Well, the heat wave finally broke, to the delight of everyone over at Metal Insider HQ. What’s even better, though, is that we’re getting closer to a wild fall release season. Normally it’s summer that has the crazy release period, but for 2016, the fall will be that time. We still have plenty to get through before then, though, so check out what we have today!

Tarja, The Shadow Self (Earmusic)

As discussed earlier this year, Tarja Turunen recorded a lot of material of material for this album – so much so, in fact, that an entire secondary release was required to make sure that it all got published. And although The Brightest Void was released first, The Shadow Self contains the heart and soul of Tarja’s new recordings. Lead single “Innocence” has been making quite an impact on the charts since its release in June, giving a good indication that this album will be a big hit with fans.

Carnifex, Slow Death (Nuclear Blast)

When Carnifex came back from hiatus and released Die Without Hope, it was clear that the deathcore stalwarts had not lost a step during their time off. In truth, Carnifex has been a mainstay in the scene for a decade, and they have not deviated from their chosen style in their entire career. Slow Death is just as vicious and pummeling as any of their previous efforts, and will likely build on the success of its predecessor.

Bloody Hammers, Lovely Sort of Death (Napalm)

Many of the newer doom bands are following in the footsteps of Type O Negative, adding gothic rock and metal elements to their music to create a haunting atmosphere of sound. Bloody Hammers is one such band, fitting in well alongside Blood Ceremony, Ancient VVisdom, and Royal Thunder in following the footsteps of Peter Steele and company. Lovely Sort of Death is the fourth album from the group based appropriately in Transylvania County, North Carolina.

Necromancing the Stone, Jewel of the Vile (Metal Blade)

Taking its name as a play on the title of the 1984 film Romancing the Stone, this new group is a side project for current and former members of Arsis, The Black Dahlia Murder, and The Absence. Given the records of the members, Necromancing the Stone plays with a surprising amount of melody in their music. The unique combination of thrash, power metal, and melodic death metal that is exhibited here gives this album an exciting and dynamic tone, and I’m anxious to hear more from this group down the line.