It’s Friday, which means two things: giving this week the finger, and new music! Tune in every Friday for The Pit’s round-up of new releases, from singalong hard rock to pus-drenched underground death metal. Keep those ears bleeding!
Halestorm, Reimagined (Atlantic)
For fans of: Metallica, Dirty Honey, Evanescence
Standout track: “Mz. Hyde”
On their new EP, Halestorm have re-conceptualized several of their classic tunes, including “I Get Off,” “Mz. Hyde,” and a version of “Break In” with Evanescence’s Amy Lee doing guest vocals. We wish we could give you some powerful insight into what’s going on here, but, ah, it’s Halestorm. It’s killer hard rock that you want to play air guitar to in the mirror. You’re either going to strap on your alligator-leather armbands and crank this, or you’re not.
Primitive Man, Immersion (Relapse)
For fans of: Dragged Into Sunlight, Full Of Hell, the spinning of a broken belt fan in a haunted slaughterhouse
Standout track: “Menacing”
If you’ve ever wanted to listen to music that should not be handled by children of pregnant women, then Denver’s Primitive Man is right for you. Their new album Immersion is a meditative hunk of ugliness, somehow looking off into the overcast horizon while still actively leaking bile on the linoleum floor of an abandoned pantyhose factory. If the video for their track “Entity” didn’t make you too sick with dread to go on, definitely check it album out. It’s gross, we love it.
Nug, Alter Ego (Willowtip)
For fans of: Irist, Exgenesis, Mantar
Standout track: “Psyche”
Oh man, what the fuck is THIS delicious noise? Nug hail from the Ukraine, which is why some of our readers may not have heard of them (they also stylize their name as [nvg], which doesn’t help), but dear Lord do they need to get familiar immediately. This stuff hits a perfect sweet spot between groove, death, doom, and experimental metal, with some nasty noise chugs thrown in the mix. That said, the band never skimp on the atmosphere, making their huge, stomping agro riffs more terror-inducing than simply violent. No shame on Willowtip, but a bigger label needs to pick these guys up.
Siege Column, Darkside Legions (Nuclear War Now! Productions)
For fans of: Repulsion, Bolt Thrower, Satan’s Wrath
Standout track: “Funeral Fiend”
You better believe Siege Column are from fuckin’ New Jersey. The reverb-heavy OSDM on Darkside Legions has a filthy East Coast metal vibe, the kind of music you see in a cramped club in Teaneck or Camden after bumming a Marlboro Light from a hardened bank teller who knows your mom. The album might alienate fans of modern, polished death metal, but it’ll grab Hells Headbangers shoppers by the neck and never let them go. These dudes have been building hype for a while now, but it’s good to hear that they’re still keeping things filthy as fuck.
Slasher Dave, Cannibal Death Gods II (self-released)
For fans of: Goblin, John Carpenter, Espectrostatic
Standout track: “Graves Shall Open”
Man, maybe fuck every musician who is not Slasher Dave. The Acid Witch frontman and synth solo artist is not only prolific as hell, he’s so adept in capturing a vibe that it’s scary. Cannibal Death Gods II only continues the creepy, atmospheric cannibal-movie worship of its predecessor, only this time with an added dose of sleazy ’80s metal. The result is a song that’ll give you the best kind of chills. Man, Italy in the ’70s must’ve been a fun place to make a movie…
Other crushers:
Biffy Clyro, A Celebration of Endings (Warner)
Rope Sect, The Great Flood (Iron Bonehead Productions)
Prosanctus Inferi, Hypnotic Blood Art (Nuclear War Now! Productions)
Kamelot, I Am the Empire (Live from the 013) (Napalm Records)
Ingested, Where Only Gods May Tread (Unique Leader)
***
Words by Chris Krovatin
