This’ll be a big post… sorry! We get around 200 emails a day here. A lot of them are requests for album reviews (30-60 a day or thereabouts). Fridays are huge for video releases (about 40 today) and also album release news as it seems to be the day that bands throw their new stuff out at us. So, here’s every album we’ve been mailed about to day. I’ll add to it as more come in. Some are out now, some coming soon, some have a little video or audio link so you can check them out. This is all about the content, so please excuse it being huge and messy (insert poo-related gag here).
Bleed From Within
Fracture has been announced with a May 29th release date. Check out new video “Into Nothing”!
The band about the song and video:
“Into Nothing” is the second single taken from our forthcoming album, Fracture. We wanted to release something darker this time round. This song looks at those who govern and questions their motives. At such a turbulent time in our society, this track has grown into something more. It acts as a social & political commentary. A call to those who feel abandoned and a reminder to the elite of who really holds power within our communities.
Re-Armed
Finnish melodic death metal act Re-Armed will release Ignis Aeternum on June 5th.
Re-Armed comments:
This is our fourth studio album and it will be the first one that includes lots of melodies, symphonic elements, and way more cleaner vocals than ever before, so writing and producing needed some extra brainstorming. The upcoming album is called Ignis Aeternum and it will contain ten songs, that are strong and lifeful. A loose theme for the album is about positivity, a constant change and seeing life as it is in every level. It is a trip, a breathtaking view about life’s diversity. This album is an ode to life.
Ravenscry
Italian melodic-metallers Ravenscry have released their new music video and single for “Maybe”, the track is taken from the forthcoming studio album 100, which will be out on May 15th.
Robert Jon & The Wreck
Robert Jon & The Wreck are back and ready to tear up Europe all over again with their new record, Last Light on the Highway. The impressive new album, recorded all across the United States and Australia and self-produced by Robert Jon & The Wreck, will be released on Friday 8th May 2020. The first single “Oh Miss Carolina” can be enjoyed below.
Xibalba
Pomona, California’s Xibalba release the devastating new single, “En La Oscuridad” taken from their anxiously anticipated fourth album Años En Infierno, due in May through Southern Lord.
“En La Oscuridad” hits all digital providers today, and Años En Infierno will see release through Southern Lord on May 29th. Find digital pre-orders via Bandcamp with physical pre-orders and additional audio samples to follow in the weeks ahead.
Massive Wagons
Lancaster’s anthemic rock five piece, Massive Wagons, are thrilled to announce their new album House Of Noise will be released on 17th July 2020, via Earache. To coincide with the announcement, the band is launching today the video for the first single “In It Together”.
Xile
Xile’s I Am Your God is officially out now on all digital platforms. Physical releaseday will be Friday next week. Grab it on Amazon (CD when it’s out) to help support this site.
Pattern-Seeking Animals
Pattern-Seeking Animals, the California-based band featuring Ted Leonard (lead vocals & guitars), Jimmy Keegan (drums & vocals), Dave Meros (bass) and John Boegehold (keyboards) have released the first track from their new album Prehensile Tales which is out on 15th May (InsideOutMusic). You can listen to “Here In My Autumn” now.
Nicumo
Finnish melancholic metal act Nicumo have released their third full length album. The album is titled Inertia and it’s out as of March 27th 2020 through Inverse Records.
Aki Pusa, the drummer says:
Inertia continues kind of naturally from where our second album Storms Arise left. Atmosphere is even deeper and more intense than in previous albums. We have grown as a band during these years of course, and I believe that it can be heard on this album. Songs are more solid and thoughtful entities, composed by needs of the song. Sound-wise this album is most experimental in our discography. Saxophone and even concrete floor played with drumsticks can be heard from the album just for an example.
HEADS
Following their critically acclaimed 2018 album, Collider, on May 29th 2020 will see post-punk / noise-rock act HEADS. release their third full- length album, PUSH, via Glitterhouse Records. On PUSH, the three-piece from Berlin and Melbourne continues to evolve their very own blend of noise-rock, post-punk and alternative rock in a sprawling soundscape – an experimental, wild, distinguished, radical and yet still catchy ride.
Def Leppard
Due to the current situation regarding COVID-19, Eagle Rock Entertainment and Def Leppard have decided to postpone the release date of all the London To Vegas formats to May 29th.
Joe Elliott says:
Due to the current COVID-19 situation, we only felt it right to delay the release of all the London to Vegas formats to May 29th. This was with our fans and the world in mind so everyone can concentrate on keeping themselves healthy during this unprecedented time. Stay safe out there and we look forward to sharing these epic performances and seeing all of you very soon.
