This week’s new heavy metal releases include lots of headbanging, sonic exercises in tension release, that band that “no one likes” yet remains incredibly successful (so what is the truth?), and more! Get ’em here on vinyl at Gimme Metal, and now to the metals…

Dawnwalker – House Of Sand

Genre: Post-Metal/progressive
Origin: London, England
Label: Room 132

Buy now on Bandcamp

Starting this week off in a wild way. This release shows the outfit in darker territory than before as they lean into a more grim sound. The post-metal/rock tradition of an engulfing wall out sound is still there as they hit you with waves of heaviness and a four-vocal attack. Also, you’re still getting lots of violin and piano. Jordan has a review here.

Five Finger Death Punch – Afterlife

Genre: Hard rock/groove metal
Origin: Las Vegas, Vevada
Label: Better Noise Music

This is the ninth record by the band and they inexplicably didn’t continue naming their records with nods to the Fast and Furious movies. F9, would have been perfectly acceptable. I sort of expected more twang on the heels of their tour announcement with some country acts, but instead it’s the usual mix of grooves and melody. Get it here on vinyl at Gimme Metal.

Heilung – Drif

Genre: Folk
Origin: Denmark/Germany/Norway
Label: Season Of Mist

Those looking for some ambient, haunting folk music should hop on Drif. It’s not heavy, but it is dense and oddly unsettling. This is a great headphones in a dark room album. Jeff seems to kinda enjoy the album here. Get it here on vinyl at Gimme Metal.

The Mountain Goats – Bleed Out

Genre: Indie
Origin: Claremont, California
Label: Merge

Honorary metal guy John Darnielle and his fellow Mountain Goats are back with a record of tracks inspired by 60’s-80’s action films. Said inspiration is probably why a lot of the tracks are higher energy than you’d expect from the band. A fun one from the band that usually hits so hard lyrically. Get it here on vinyl at Gimme Metal.

Russian Circles – Gnosis

Genre: Post-metal
Origin: Chicago, Illinois
Label: Sargent House

Speaking of hitting hard, here’s the latest from instrumental heavyweights Russian Circles. This is a record centered around building suspense and tension. When the tension breaks, heads will bang. Max has a full review here. Get it here on vinyl at Gimme Metal.

Spirit Adrift – 20 Centuries Gone

Genre: Heavy metal/doom
Origin: Austin, Texas
Label: Century Media

Spirit Adrift are sorta due for a new full-length, but to tide folks over here is an eight-track EP (which you might as well call an album, but whatever). This consists of two new songs, which are both rad, and an eclectic selection of covers. They take on Pantera, Type O Negative, Metallica, Thin Lizzy, ZZ Top, and Lynyrd Skynyrd and probably not the songs you’d expect by any of them. Get it here on vinyl at Gimme Metal.

Soilwork – Övergivenheten

Genre: Melodic death metal/metalcore
Origin: Helsingborg, Sweden
Label: Nuclear Blast

The last decade has been the underrated golden age of Soilwork and Övergivenheten is yet another win for the band. Guitars are shredding, vocals are epic, and the songs are grand. Chad’s full review can be found here. Get it here on vinyl at Gimme Metal.

Thundermother – Black And Gold

Genre: Hard rock
Origin: Stockholm, Sweden
Label: AFM

Pairing nicely with Spirit Adrift is the latest from Thundermother. This front to back classic riffs and stellar vocals. Fans of AC/DC should get on this. Get it here on vinyl at Gimme Metal.

Also dropping today…

• Conan – Evidence Of Immortality (Napalm) – Doom/sludge
• Concrete Ties – Unrecognizable (Upstate Records) – Hardcore/beatdown
• Crowne – Live From Studio Groondahl EP (Frontiers) – Hard rock/power metal
• Dead City Ruins – Shockwave (AFM) – Hard rock
• Dragon Throne – Dawnbringer (Parantala SoundWorks) – Speed/power metal
• Empress – Fateweaver (Self-released) – Progressive/symphonic metal
• Eruption – Tellurian Rupture (From The Vaults) – Thrash
• Fatso Jetson / All Souls – Live From Total Annihilation (Ripple Music) – Grunge/desert rock
• Hammer King – Kingdemonium (Napalm) – Power metal
• Hive – Spiritual Poverty (Translation Loss Records) – Hardcore/d-beat
• Holding Absence/Alpha Wolf – The Lost & The Longing Split EP (SharpTone) – Rock/metalcore
• Hours Of Worship The Cold – That You Left (Iron Bonehead Productions) – Synthwave?
• I Prevail – True Power (Fearless) – Metalcore/hard rock
• Kalah – Descent Into Human Weakness (Pure Steel Records) – Electronic/progressive metal
• Mass Extinction – Never-Ending Holocaust (Horror Pain Gore Death Productions) – Death metal/grindcore
• Morbid Evils – Supernaturals (Transcending Obscurity Records) – Sludge/death metal
• Nocturnal Sorcery – The Holy Law In Total Ruin (KVLT) – Black metal
• The Occult – The Occult (Self-released) – Hard rock/punk
• Orthodox – Learning To Dissolve (Century Media) – Groove/nu metal – Full review
• Pistols At Dawn – Ascension (Megaforce/MRI) – Hard rock
• Psychlona – Palo Verde (Psycho Waxx) – Psychedelic/punk
• Six By Six – Six By Six (InsideOut) – Rock
• The Sombre – Monuments Of Grief (Chaos Records) – Death metal/doom
• Spite – Dedication To Flesh (Rise) – Deathcore
• Still / Form – From The Rot Is A Gift (Hex Records) – Hardcore/sludge
• Splintered Throne – The Greater Good of Man (Self-released) – Heavy metal
• Stockhausen & The Amplified Riot – Era of the Inauthentic (Artificial Head Records) – Psychedelic/post-rock
• Tomb Of Finland – Across The Barren Fields (Uprising) – Death metal/doom
• Tyrants of Chaos – Relentless Thirst for Power (Self-released) – Heavy metal
• White Rune – Dawn Of The White Rune (Hammer Of Hate) – Melodic black metal