This edition includes bummer metal, prog insanity, some death metal variety and more! To the metals…
Cyborg Octopus – Learning To Breathe
Genre: Progressive metal
Origin: San Ramon, California
Label: self
Buy now on Amazon.com
Prog album of the year. That simple. These guys stepped up the entire game with Learning to Breathe while dabbling in funk, death metal, classical, and more. Hear it all here.
Flotsam and Jetsam – Flotsam and Jetsam 
Genre: Thrash/Power metal
Origin: Phoenix, Arizona
Label: AFM
Buy now on Amazon.com
Over thirty years in, and this thrash collective is still thrashing about. If you're a fan that's kept with the band, you'll dig these soaring tracks.
Gruesome – Dimensions Of Horror EP 
Genre: Death metal
Origin: Arroyo Grande, California/Miami, Florida
Label: Relapse
Buy now on Amazon.com
Death metal with no frills and that's no problem. Old school production, approach, and subject matter. A great follow-up to their full length from last year, Savage Land.
In Mourning – Afterglow 
Genre: Progressive melodic death metal
Origin: Falun, Sweden
Label: Agonia
Buy now on Amazon.com
After four years, this melodic death metal collective as finally returned. This release is equal parts epic, rhythmic, and dark. I appreciate a band like these guys because they have grown from a Gothic metal thing into a much heavier band, and continue to morph and experiment. I dig a progressive band that progresses.
Issues – Headspace
Genre: Djent/Metalcore
Origin: Atlanta, Georgia
Label: Rise
Buy now on Amazon.com
This is the band for those that enjoy your post-hardcore outfits, but yearn for something heavier than Dance Gavin Dance. I feel like most of our readership will poo-poo on this release, but they're a good band to be used as a bridge band to slowly for heavier music on to people. Start here, go to Periphery, then onto Devin Townsend, then Strapping Young Lad, and so on.
Katatonia – The Fall Of Hearts 
Genre: Doom/Depressive rock
Origin: Stockholm, Sweden
Label: Peaceville
Buy now on Amazon.com
How's your day going? Feeling good? Well put this on, and the kings of bummer metal will change all that. The Fall of Hearts is consistent with the last decade or so of Katatonia releases, so if you've enjoyed their material since The Great Cold Distance, you shan't be disappointed. May feel too similar for some, but the music is still beautiful, hypnotic, peaceful, and pleasantly depressing.
Weekend Nachos – Apology 
Genre: Powerviolence/Sludge
Origin: Chicago, Illinois
Label: Relapse
Buy now on Amazon.com
Let's end this week on a chaotic note shall we? On their fifth album, Weekend Nachos fuck shit up. This record is thirty-six minutes of abuse that is (mostly) delivered in two minute increments of pummeling dissonance. Hell of a ride.
Also Dropping today…
34 – 34 EP (Fountain City) – Hardcore/noise
Assassin – Combat Cathedral (SPV) – Thrash
Brutus – Wandering Blind (Svart) – Brutal death metal
Buffalo Summer – Second Sun (UDR) – Rock
Dawn Of Ashes – Theophany (Metropolis) – Industrial metal
Dead By Wednesday – Darkest Of Angels (EMP) – Heavy metal
Edu Falaschi – Moonlight (Test Your Metal) – Progressive/power metal
Eternal Sleep – The Emptiness Of… (Closed Casket) – Hardcore
First Fragment – Dasein (Unique Leader) – Technical death metal
Howls Of Ebb – Cursus Impasse: The Pendlomic Vows (Nuclear War Now!) – Black/death metal
Iron Savior – Titancraft (AFM) – Speed/power metal
Punky Meadows – Fallen Angel (Main Man) – Glam
Saosin – Along The Shadow (Epitaph) – Post-hardcore
Scar Of The Sun – In Flood (Scarlet) – Gothic/Doom
Sorcery – Garden Of Bones (Xtreem) – Death metal
Suidakra – Realms Of Odoric (AFM) – Folk/Melodic death metal
Teloch – Thus Darkness Spake (Saturnal) – Black metal
Terrorway – The Second (Bakerteam) – Thrash/groove metal
True Black Dawn – Come The Colorless Dawn (WTC) – Black metal
Vardis – Red Eye (SPV) – Heavy metal
Whispered – Matsutan: Songs Of The Void (Redhouse / Inverse) – Melodic death metal/power metal
Winterhorde – Maestro (Vicisolum) – Melodic black metal
Wo Fat – Midnight Cometh (Ripple) – Psych doom/stoner
