This week’s new heavy metal releases include melodic goth grooves, just a lot of different flavors of chaos, and more! You can also check out select new releases here on vinyl via Gimme Metal. Now to the metals…

Becoming The Archetype – Children Of The Great Extinction

Genre: Progressive metal/deathcore
Origin: Atlanta/Dacula, Georgia
Label: Solid State

Getting this party going with some epic heaviness. On their first album in a decade you’re getting the band as a trio as Seth Hecox is rejoined by Jason Wisdom and Brent Duckett. If you were fond of Celestial Completion, you’ll probably be stoked about this one.

Cyborg Octopus – Between The Light and Air

Genre: Progressive metal
Origin: Bay Area, California
Label: Silent Pendulum

Buy now on Bandcamp

We in the Metal Injection compound are rather fond of Cyborg Octopus. Earlier this week we had the honor of presenting you the premiere of their latest single “Trash Island,” which is a progressive surf metal track, and this album sees other wild genre blends. You’re also getting a western-inspired track (“Spectres”), a classical/shred adventure (“Seizure Of Character”), and more.

Dreadnought – The Endless

Genre: Progressive doom
Origin: Denver, Colorado
Label: Profound Lore

Now let’s slow things down a little. Dreadnought‘s latest is just as adventurous as Cyborg Octopus, but leans way further in the doom territory. You’re getting some jazz, folk, classical, and post-rock mixed in as well. Get it on vinyl here.

Lacrimas Profundere – How To Shroud Yourself With Night

Genre: Gothic/melodic death metal
Origin: Waging am See, Germany
Label: SPV/Steamhammer

Now some driving darkness for my gothic pals out there. Album number fourteen sees the band proving they’re still one of the best and blending straight-ahead grooves, soaring symphonics, and catchy choruses all under a spooky cloud. They do a hell of a job filling the void that HIM left behind while mixing in some Insomnium and or Paradise Lost heaviness. Get it on vinyl here.

Machine Head – Of Kingdom And Crown

Genre: Groove metal/thrash
Origin: Oakland, California
Label: Nuclear Blast/Imperium

On their first record since the divisive Catharsis, Robb Flynn and the fellas are tapping into sounds closer to their Blackening/Unto The Locust era. If you enjoyed last year’s EP/triple-single Arrows in Words from the Sky, you’ll enjoy this. Those three songs are all present in addition to new songs in that realm. Shaun has a full review here. Get it on vinyl here.

Sigh – Shiki

Genre: Avant-garde metal
Origin: Tokyo, Japan
Label: Peaceville

If you know Sigh, you know to expect just about anything from the long-running avant-garde metal band. The track below, “Satsui,” is oddly groovy before breaking into a Spaghetti Western-ish chorus (classic combo). Other tracks pair Judas Priest blended with Deep Purple-esque heavy metal and traditional Japanese flutes. I could fill an entire page spoiling the twists and turns on this one, but I’ll let you enjoy all their surprises. Get it on vinyl here.

Thoughtcrimes – Altered Pasts

Genre: Mathcore/metalcore
Origin: Long Island, New York
Label: Pure Noise

Unintentionally set up this weeks featured albums to be rather chaotic. You’re welcome. Altered Pasts is a thirty-five minute eruption of dissonant mathcore, hardcore grooves, and a fair amount of melody juxtaposed along the way. What else would you expect from a band with ex-Dillinger Escape Plan drummer Billy Rymer? Get it on vinyl here.

Also dropping today…

• Align The Tide – Hollow (Cleopatra Records) – Metal/deathcore
• Anthea – Tales Untold (Rockshots Records) – Gothic metal
• Apeiron Bound – Multiplicity (Layered Reality Productions) – Progressive metal
• Auriferous Flame – The Great Mist Within (True Cult Records) – Black metal
• Bastard Noise / Merzbow – Retribution By All Other Creatures (Relapse) – Experimental/noise
• Blood Of Indigo – Dawn Of The Shaded World (Self-released) – Gothic metal
• Bloodbox – Post Human Disorder (Headwound Recordingz) – Experimental death metal
• Brymir – Voices In The Sky (Napalm) – Melodic death metal
• Sebastian Caldas – Me-We (Wormholedeath) – Progressive
• CB3 – Exploration (Majestic Mountain Records) – Psychedelic rock
• Centershift – Of… (Auspicious Recordings/Wolf Entertainment) – Hard/alternative rock
• Child Of Caesar – Spirit & Liberation (Dr. Music Records) – Gothic metal
• Death Scythe – Killing For Pleasure Forever (Self-released) – Melodic death metal
• Drag Me Out – Demons Away (Lödereih Music) – Metalcore
• Dynazty – Final Advent (AFM) – Power/heavy metal
• Eaten By Sharks – Eradication (Clean Kill Records) – Technical death metal
• Edenbridge – Shangri-La (AFM) – Symphonic/power metal
• Epoch Of Chirality – Nucleosynthesis (Wormholedeath) – Progressive/sci-fi metal
• fallfiftyfeet – Lonely If You Go (Self-released) – Mathcore/hardcore
• Grave Digger – Symbol Of Eternity (Rock Of Angels) – Heavy metal
• Greet Death – New Low (Deathwish Inc.) – Rock/shoegaze
• Hierophant – Death Siege (Season Of Mist) – Black/death metal
• The Hirsch Effekt – Solitaer EP (Long Branch) – Progressive/technical metal
• Intent – Exile (Self-released) – Thrash
• Iron Savior – Reforged – Ironbound (Vol. 2) (AFM) – Speed/power metal
• Lonely Robot – A Model Life (InsideOut) – Progressive
• Manifest – The Sinking (Sound Pollution) – Groove metal
• Might – Abyss (Exile On Mainstream) – Doom
• Muse – Will Of The People (Warner) – Hard rock/progressive
• No Trigger – Dr. Album (Red Scare Industries) – Punk
• Pianos Become The Teeth – Drift (Epitaph) – Post-hardcore/rock
• Red Rot – Mal de Vivre (Svart Records) – Extreme metal
• Santa Cruz – The Return Of The Kings (M-Theory) – Glam metal
• SOiL – Play It Forward (Cleopatra Records) – Hard rock/nu metal
• Spirit In The Room – Flamingo (Housecore Records) – Experimental
• Stitched Up – Jupiter Jazz and the Suicide Cult (Self-released) – Hard rock/heavy metal
• Syryn – Heads or Tails (Self-released) – Heavy metal
• Viserion – Reborn in Darkness (Self-released) – Black metal