Havok
Colorado-based thrashers Havok move forwards with the campaign for their upcoming new studio album V, set to be released worldwide on May 1st, 2020 via Century Media Records, by releasing its second single today.
Check out the album’s opening track “Post-Truth Era” in a lyric-video created by Cloud Music Typography below. Havok guitarist/vocalist David Sanchez commented about the song as follows:
“Post-Truth Era” is debuting at a very uncertain time for humankind. Many things are unclear at the moment, so I hope that this song will resonate with people. Our species has overcome so much to get us where we are today. We should not take this for granted. Please pay attention to the lyrics and understand that we have the power to change our world. We need to read between the lines, while keeping our spirits high. Know that we are truly all in this together and we will come out of this situation, stronger and wiser than ever.
Aevum
Italian symphonic metal opera Aevum release their new album Multiverse today, alongside their new music video “The Time Machine”.
Overlaps
Italian alternative/nu rock band Overlaps have released a new music video for “Wasted”, taken from their new studio album In Your Room, out today via Time To Kill Records.
Theraphosa
Following the announcement of their forthcoming studio album Transcendence, Parisian progressive/groove metal trio Theraphosa have unleashed the album’s artwork, tracklist and a brand new single, “Stigmata of the Purest Pain”.
The follow-up to their 2018 self-titled EP, Transcendence is set for release on 24th April via Season of Mist.
Darius
A few days after sharing the music video of the single “Leap Of Faith”, Swiss post-hardcore/heavy-post-rock/metal collective Darius just shared another excerpt from its upcoming effort with “Men Er Grah” available right now on SoundCloud and YouTube.
This new track – like the previous one – will feature on their new full-length album called Voir, recorded by Amaury Sauvé (Birds In Row) at The Apiary Studio (France) and coming out on April 17, on CD, LP & Digital through Hummus Records.
WuW
Fraternal Parisian duo, WuW have today released their sophomore album, Rétablir L’Eternité. The follow up to 2018’s Rien Ne Nous Sera Épargnér, Rétablir L’Eternité is out now via Prosthetic Records and is available to stream and purchase at all the usual places.
The band comments:
It is strange to release an album in these strange times. Strange to have named it Rétablir L’Eternité (Restore Eternity) months ago now that everything is about to stop for a while. Nevertheless, we hope you could find a way to escape from all this while listening to it, have an inner journey through unknown landscapes and enjoy it as much as we’re proud of it.
Imonolith
All-star modern metal band Imonolith’s highly anticipated debut album State of Being is now available as of March 27th. Drummer Ryan ‘RVP’ Van Poederooyen says:
All of us in Imonolith are beyond excited to release our debut album State of Being. We spent the better part of a year recording, mixing and mastering it, along with getting the art together. It was important for us to get the whole package done the way we envisioned it. We set our standards high and are stoked on the final results.
Kip Moore
Multi-platinum singer/songwriter Kip Moore announced today that his highly-anticipated fourth studio album, Wild World, will be available May 29th, and can be pre-ordered now. Moore also gave his notably loyal fan-following a taste of what to expect, releasing the upcoming collection’s title track.
Torchia
Finnish death metallers Torchia have finally released the awaited new album The Coven via Rockshots Records. The album is available on all physical and digital stores. To celebrate the event, the band has also unleashed an official audio track of “Sky”. The band comments about the song:
With an intro depicting the singing of the gathering witches in the album cover, ‘Sky’ opens the album with a crushing death metal theme. We wanted to have a very different opener compared to the first album and this track showcases some new directions for Torchia right from the start. The song combines traditional death metal with grand melodic choruses and guitar solos, making it an epic start for the album.
Powerwolf
They are the ultimate high priests of heavy metal, and 2019 marked their 15th band anniversary: Without a doubt, Powerwolf are one of the most successful heavy metal bands of modern times, and their triumphant history must be celebrated in glorious style! Just recently, Powerwolf announced the release of a very special album, Best Of The Blessed, slated to see the light of day on July 3, 2020 via Napalm Records. But, Best Of The Blessed isn’t just another Best Of album. Featuring 16 metal anthems and timeless classics by the band shrouded in a brand new shape, this record will include several new versions of hits such as “We Drink Your Blood”, “Werewolves of Armenia”, “Sanctified with Dynamite”, or the most celebrated festival hymn of all time, “Resurrection by Erection”.
And while speaking of live: If you cannot get enough of Powerwolf’s captivating stage performances, this must-have magnum opus will also include 14 live tracks; the available Earbook and LP Box Edition will give you even more of Powerwolf’s incredible live sound!
