If you like your metal raw and stripped down (i.e., if you have good taste), this is a big week for you. If you like that raw metal to be death, thrash, or cool mashups of those two with various other styles, well then it’s practically Christmas in July.
Enjoy!
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Karloff – The Appearing
Germany’s Karloff brings together the attitude of 80s crossover with the feel of cavernous death and black metal. Imagine Morbid Tales-era Celtic Frost wearing high tops and playing CBGB’s alongside DRI and SOD and you’ll get a good idea of what The Appearing sounds like. Come to think of, that lineup would totally rule wouldn’t it? These guys could open that bill and fit in just fine!
Stream: Apple Music
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Nuclear Revenge – Dawn of the Primitive Age
Ripping, ferocious black thrash. If you’re down with Aura Noir and Nifilheim (and of course, early Sodom and Kreator), then strap on those spiked armbands for this band. Spain’s Nuclear Revenge has everything you need to thrash into flames: the riffs, the reverb, the RAGE!!!
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Praise the Plague – The Obsidian Gate
We recently debuted a video for these German atmospheric conjurors, and you should definitely check that out. And if you like the band’s combination of flowing, powerful instrumentation and searing vocals, then you should get excited for this album. It’s a nightmare of blackened doom you won’t want to wake up from.
Stream: Apple Music
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Shrieking Demons – Diabolical Regurgitations
You’ll feel dirty after listening to the primitive, boot-stomping death metal here, but you’ll feel good about it. Shrieking Demons take their devotion to bands like Autopsy and other ancient death metal legends and give it a firm grounding in classic, doomy heavy metal. This rocks as it stomps.
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Tombstoner – Victims of Vile Torture
Redefining Darkness Records always has our best interests at heart, and you can tell by their output of releases like this. Tombstoner rightly markets themselves as a blends of slam, death, thrash, grind and hardcore, as you can catch notes of all of these styles in this crushing album. Wise bands know the key to forming their own sound is to throw as many things into the pot and be spontaneous about what comes out. This band does that all with an ear for memorability and hooks that help the riffs stay in your head. It’s cool, they’re fine there.
Stream: Apple Music
