The past few weeks have been a varied mix of different types of heavy music being released, and this week is no different. Check out this week’s new albums and see what you like!
Killing Joke, Pylon (Spinefarm)
With a career spanning nearly four decades, Killing Joke has perfected their style and influenced scores of other bands. The band’s original lineup, which came back together in 2008, is still going strong on their fifteenth album. The band will head out on a nine-date UK tour to support the album right away, and more dates will presumably follow shortly after.
Born of Osiris, Soul Sphere (Sumerian)
Soul Sphere is the fifth album from Born of Osiris. The metalcore/deathcore giants have continued the style put forth on Tomorrow We Die Alive, emphasizing keyboards and synth while letting vocalist Ronnie Canizaro shred our eardrums with his primal screams. This is the best Canizaro has sounded in the band’s entire career, and it seems like he will only get better as the band continues.
Grave Digger, Exhumation – The Early Years (Napalm)
Grave Digger has a new album coming out next year, but this compilation of older material gives fans a nostalgic review of the band’s roots. Exhumation covers the greatest hits from the German group’s storied career, adds in a few rare and sought-after gems, and throws two new songs on the end for good measure. This is the ultimate collection for any fan of Grave Digger.
Like Moths to Flames, The Dying Things We Live For (Rise)
Having already released a 7″ EP earlier this year, metalcore outfit Like Moths to Flames kept their output going with the release of their third full-length album, The Dying Things We Live For. This is the band’s first release without founding guitarist Zach Huston, who left the band last year in order to pursue other interests. The band is on tour now with All That Remains and We Came as Romans to support the album, and the remaining dates can be found here.
Amberian Dawn, Innuendo (Napalm)
Founded in 2006 following the breakup of Virtuocity, Amberian Dawn contains several former members of Virtuocity and is centered around the songwriting of guitarist/keyboardist Tuomas Seppälä. With the introduction of new singer Päivi “Capri” Virkkunen in 2012, Amberian Dawn found a successful new direction that shined on 2014’s Magic Forest. The band looks to settle into that sound and explore it further on Innuendo, their seventh full-length.
Coldrain, Vena (Hopeless)
Coldrain is a Japanese group that formed in 2007 from the ashes of two other bands, Wheel of Life and AVER. Performing locally in their home city of Nagoya, Coldrain became popular despite their songs all being sung in English. Within a year, they were touring nationally in Japan, and they are now looking to gain an international foothold with their fourth album, Vena.
Vhol, Deeper Than Sky (Profound Lore)
From an outsider’s standpoint, Vhol looks like a supergroup, containing members of Agalloch, Yob, and Hammers of Misfortune. However, the roots of Vhol are found in the band Ludicra, and the desire of guitarist John Cobbett and drummer Aesop Dekker to create music together again after Ludicra fell apart. Vhol also distances itself in genre from the other bands it is associated with, instead adopting an old-school crust punk aesthetic smashed together with early NWOBHM styles. Vhol is a hidden gem in the crowded metal underground, and with the amount of talent in the lineup, this band definitely deserves a shot at the spotlight.
