This edition includes some EPs, some pre-Halloween-time spookiness, and more! To the metals…
Brujeria – Pocho Aztlan 
Genre: Death metal/grindcore
Origin: Mexico/Los Angeles, California
Label: Nuclear Blast
Buy now on Amazon.com
The band most known for having a severed head on their album cover is back with their first album since their hiatus. In the fifteen years since their last record, there have been a ton of line-up changes, but this latest group of guys is still really pissed off. Now, perhaps more than ever, their voice is important with the looming threat of a wall from a crazy man. A powerful record in a lot of ways.
Ghost – Popestar
Genre: Heavy metal
Origin: Linköping, Sweden
Label: Loma Vista Recordings
Buy now…Somewhere?
With a handful of new songs and covers, this EP will give fans a little something, something to hold them over until the next full-length. Tracks include an Echo & The Bunnymen cover, a Eurythmics cover, the catchy track below and more.
Heaven Shall Burn – Wanderer 
Genre: Melodic death metal
Origin: Weimar, Germany
Label: Century Media
Buy now on Amazon.com
Their eighth record has this band of herbivores bringing their unique blend of melody and pummeling metal in the way that only they can. They've been one of the few long(er) running melodic death metal bands that has been able to grow, mature, and not become cheesy in the process. I like this about them.
Inanimate Existence – Calling from a Dream 
Genre: Technical death metal
Origin: Bay Area, California
Label: Unique Leader
Buy now on Amazon.com
Bay Area tech death is pretty great right now with bands like Fallujah, Cyborg Octopus, and Inanimate Existence. Calling From A Dream reminds me of a (and this even feels like the wrong word) happier version of recent Fallujah. The technicality is strong here, as is the genius use of melody and straight-forward heaviness. Incredible record.
Lotus Thief – Gramarye 
Genre: Doom/Experimental
Origin: San Francisco, California
Label: Prophecy
Buy now on Amazon.com
Doing what I do (i.e. giving y'all something to be mad at each week), I get a ton of records thrown at me from bands I've never heard of. Sadly, there are a lot of bands that just sound like shittier versions of other bands. So when Lotus Thief landed in my ears, I was ecstatic. They have a really beautiful ambient metal sound that features some Alcest-y bits, some SubRosa-y bits, and general experimenting. I love this shit. More please.
Helen Money – Become Zero 
Genre: Doom with a cello/Drone/Avant garde
Origin: Los Angeles, California
Label: Thrill Jockey
Buy now on Amazon.com
I had the pleasure of seeing Helen Money a few years ago with Agalloch, and was completely unfamiliar with her. All I knew was that the act was someone that did metal with a cello. Ok, so like Judgement Day or Apocalyptica, right? Nope! There was looping, tons of feedback laden noise that gave life to spooky, unsettling, experimental stuff unlike anything I'd heard before. Become Zero seems to have more structured songs from the little I've heard, but the general vibe of what I was introduced to is still there.
TesseracT – Errai
Genre: Djent/Progressive
Origin: Milton Keynes, England
Label: Kscope
Buy now on Amazon.com
What is with bands "re-imagining" songs from their most recent release about a year later? The Contortionist did it, and essentially dropped an acoustic EP glued to the end of a re-released version of Language. TesseracT seemed to do more than unplugging their 37-String guitars in favor for a grandpa's guitars, but the Errai versions of the tracks from Polaris don't differ too much. Some just have louder piano parts, others have no guitars at all. Not bad or anything, I just don't really get it. This sort of thing feels like it would be ideal for an Audiotree session or the likes.
Also dropping today…
Against Me! – Shape Shift With Me (Total Treble) – Punk
Ancient – Back To The Land Of The Dead (EMP) – Melodic black metal
Asenblut – Berserker (AFM) – Folk/black metal
Barishi – Blood From The Lion’s Mouth (Season Of Mist) – Progressive
Carcer City – Infinite/Unknown (Stay Sick) – Progressive metalcore
Drudkh / Grift – Betrayed By The Sun / Hagringar Split (Season Of Mist) – Black metal
Fake Idols – Witness (Scarlet) – Hard rock
High Spirits – Motivator (High Roller) – Hard rock
Johansson & Speckmann – Edge Of The Abyss (Soulseller) – Death metal
King 810 – La Petite Mort or A Conversation With God (Roadrunner) – Nu metal
Sumerlands – Sumerlands (Relapse) – Power metal
Taking Back Sunday – Tidal Wave (Hopeless) – Pop rock
Warfather – The Grey Eminence (Greyhaze) – Death metal
Wrekmeister Harmonies – Light Falls (Thrill Jockey) – Doom/Post-metal