Vandenberg
Former Whitesnake guitarist Adrian Vandenberg has announced the brand new Vandenberg album. After an absence that lasted for more than three decades, Vandenberg is very much alive again in a young, fresh and all-revised 2020 version. The new line up features Rainbow’s Ronnie Romero on vocals, bassist Randy van der Elsen (of NWOBHM heroes Tank) and drummer Koen Herfst, (Bobby Kimball (Toto), Epica and Doro). The new album 2020 will be released on May 29th via Mascot Records.
Speaking about the new line up, Vandenberg explains:
I believe the vibe we have with this turbo charged line-up is wonderful. We are not at all a nostalgia act, trying to recreate what happened all those years back. This is a brand new dynamic band with a name that has a legacy and I couldn’t be happier with the way it’s turned out.
IGORRR
Spirituality And Distortion, the latest offering from French Experimental Metal Outfit IGORRR, is out now and streaming in its entirety via Metal Blade Records and on the label’s YouTube channel.
Igorrr’s Gautier Serre comments:
I’m happy and proud to finally be able to share with you that piece of music which is Spirituality and Distortion, that has been in the making for a way more time than you may think. I hope you’ll receive this album as the soundtrack of the apocalypse, as it seems to be it. We have been sharing 3 tracks of the album already, first one was Very Noise, then Parpaing and one week ago, we’ve been sharing Camel Dancefloor.
Please, keep in mind that those were only parts of a whole piece, and I created this album having in mind the whole piece of music, if you want to have a real opinion on the album, please listen to the whole album, it has been built to be listened this way.
City Mouth
City Mouth announced their debut LP Coping Machine with a video for its title track today. The full-length will be released on April 24th via Take This to Heart Records. Pre-release singles include “Sanity for Summer”, “For a Second”, and “Quit While I’m Ahead”.
Coping Machine uproots the band’s pop-punk past for an electro-pop future, where self-forgiveness is just as important as accepted apologies. City Mouth’s music has been featured on Late Night with Seth Meyers, a playlist promoting Hulu’s High Fidelity series, and across several electrifying live performances in and out of the Midwest.
Lost Symphony
Symphonic metal juggernaut Lost Symphony has released their debut album, Chapter I, today via XOFF Records. The record is an electrifying, instrumental master class of musicianship that features a slew of guest shredders and past/present members of Guns n’ Roses, All That Remains, Nevermore, Steel Panther, Cradle of Filth, Trans-Siberian Orchestra and more.
You can stream the album now from all the usual places.
The Birthday Massacre
Diamonds is released on 27th March and has been preceded by the single “The Last Goodbye”. Typical of the band’s trademark sound, it explores the lower octaves with minor chords and midnight dance beats, but always with a shining beacon of hope and light within.
An exciting series of dark and light moments, Diamonds explores themes that range from heartbreak and anguish and lust to love. Commencing with the epic and majestic “Enter”, with its pounding bassline and soaring guitar textures, to the chugging guitars of “Run”, the propulsive beats of “Mirrors”, right through to the contemplative and highly atmospheric album closing “Parallel World”, Diamonds is a consistently cohesive album that highlights the instrumental and vocal prowess of The Birthday Massacre.
Set apart from their post-punk contemporaries by distinctive soaring synths and guitars paired with beautiful and reassuring vocals, The Birthday Massacre have mastered the art of balance. Exploring the darker register of music and songwriting, their songs beg to peek into the depths and look inside, while at the same time offering hope and joy… and an invitation to dance.
PORN
In 2017, PORN released its third album, The Ogre Inside.- Act I, the first act of a trilogy based on the enigmatic character Mr Strangler. In 2019, the band released the second act of its trilogy, The Darkest of Human Desires – Act II. Today, PORN returns with the final act, No Monsters in God’s Eyes – Act III.
Hayvanlar Alemi
Never an album title has been so topical… Ankara’s avant-garde psychedelic unit Hayvanlar Alemi share their new album Psychedelia in Times of Turbulence in full – a mesmerizing, droning blend of psychedelic and folk music! Being an instrumental psychedelic folk rock band founded in 1999, Hayvanlar Alemi has developed a very style of its own. Inspired by the innovative musical heritage of Turkey but also informed by the traditional and popular styles of the globe, Psychedelia in Times of Turbulence features progressive compositions that take their cue from drone metal, stoner rock and doom, while subtly preserving the overtones of their brand of folkloric psych rock.
Says the band:
This album presents the side of Hayvanlar Alemi which tends towards the darker without losing the colors, and tends towards the sombre without losing the vitality, with songs that surrender to gravity but refuse to touch the ground.
