What is new? Week 2: January 29 - February 4th

 

Arch Enemy

The 3^rd single, Handshake with Hell, from the upcoming album of Arch Enemy is now released. The riff, for some reason, reminds me of a Grand Magus song, that I just don’t quite remember the name.

Apart from that, Arch Enemy is a very consistent band commercially, built up around the two beacons, Mike Amott and Alissa White. What remains an unanswered question to me is when Jeff Loomis is going to release something new and the same goes for Spiritual Beggars.

That said, Deceivers is going to be released at the end of July.

Desolate Shrine

Desolate Shrine is a Finnish death metal band that belongs to the roster of Darkness Descent records; a label that is at the forefront of underground extreme metal with bands like Lvcifyre, Malignant Altar, Phobocosm et al.

Desolate Shrine return after 5 years with their new album, Fires Of The Dying World and with their brand of blackened death metal. With cavernous riffs and production they create that suffocating entity of death metal that can induce cosmic terror.

Listen to The Dying World below:

 

Korn

For those of you, like myself, who didn’t know, Korn just dropped their new album, Requiem, and you can listen to it in its entirety via their youtube channel. On my first listen it gave me a positive impression. In the past few years Korn seem to be rooted firmly on their sound and create solid releases.

Kreator

 

The time approaches for a new Kreator album, 5 years after their last album and it is called Hate Uber Alles. The first impression that the cover gave me was a Pleasure To Kill vibe. The similarities are evident. Their first single was released yesterday and it is thrashy a catchy chorus. You can listen to it below:

Mass Worship

 

This is a somewhat new Swedish band that released their debut s/t album back in 2019 via Century Media. Now, in 2022, Portal Tombs is being released, and Mass Worship have a massive, bludgeoning sound, that is not easy to create. If you like death metal that has a hardcore vibe to it and at the same time sounds like something huge is about to crush on you, then you should try them out.

Orcus Mouth, the second single, features Jonas Renkse of Katatonia and Jonas Stallhammar of At The Gates, while the first track, Portal Tombs, - the solos of which remind me of Meshuggah - features guest vocals from Barney Greenway of Napalm Death. Mass Worship seem to be giving a promise for an excellent future in extreme metal.

Saxon

 

Now we are talking about a historic band, a very important band in the heavy metal scene, since they are one of those bands that laid the foundations of heavy metal. Saxon begun in 1979, releasing a number of classic albums, and are still going strong, since ageing doesn’t seem to take a toll on them. All the better for us. Carpe Diem is their 25^th album. Their 25^th! That is a lot. Let’s listen to the Age of Steam.

 

Venom Prison

 

The first time I listened to Venom Prison was in 2019, with their sophomore album Samsara. They play an aggressive and complex style of death metal that brings to mind Misery Index, Dying Fetus etc. but with more melodic breaks. Now, with their first album with Century Media, they cultivate their melodicism even more and start moving into a territory that reminds me of Heaven Shall Burn and the Goteborg scene of melodic death metal. All these names are used just for clarification, but since we all can listen to anyone’s music at our own will, please judge for your selves. I like the road they are walking on. Comfort Of Complicity is the 4^th single from the album Erebos that was released yesterday.

 

Voivod

 

Now here we are talking about a very important band that created their own sound, their own identity back in the forming years of metal music and they still move on that weird but, at the same time, very intriguing and interesting sound. To my ears, Voivod play the soundtrack of an 80’s science fiction b-movie that became an instant cult classic.

I have to mention here that Chewy is wearing a t-shirt from Virus, a Norwegian band that, like Voivod, create weird soundscapes that are just captivating. Listen to them.

Synchro Anarchy is going to be released in February 11^th via Century Media.

 

Vorga

“Who are Vorga?” you may ask. Well, they are an atmospheric, space black metal band from Germany and Striving Toward Oblivion is their debut album, via Transcending Obscurity records. The guitars at times remind me of Darkspace, which is always a good thing, but Vorga explore space in their own way. Their music blends the traditional melodicism of the German black metal scene with space bm aesthetics in a very successful way. Are you ready for a trip into the eternal void of space?