It’s Friday, which means two things: giving the week the finger and new music! Tune in every Friday for The Pit’s round-up of new metal releases, from singalong hard rock to pus-drenched underground death metal. Keep those ears bleeding!
Times of Grace, Songs of Separation and Loss (Wicked Good)
For fans of: Alice In Chains, Chevelle, Nickelback
Standout track: “Medusa”
Are you ready for a rollicking good time with Adam D?! Well, toooo fucking bad, because Times of Grace’s new record is a real dark, introspective journey. Adam and Jesse Leach trade metalcore power for pure hard rock misery, exorcising demons born of an emotional mire within them. If you’re looking to wallow in your grief for a bit in order to fully experience it, slap this sucker on and CRY LIKE HELL!
Cognitive, Malevolent Thoughts of a Hastened Existence (Unique Leader)
For fans of: Aborted, Fit For An Autopsy, Brand of Sacrifice
Standout track: “Arterial Red”
You might want to take a couple of Ibuprofen before putting on the latest record from New Jersey’s Cognitive. The album is a towering, pendulous monolith of death metal prowess that’ll have you bobbing around like a pigeon on speed. Thankfully, that doesn’t mean it gets lost in its own technical anus — the band really make use of atmosphere when they need to, so that every song is catchy enough to headbang your ass off to. Fuck tech death, this is neck death.
Powerwolf, Call of the Wild (Napalm Records)
For fans of: Sabaton, Deathless Legacy, Blind Guardian
Standout track: “Varcolac”
Gee, what should you listen to today, I dunno, maybe German werewolf metal? Powerwolf make insane power metal about vampires, lycanthropy, and fightin’ with weapons, and on Call of the Wild the band have really pulled no punches. Sure, extreme metal fans will find this kind of corny, but if you can’t take the white-hot steel, get out of the, uh, forge? Just have fun with it.
Various Artists, May the Circle Remain Unbroken: a Tribute to Roky Erickson (Light In The Attic Records)
For fans of: Roky Erickson, Roky Erickson & The Aliens
Standout track: Chelsea Wolfe, “If You Have Ghosts”
Last May, the world lost psychedelic guitarist and horror punk pioneer Roky Erickson. In tribute, an oddball collection of artists have come together to cover some of his classics. From throbbing highway rock to mournful goth, the record touches on all the different aspects of Erickson’s strange, abyssal mind. If this record gets one kid to pick up The Evil One, then it’s doing right by us.
Other crushers:
- Vouna, Atropos (Profound Lore)
- Wizardthrone, Hypercube Necrodimensions (Napalm Reocrds)
- Space Chaser, Give Us Life (Metal Blade)
Want to check out other great new metal releases we’ve spotlighted recently? Good. Here you go.
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Words by Chris Krovatin
