parts that land somewhere between progressive metal and mainstream appeal. The rhythm section backs her up well and the strictly shred tracks on The Call of the Void (“Summer Storm,” “Consume the Fire,” “Scorched,” et al.) all rule. The tracks featuring guest vocalists have more varied results: David Draiman sounds completely out of place and Alice Cooper‘s track sounds like it could have been on Ozzy Osbourne‘s Scream. Fortunately, the album ends strong: a track featuring Lilith Czar, the beautiful instrumental ballad “Kintsugi” and “Surfacing,” which features shred legend Marty Friedman.
Snuffed on Sight
Smoke (Creator-Destructor / Maggot Stomp)
It’s Maggot Stomp, you already know the vibe. Snuffed on Sight take the most knuckle-dragging parts of beatdown, slam and deathcore for a record that seems written exclusively for fighting to. The eight-song ripper doesn’t overstay its welcome and is done in 15 minutes. Wear a mouthguard if you listen to this one.
Other Shit That Comes Out Today:
Emma Ruth Rundle, Engine of Hell (Live at Roadburn) (Independent) Listen
Lycanthrophy, On the Verge of Apocalypse (Horror Pain Gore Death) Listen
Putridity, Greedy Gory Gluttony (Willowtip) Listen
The Raven Age, Blood Omen (Music for Nations) Listen
Withering Scorn, Prophets of Demise (Frontiers) Listen
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The History of Metal and Horror” is now on Thunderflix!
Prepare to headbang and scream like a possessed banshee as this mind-melting documentary dives into the unholy marriage of bone-crushing metal and spine-tingling horror. Join rock ‘n’ roll gods like Alice Cooper, Rob Zombie, Corey Taylor, and John 5, along with horror masterminds, as they reveal the sinister secrets of this unholy alliance. This film will make your head spin like a demonic whirlwind, leaving your neighbors contemplating an exorcism. Stream at your own risk.
