This edition includes prog, sad robots, terrifying shrieks and more! To the metals…
Artificial Brain – Infrared Horizon 
Genre: Technical Death Metal
Origin: Long Island, New York
Label: Profound Lore
But now on Amazon.com
Starting heavy this week. This album starts with death metal madness and doesn't let up. Guttural vocals, chaotic technical dissonance, and a sad robot on the cover. What more do you want in an album of this sort?
Cult of Luna – Years in a Day
Genre: Post-metal
Origin: Umeå, Sweden
Label: Indie Recordings
But now from Indie Recordings
This is a collection of live recordings from 2013's Roadburn, 2016's Roadburn, and a normal headline set from La Gaîté Lyrique, Paris. This is a must have for fans of this band, and a pretty great starting point for those curious about the band. I've had a stream of the DVD for a while now, and it's a visual spectacle.
Ghost Bath – Starmourner 
Genre: Post-black metal
Origin: Minot, North Dakota
Label: Nuclear Blast
But now on Amazon.com
2015 saw Ghost Bath's sophomore release in Moonlover, and it popped up on plenty of best-of lists for good reason. Starmourner takes everything that worked there and amplifies it. Riffs are more melodic, darkness is darkness, blast beats are blastier, and the terrifying shrieks of Dennis Mikula are somehow more terrifying.
Incubus – 8
Genre: Alt rock/nu metal
Origin: Calabasas, California
Label: Island
But now on Amazon.com
Incubus are one of those bands friends of mine LOVED back around the release of Make Yourself and Morning View, and their fondness has never waned despite tastes evolving. I still don't really get it, but here's the band's eighth record of melodic hard rock with some occasional nu metal heaviness. I don't think fans will get another "Nice To Know You," but it's not bad.
Les Discrets – Predateurs
Genre: Shoegaze/atmospheric black metal
Origin: France
Label: Prophecy
But now on Amazon.com
Les Discrets is one of the bands that successfully wandered from black metal to shoegaze greatness while keeping some grim edge. They're always been a favorite of mine in this scene, and this album is further proof of why. It's fucking beautiful and haunts me in the best way with it's melancholic memorable melodies.
Vampire – With Primeval Force
Genre: Death metal/thrash
Origin: Gothenburg, Sweden
Label: Century Media
But now on Amazon.com
Now for some more "real" metal for y'all. This band is part thrash, part death metal, and they're here to destroy you with their throwback vibes. I honestly thought this band was some late 80's OG death metal band that reunited after releasing an album in like 1989.
Uneven Structure – La Partition 
Genre: Progressive
Origin: Metz, France
Label: Long Branch Records
But now on Amazon.com
Ending this week with some prog wonderfulness. With (mostly) Tool-esque vocals, djent-ish rhythms, soaring post-metal melodies, and lengthy tracks, this band takes familiar elements and combines them into a unique experience. A stellar follow-up to their debut that dropped far too long ago.
Also dropping today…
Ancient Ascendant – Raise The Torch (Spinefarm/Candlelight) – Death metal
Axel Rudi Pell – The Ballads V (SPV) – Heavy metal
Cryonic Temple – Into The Glorious Battle (Scarlet) – Power metal
Daisyhead – In Case You Missed It (No Sleep) – Post-hardcore
Farsot – Fail – Lure (Prophecy) – Black metal
Game Over – Blessed Are The Heretics EP (Scarlet) – Thrash
Greta Van Fleet – Black Smoke Rising EP (Lava/Republic) – Hard rock
Junkyard – High Water (Acetate) – Bluesy hard rock
Moonbow – War Bear (Ripple) – Stoner rock
Night Demon – Nothing Remains (Century Media) – Heavy metal
Nothing Left – Destroy And Rebuild EP (Facedown) – Hardcore
Rhino Bucket – The Last Real Rock ‘n’ Roll (Acetate) – Hard rock
Thunder – Rip It Up (earMusic) – Heavy metal
Vomit Remnants – Hyper Groove Brutality (Unique Leader)
We Ride – Empowering Life (Victory) – Hardcore
With Our Arms To The Sun – Orenda (Fade To Silence) – Post-metal
Also, tomorrow is Record Store Day. Peep the heavy stuff from that here
