Heavy Metal

Here are the new heavy metal CD releases for this week.   For the most detailed and up-to-date schedule, check out our complete Heavy Metal CD Release Date calendar.

June 18, 2013
Angels Of Babylon - Thundergod (Scarlet)
Better Left Unsaid - Better Left Unsaid (Epochal)
Brutus - Behind The Mountains (Svart)
Bukowski Family - Unpleasantries Abundant (Artificial God)
Candlemass - Epicus Doomicus Metallicus - Live at Roadburn 2011 (Svart)
Cardiant - Verge (Inverse)
Carrier Flux - Objection (Code 666)
Crown - Psychurgy (Candlelight)
The Custodian - Necessary Wasted (The Lasers Edge)
Dark Moor - Ars Musica (Scarlet)
Death Dealer - War Master (Steel Cartel)
Deveykus - Pillar Without Mercy (Tsadik)
Falling In Reverse - Fashionably Late (Epitaph)
Fell Voices - Regnum Saturni (Gilead)
Fractured Spine - Songs Of Slumber (Inverse)
Heart Attack - Stop Pretending (Apathia)
High On Fire - Spitting Fire Live Vol. 1 and 2 (eOne)
Infinita Symphonia - Infinita Symphonia (Scarlet)
Kalmah - Seventh Swamphony (Spinefarm)
Lychgate - Lychgate (Gilead)
Masterplan - Novum Initium (AFM)
Meads Of Asphodel - Sonderkommando (Candlelight)
Nox Ultima - From Delirium To Catharsis (Inverse)
One Minute Silence - Fragmented Armageddon EP (Micro, Inc.)
Pitch Black Process - Hand Of God (Sliptrick)
Potential Threat SF - Civilization Under Threat (Old School Metal)
Unconventional Disruption - Flood To Euthanasia (Memorial)
Valient Thorr - Our Own Masters (Volcom)

Into The Flood, who hail from Seattle, just released their debut album Vices. The band's guitarist Jacob Sacquitne introduces us to Into The Flood, talking about their history, the songwriting and recording of the album, tour plans, his musical beginnings, the Seattle metal scene and other subjects.

Read the complete Into The Flood Interview

(photo courtesy Century Media Records)

The annual Carnival Of Madness Tour returns again this summer. This year's headliners will be Shinedown. Other bands on the bill include Papa Roach, Skillet, In This Moment and We As Human. The trek launches August 13 in Cleveland.

Shinedown, Papa Roach, Skillet, In This Moment and We As Human Tour Dates:
8/13 -- Cleveland, OH -- Jacobs Pavilion at Nautica
8/14 -- Philadelphia, PA -- Mann Center for the Performing Arts
8/16 -- Canandaigua, NY -- Marvin Sands Performing Arts Center
8/17 -- Cincinnati, OH -- PNC Pavilion at Riverbend Music Center
8/18 -- Bloomington, IL -- US Cellular Coliseum
8/20 -- Burgettstown, PA -- First Niagara Pavilion
8/21 -- Bristow, VA -- Jiffy Lube Live
8/23 -- Tinley Park, IL -- First Midwest Bank Amphitheatre
8/25 -- Cedar Rapids, IA -- U.S. Cellular Center
8/27 -- Clarkston, MI -- DTE Energy Music Theatre
8/28 -- Big Flats, NY -- Tags
8/30 -- Charlotte, NC -- Verizon Wireless Amphitheater
8/31 -- Virginia Beach, VA -- Farm Bureau Live
9/1 -- Raleigh, NC -- The Red Hat Amphitheater
9/6 -- Allegan, MI -- Allegan County Fair
9/10 -- Morrison, CO -- Red Rocks Amphitheatre
9/14 -- Sacramento, CA -- Discovery Park

5 Questions With... is your chance to get to know a new or up-and-coming metal band. Mirthless are a funeral doom trio from Peru. The band's vocalist, also named Mirthless, introduces us to his band.

Give us a brief history of Mirthless.
Mirthless emerged in the beginning of 2003 by two sinister souls Mirthless and Satyricon then another fallen soul appeared: Soulless. We composed and recorded a rehearsal tape called Rehearsal I. At the end of 2004, we recorded our demo debut called Remembrances. In 2009, we recorded a 10 inch ... A Las Orillas del Mar... which was released by a Japanese label.

Satyricon quit the band for personal reasons and was replaced by Schizophrenic in 2011. In 2012, we entered to studio to record the album debut A Dirge For Your Suicide. Nowadays, we are composing new tracks into extreme doom metal for suicide souls.

Describe the songwriting and recording process for A Dirge For Your Suicide.
The process of composition/recording was analog sound step by step with harmonies, whispering voices and solitude. The main lyrical themes were personal spirituality, mysticism and depression.

How would you characterize the style/sound of the album?

Read More...

Every Friday I turn the blog over to Dan Marsicano for his Retro Recommendation, giving you a chance to learn about underrated and overlooked gems from metal's past. This week, Absu are in the spotlight. The Texas band helped develop the American black metal scene in the '90s. Their second album, 1995's The Sun of Tiphareth, is this week's Retro Recommendation.

Retro Recommendation: Absu - The Sun of Tiphareth

Other Recent Retro Recommendations:

• Sarcofago - The Laws Of Scourge
• Extreme - Waiting For The Punchline
• Anvil - Hard 'n' Heavy
• Quartz - Stand Up And Fight
• Vain - No Respect
• Dr. Mastermind - Dr. Mastermind

Evile hail from the U.K., but their brand of thrash is straight out of the Bay Area. Their fourth full-length Skull was just released. I caught up with vocalist Matt Drake for a discussion on their preparation and recording of the new album, their upcoming tour plans including a possible U.S. tour, his aversion to social media and other topics.

