This is another diverse quality over quantity week. This edition includes danceable power metal, an bunch of dudes celebrating Halloween early, and more! To the metals…
Amaranthe – Massive Addictive 
Genre: Power metal
Origin: Sweden/Denmark
Label: Spinefarm
Buy now on Amazon.com
This band is a rather unique experience that is really finding its sound on this album. They mix power metal, goth metal, metalcore, and melodic death metal (with emphasis on melodic) with EDM. Massive Addictive is one of the few records I've heard that will have listeners dancing and head banging.
Pitch Black Forecast – As the World Burns 
Genre: Groove metal
Origin: Cleveland, Ohio
Label: Ferocious
Buy now on Amazon.com
Gene Hoglan is at it again, This time he's bringing old friends as guests with his groove band's second record. Guests include Randy Blythe, M Shadows, and Devin Townsend. Blythe fits in pretty well in his appearance, but Townsend can't not stand out when he shows up. Pretty solid though. Intense.
Primus – Primus & The Chocolate Factory with the Fungi Ensemble
Genre: Primus
Origin: El Sonbrante, California
Label: ATO Records
Buy now on Amazon.com
Never not weird, Primus are here with their best album in at least 15 years. This time they're putting their own spin on the soundtrack to Willy Wonka & The Chocolate Factory. This thing turns out to be the score to your chocolate themed nightmares. Pretty fun. Hear all the madness here.
Scott Walker + Sunn O))) – Soused 
Genre: Drone
Origin: Seattle, Washington
Label: 4AD
Buy now on Amazon.com
Welp, this is weird as shit. Sunn O))) have joined forces with Scott Walker and created an unmistakable Sunn O))) record. Walker has a pretty lengthy back-catalog ranging from pop to avant guarde and certainly has street-cred. However, I can't say that this comes off successfully to me. I don't really get it , admittedly. It has more promise than Lulu had though.
Slipknot – .5: The Gray Chapter 
Genre: Nu metal
Origin: Des Moines, Iowa
Label: Roadrunner
Buy now on Amazon.com
There's been a lot of talking about this album and now you can hear it for yourself. Their first album without Paul Gray and Joey Jordison is full of pain that's upfront. Sure you get much of the usual Slipknot aggression, rhythms, and bouts of melody, but there is natural growth in a way that works really well that felt forced on the last few records. It would be easy to say that this is their best in a decade, because there were only two other options, but this is might be the one to bring some folks back that fell off a while ago.
Also dropping today…
Alice Cooper – Raise The Dead: Live From Wacken DVD (UDR) – Classic metal
Allen/Lande – The Great Divide (Frontiers) – Power metal
Amulet – The First (Century Media) – Heavy metal
The Body / Sandworm – Split (Thrill Jockey) – SLudge
Carnality – Dystopia (Memorial) – Death metal
Cemetery Filth – Screams From The Catacombs EP (White Ship) – Death metal
Dalton – Pit Stop (Frontiers) – Melodic rock
Deep Purple – Live In Verona DVD (Eagle Rock) – Classic metal
Encoffination – III – Hear Me, O’ Death (Sing Thou Wretched Choirs) (Selfmadegod) – Death doom
From Earth – Dark Waves (Wormholedeath) – Sludge
Holy Dragons – Dragon Inferno (Pitch Black) – Power metal
Indestructible Noise Command – Black Hearse Serenade (Ferocious) – Thrash
Inferion – This Will Decay (HPGD) -Black metal
Khaos – Risen (MRR) – Power metal
Kingdom Of Giants – Ground Culture (InVogue) – Metalcore
Nuclear Perversion – Desolation Rituals (Iron Bonehead) – Blackened death metal
Oozing Wound – Earth Suck (Thrill Jockey) – Crossover
Soulskinner – Crypts of Ancient Wisdom (Xtreem) – Death metal
Too Close To Touch – Too Close To Touch EP (Epitaph) – Rock
Ufomammut – XV DVD (Supernatural Cat) – Stoner
Varsity – Lights EP (We Are Triumphant) – Post hardcore
Wrekmeister Harmonies – Then It All Came Down (Thrill Jockey) – Drone
