By all technical means, we’re early this week, because all of the new music is coming out on Friday for some reason. However, that’s no excuse not to give you a primer for what’s being released this week. Read on and pre-order to your heart’s content!
Between the Buried and Me, Coma Ecliptic (Metal Blade)
After their two-part Parallax concept series, Between the Buried and Me has reigned in their exploratory tendencies in favor of a more melodic approach. Bassist Dan Briggs revealed in our interview with him that this album had a lot more keyboards and clean singing, referring to it as a rock opera. You can listen and judge for yourself by checking out the album stream. It’s still Between the Buried and Me, which means that it’s still an incredibly intelligent and broad-ranging composition that needs to be heard from start to finish.
Cradle of Filth, Hammer of the Witches (Nuclear Blast)
Armed with a mostly-new instrumental lineup behind vocalist Dani Filth, Cradle of Filth returns with album number eleven. Early reviews are stating that this album has done away with a lot of the extraneous elements that made the band’s last few albums such hit-or-miss affairs with the fans. The first song released, “Deflowering the Miadenhead, Displeasuring the Goddess” seems to back that up, but you can watch the lyric video and judge for yourself. Either way, Cradle of Filth is still at the top of their game and will continue to deliver for a long time to come.
KMFDM, Salvation EP (Metropolis)
If there’s one thing that KMFDM knows, it’s that good industrial metal tunes don’t sit idle, they get turned into other creations. That’s the inspiration behind the newest release from the industrial metal masters. In conjunction with the upcoming Salvation summer tour, KMFDM allowed some prominent artists and producers to remix some tunes from their last album, Our Time Will Come. Among those participating in the remixing are KMFDM’s tour mates Chant and Mindless Self Indulgence frontman Jimmy Urine.
Zao, Xenophobe / Fear Itself EP (Self-released)
While they’re busy working on a new album expected for the fall, Zao is releasing this two-song EP as a preview of what’s to come. This is the first new music to come from the veteran group since 2009’s Awake?, which was itself a comeback album. If this EP is any indication, Zao has not lost a step at all during their time off. This EP is expected to also be released on vinyl later this year, but the vinyl release is slated to be limited to 600 copies.
For All Eternity, Metanoia (Facedown)
Based out of Sydney and following in the footsteps of Parkway Drive and I Killed the Prom Queen, For All Eternity is the latest Australian band to charge onto the international scene. The young group self-produced an EP to make their initial mark, but it was their self-released debut Beyond the Gates and constant touring that secured their position at the top of the Australian independent scene. The band hopes to replicate the success in their homeland on a worldwide scale with their Facedown debut and even more live shows.
Phinehas, Till the End (Artery)
In a strange case of equivalency, California-based metalcore group Phinehas find themselves jumping into the same scene as For All Eternity. Based in La Mirada, the group has released a fair amount of music on their own, with two full-lengths and two EP’s to their credit since 2009. Their underground following and blistering live show earned them a spot on Artery’s roster, and now Phinehas is poised to move onto the national and international scenes.