Read the complete Evile Interview

(photo courtesy Earache/Century Media Records)

We have some high profile album reviews this week, including Black Sabbath and Megadeth. We have also collected two dozen short reviews of the latest metal albums in one convenient article. Aborym, Author And Punisher, Celldweller, Church Of Misery, Civil War, Creations, Dark Buddha Rising, Days Of Anger, The Devil's Blood, Drunk Dad, Fejd, Full Of Hell, Gyze, Haust, Integrity, Jorn, Lacrimas Profundere, Magnus Karlsson's Free Fall, Necronomicon, Noisem, Power Trip, Scum From The Sun, Seth, Summoning, Trail Of Tears and Zombie Sam are featured this week.

New Heavy Metal Album Reviews: June 12, 2013

Recent full CD reviews:
The Black Dahlia Murder - Everblack
Black Sabbath - 13
Children Of Bodom - Halo Of Blood
Deafheaven - Sunbather
Evile - Skull
Megadeth - Super Collider
Scale The Summit - The Migration
Tristania - Darkest White

(CD cover courtesy A389 Records)

Here are the new heavy metal CD releases for this week.   For the most detailed and up-to-date schedule, check out our complete Heavy Metal CD Release Date calendar.

June 11, 2013
Aborym - Dirty (Agonia)
Arrayan Path - IV: Stigmata (Pitch Black)
Author & Punisher - Women & Children (Seventh Rule)
Black Sabbath - 13 (Vertigo)
The Black Dahlia Murder - Everblack (Metal Blade)
Cardinals Folly - Strange Conflicts of the Past (Shadow Kingdom)
Celldweller - Celldweller Re-Release (Celldweller Productions)
Children Of Bodom - Halo Of Blood (Nuclear Blast)
Church Of Misery - Thy Kingdom Scum (Metal Blade)
Civil War - The Killer Angels (Despotz)
Creations - Unworthy/Humility (Mediaskare)
Dark Buddha Rising - Dakhmandal (Svart)
Deafheaven - Sunbather (Deathwish)
The Devil's Blood - III: Tabula Rasa or Death and the Seven Pillars (Metal Blade)
Drunk Dad - Morbid Reality (Eolian Empire)
Evile - Skull (Earache)
Famous Underground - Famous Underground (Dust On The Tracks)
Fejd - Nagelfar (Napalm)
Fin - Fated By Will And Iron (Disorder)
Full Of Hell - Rudiments Of Mutilation (A389)
Haust - No (Fysisk Format)
Hopeajärvi - Hopeajärvi (Ektro)
House Vs. Hurricane - Crooked Teeth (Equal Vision)
Integrity - Suicide Black Snake (Magic Bullet)
Into The Flood - Vices (Century Media)
Johansson & Speckmann - Sulphur Skies (Vic)
Jorn - Traveler (Frontiers)
Lacrimas Profundere - Antiadore (Napalm)
Magnus Karlsson - Freefall (Frontiers)
Master - Unknown Soldier (Vic)
Necronomicon - Rise Of The Elders (Season Of Mist)
Noisem - Agony Defined (A389)
Power Trip - Manifest Decimation (Southern Lord)
Scale The Summit - The Migration (Prosthetic)
Scum From The Sun - 4 (Avantgarde)
Septicflesh - Esoptron Re-Release (Season Of Mist)
Seth - The Howling Spirit (Season Of Mist)
Summoning - Old Mornings Dawn (Napalm)
Trail Of Tears - Oscillation (Massacre)
Tristania - Darkest White (Napalm)

After the death of Ronnie James Dio, several former bandmates and friends of the legendary singer formed the band Dio Disciples to honor and keep his music alive. Craig Goldy co-wrote several Dio albums with Ronnie, and was the guitarist in the band for many years. I spoke with Goldy about Dio Disciples, the reissues of Dio's Magica album and a classic DVD, whether there's any Dio material in the vault that might be released and other topics.

Read the complete Craig Goldy Interview

(photo courtesy PG Brunelli)

Philip H. Anselmo will take to the road for his first-ever solo tour, "Technicians of Distortion," which will kick off July 31 in Tulsa, OK. On the tour Anselmo will be joined by his back up band The Illegals - guitarist Marzi Montazeri, bassist Steve Taylor and drummer Jose Manual Gonzalez. Anselmo's debut solo album Walk Through Exits Only will be released July 16. Opening bands on the tour will be Warbeast and Author and Punisher.

"It is an incredible pleasure to do my first solo tour with my brothers in Warbeast and to introduce the mighty Author and Punisher to the extreme music audience properly," said Anselmo. "This is a killer program of insane variety, so come out and support the gigs!!!!"

Phil Anselmo, Warbeast and Author and Punisher Tour Dates:
7/31/13 -- Cain's Ballroom -- Tulsa, OK
8/2/13 -- Wooly's -- Des Moines, IA
8/3/13 -- First Avenue -- Minneapolis, MN
8/4/13 -- House of Blues -- Chicago, IL
8/6/13 -- House of Blues -- Cleveland, OH
8/7/13 -- The Intersection -- Grand Rapids, MI
8/9/13 -- Royal Oak Music Theatre -- Royal Oak, MI
8/10/13 -- Danforth Music Hall -- Toronto, ONT Canada
8/11/13 -- Heavy MTL Festival -- Montreal, QC Canada
8/13/13 -- The Palladium -- Worcester, MA
8/14/13 -- Upstate Concert Hall -- Clifton Park, NY
8/16/13 -- Best Buy Theatre -- New York, NY
8/17/13 -- Union Transfer -- Philadelphia, PA
8/18/13 -- The Fillmore -- Silver Spring, MD
8/20/13 -- The Masquerade (Heaven Stage) -- Atlanta, GA

(photo courtesy Housecore Records)