Winter weather up here in the northeast has decided to show up in force in recent weeks, and as the temperatures have dropped, so too has the release calendar cooled off somewhat. Here’s to hoping that things get hotter on both of those fronts in the weeks to come. In the meantime, enjoy these new albums that are hitting the shelves today!
Holy Grail, Times of Pride and Peril (Prosthetic)
2013’s Ride the Void was, for many, the best power metal album of that year. Holy Grail just hit all the right sweet spots to make a damn near-perfect record for the power metal scene at that time. Their live chops are just impressive as what they put on their albums, making Holy Grail one of the most exciting young bands on the power metal scene right now. Times of Pride and Peril is the band’s third album, and it’s already garnering strongly positive reviews as a worthy successor to Ride the Void.
Lacey Sturm, Life Screams (Followspot)
In October 2014, nearly two years after her amicable split from Flyleaf, Lacey Sturm announced that she was forming a new band for her solo music. Sturm has spread a message of positivity and love in all of her work, both in and out of the music industry. Life Screams has some similarities to Sturm’s work in Flyleaf, but with more of Sturm’s individuality injected into the sound, it will certainly stand on its own for listeners that are familiar with Flyleaf.
Rotting Christ, Rituals (Season of Mist)
A long-standing bastion of Europe’s extreme metal underground, Rotting Christ has remained consistent and excellent in their output over a career that is approaching the three-decade milestone. Rituals is the thirteenth album from the Greek black metal group, and it is just as evil and extreme as the rest of the band’s discography. Those that saw Rotting Christ on tour in the US this past fall will corroborate the statement that Rotting Christ is still very much on top of their game, and we can expect many more years of top-notch music from them.
Magrudergrind, II (Relapse)
Having to wait six years between releases is torturous for fans of Magrudergrind, but nearly every one of them will tell you that the wait is more than worth it. The Brooklyn-based grindcore trio, which originally hailed from D.C., has consistently impressed every audience they’ve played for (although regular viewers of the show Veep might have been confused or scared by the group when they showed up on an episode in 2013). II is a heart-stopping collection of grindcore excellence, and you can stream the whole thing to experience that firsthand before you buy the album.
Lost Society, Braindead (Nuclear Blast)
Finland may be known for turning out extremely proficient and unique melodic death metal bands, but some bands just want to thrash and rebel against the system. That’s the ethos of Lost Society, a four-piece group hailing from the town of Jyväskylä. Braindead is the group’s third album of hard-hitting thrash, and if you’re a fan of the newest American thrash bands like Gama Bomb and Municipal Waste, then Lost Society will be perfect for you.
Myrath, Legacy (Nightmare)
Originating in Tunis, Tunisia in 2001, Myrath is a progressive metal group that brings a strong cultural heritage to their music. Starting off as a simple cover band, Myrath quickly began composing original material with a style that they eventually dubbed “oriental metal”. Legacy is the group’s fourth album, and Myrath intends for this album to help them break out in the highly competitive North American market.
Urgehal, Aeons in Sodom (Season of Mist)
Although Norway is known for giving us some of the biggest names in the black metal world, the Scandinavian nation also produced a saturated black metal underground teeming with quality bands. Urgehal is one such group, having been around for nearly a quarter century. Aeons in Sodom is the seventh full-length album for the group, and it is their first since 2009’s Ikonoklast.
