Although this year has started off on a fairly slow note, time and experience have proven that the release calendar is hardly a measure of the spirit of metal fans. 2015 is going to be a big year for heavy music, make no mistake. In the meantime, don’t skip out on what this week has to offer.
Immortal Randy Rhoads – The Ultimate Tribute (UDR)
Randy Rhoads – an icon of his time, a legend in the modern age. There are many amazing guitarists that have come after Rhoads, but few have ever come close to the young prodigy’s level of skill and technique. Rhoads’ legacy helped to shape heavy metal in the ’80s, and it still does today. This tribute album pays homage to Rhoads through performances of eleven songs that he co-wrote. The star-studded ensemble appearing on the album includes the likes of Chuck Billy, Alexi Laiho, Tom Morello, Serj Tankian, Vinny Appice, Tim “Ripper” Owens, and one of Rhoads’ successors as Ozzy Osbourne’s guitarist, Gus G. You can stream the entire album here.
Leviathan, Scar Sighted (Profound Lore)
Leviathan is the name of the solo black metal project of Jef Whitehead, better known in the metal community as Wrest. Leviathan is hardly Wrest’s only project, as he is a contributor to the doom metal group Sunn O))), an active member in black metal supergroup Twilight, and the creative force behind a second solo project, Lurker of Chalice. Scar Sighted is the fifth album to be released under the Leviathan name, and the first since 2011’s True Traitor, True Whore.
Whyzdom, Symphony for a Hopeless God (Scarlet)
This symphonic metal group from France has been around for eight years, but they are finally starting to gain some traction in the European market. The band released one album on indie label Ascendance Records before Scarlet picked them up for sophomore album Blind?. In an odd confluence of events, former Xandria vocalist Lisa Middelhauve once filled in as their vocalist for some live shows in 2010.
