Weekly Release Roundup – Friday, November 22nd, 2024
From progressive metal to death metal, to power metal, slam, symphonic, and crossover metal, it’s a big week for releases and we’ve got a list for you to check out. All these releases are out today!
Opeth – The Last Will & Testament (Reigning Phoenix Music)
An epic in every sense of the word, but an Opeth epic, which means it’s also like nothing else you’ve heard in recent times. The legendary band strive to be original, prove that they have unending layers of creativity, and never fail to set the imagination aflame with their musical detail. Something that perfectly summarises this impressive and imposing new album, especially when you consider the detailed narrative too.
Check out the full review here.
Beyond Grace – Welcome to the New Dark Ages, Part 2 (Self Released)
Not that anyone needs reminding, but in case you had somehow forgotten that Beyond Grace can be one of the heaviest bands in the UK, this EP hits you over the head with that fact.
Check out the full review here.
Fellowship – The Skies Above Eternity (Scarlet Records)
The songwriting excites, the storytelling and delivery of the concept is a strong as ever and the way it flows, moving from chapter to chapter is exhilarating. This is their strongest overall album to date.
Check out the full review here.
Distant – Tsukuyomi: The Origin (Century Media)
Distant have gone above and beyond here, making this a must-listen for all fans, but also serving as a brilliant introductory piece to who they are and what they offer.
Check out the full review here.
Xandria – Universal Tales (Napalm Records)
Nine tracks!? That’s not an EP, that’s a bloody album! That’s Xandria for you, always giving more and making sure their listeners get plenty of bang for their buck. This release features four new tracks, with each given the orchestral treatment, alongside a rearranged version of the title track from their recent album, The Wonders Still Awaiting.
Check out the full review here.
Body Count – Merciless (Sony/Century Media)
It’s another Body Count banger of an album with some genuine career high points. Long may they find things to piss them off, which in this world, seems to be guaranteed.
Check out the full review here.
Repuked – Club Squirting Blood (Soulseller Records)
Repuked deliver exactly what they promise, and more, leaving all who subject themselves to this album feeling queasy and grubby. That’s a pretty solid response to a record as crass as this.
Check out the full review here.
Goblin Hovel – Gobischkevrot (Self Released)
As fantastical as the story is here, Goblin Hovel cleverly find ways to connect the plight of the goblins with real-world issues. Which helps make it all so much more tangible, especially as it is a mammoth undertaking and focus is needed. It’s so much easier to focus on a tale when you can envision it and Goblin Hovel do an immense job of that across the entirety of the album. Not just with narration, but with a truly eclectic style of rock and metal.
Check out the full review here.
Gutless – High Impact Violence (Dark Descent Records / Me Saco Un Ojo)
In a year that has seen countless belligerent, brutal, and sickening death metal releases, it takes something pretty special to stand out at this point, and while High Impact Violence isn’t quite up to the task, it does have many moments that hit so hard, the listener will be seeing stars.
Check out the full review here.
Iniquitous Savagery – Edifice of Vicissitudes (Willowtip Records)
They’re back and picking up exactly where they left off. Delivering a beastly and brutalising sound that, once again, puts the death metal world on notice. Not many do it as fast and as heavy as Iniquitous Savagery and across the eight tracks of this new album, any doubts about them lacking the killer instinct are destroyed. This one goes straight for the freaking jugular.
Check out the full review here.
