Weekly Release Roundup: Monday 24th March 2025 – Friday 28th March 2025
From death metal to groove metal, to metalcore, melodic metal, and power metal, to progressive metal, folk horror, and alternative metal, it’s a big week for releases and we’ve got a list for you to check out. All these releases are out now!
Arch Enemy – Blood Dynasty (Century Media)
It’s Arch Enemy as we all know and love them. While there aren’t any boundaries being pushed here as far as extreme metal goes, Arch Enemy’s personal experimentation and refinement of certain aspects of their sound is notable. Overall, great stuff from Arch Enemy, and while it’s not going to set the world alight, it’s a release that proves they are one of metal’s finest.
Check out the full review here.
Lauren Babic – Too Much and Never Enough (Self Released)
Lauren Babic has the Midas touch, and to the surprise of no-one who has come across her extensive work before, this new EP is solid gold too. Featuring four big showcases of varied and anthemic modern metalcore heaviness dominated by her immense vocals, be them clean or harsh.
Check out the full review here.
Alien Weaponry – Te Rā (Napalm Records)
A word that comes to mind upon first listen is mature. Alien Weaponry have learned a hell of a lot since they first burst on to the scene with their acclaimed debut Tū in 2018, but they’ve also grown up a lot. Something that was evident in 2021’s Tangaroa too, but not in the same way as it is here. The difference maker? A renewed focus on accessibility and a much stronger balance of their unique Māori metal make up and familiar groove sound.
Check out the full review here.
Underoath – The Place After This One (MNRK Heavy)
On the form of their freaking lives, which is seriously saying something when you consider their back-catalogue, Underoath have found a near-perfect balance of expected heavy sounds with unexpected experimental sounds, and all the proof anyone needs is on this album. This substantial modern concoction of noise that is filled with vitality and fuelled by passion. An album to lose your mind too, but not without thought-provoking aspects and emotional depth.
Check out the full review here.
Chiaroscuro – Chiaroscuro (Unholy Anarchy Records)
We can never have too much melodic death metal, but to stand out in that genre these days, there needs to be some invention, even if a traditional sound is delivered in impressive style. Which, in the case of Chiaroscuro’s debut EP is what we get, and then some.
Check out the full review here.
Judicator – Concord (Self Released)
Constantly and consistently brilliant, this is Judicator at their most refined, and with that comes tracks that demand every bit of the attention. With power metal this enjoyable, it’s impossible to not give them what they want.
Check out the full review here.
Industrial Puke – Alive to No Avail (Suicide Records)
It won’t come as too much of a surprise to the uninitiated that the summation of this new Industrial Puke record is ‘noise’. Frantic and cathartic noise, that comes with the nastiness of death metal, the vigour of hardcore, and the intensity of crust punk. Twelve (mostly) short and sharp jabs to the mind, body, and soul that demands little else from the listener then for them to let the chaos consume. It’s a very easy demand to give into.
Check out the full review here.
Forlorn – Aether (Church Road Records)
Forlorn realised, Aether is the culmination of a journey, but the start of another. Forlorn’s unique identity has finally come to fruition, and with this debut album, they express who and what they are with mighty aplomb. While they can be summed up to some degree as a ‘folk horror’ metal band, the Aether experience showcases so much more. Not only is it a record with depth, dramatic depth, but it’s experimental and that is what gives this album its longevity.
Check out the full review here.
Windowhead – Terrestrials (Self Released)
It is more heartening to hear that Windowhead have their own sound that is addictively weird. Able to make each and every track ooze with emotion but have a chaotic vibe that gets under the skin.
Check out the full review here.
Fleshspoil – The Beginning of the End (Self Released)
The world might not need more chaos, and it certainly doesn’t need to be any uglier, but as it’s Fleshspoil adding to the grim feeling, we should probably not complain too much. The Beginning of the End, an apt title, is a harsh album that beats you over the head with its nihilistic vibes, but surprises by having more melody, experimental moments, and a certain amount of anthemic value.
Check out the full review here.
Sonus Mortis – Synapse the Hivemind (Self Released)
The future might be uncertain, but not when it comes to quality releases from Sonus Mortis. That’s a guarantee.
Check out the full review here.
Ogives Big Band – Boisterous Live (& Other Animals) (Self Released)
A mix of songs from their ‘Boisterous Love’ album and their ‘Harm Redux’ EP from 2022, this live album perfectly captures the mind-melting manic energy and intensity of what it is like to see Ogives Big Band in the flesh.
Check out the full review here.
