Editor’s Note: Do you think we “missed” an album this week? Click here.
Each month, we always seem to come to the same conclusion when it comes to our Editors’ Picks column: Friday release days open the floodgates and unleash a seemingly endless stream of quality new music. But while some of our Editors and Contributors sit down gleefully each week to dive into this newly stocked treasure trove, others find themselves drawing a blank at the end of the month due to the breakneck pace needed to keep up to date with what’s been released. Which brings us to this Heavy Blog PSA: a weekly roundup of new albums which pares down the week’s releases to only our highest recommendations. Here you’ll find full album/single streams, pre-order links and, most importantly, a collection of albums that could very well earn a spot on your year-end list. Enjoy!
Top Picks
Burn In Hell – Disavowal of the Creator God (hardcore, powerviolence)
Death to white nationalism
Death to colonial Australia
Death to all racists
Burn in fucking Hell
See Also: Dragged Under – We’ll Do It Live Live EP; containing some choice cuts from one of last year’s best records.
Last Week’s Biggest Surprise: Ellmist – Elimist; surprisingly decent and extra-proggy progressive tech-death based on the Animorphs mythos.
–Josh Bulleid
Lingua Ignota – Sinner Get Ready (neoclassical darkwave, death industrial)
Kristin Hayter has been busy since dropping Caligula (2019). She collaborated with Lee Buford (The Body) and Dylan Walker (Full of Hell), for last year’s Sightless Pit album and helped Alexis Marshall of Daughters fame create his solo debut from last month, House of Lull . House of When. Now she’s back with another Lingua Ignota project, a.k.a another harrowing blend of darkwave, death industrial, and operatic vocals that dives into deeply personal lyrical themes. If this is just on the same level as Caligula, then it will be one of my top picks from the year.
See Also: Ishmael Ensemble – Visions of Light (nu-jazz, trip-hop); I’m a simple man — I see a nu-jazz album with nice, modern album art, I give it a spin. Based on the lead singles, Ishmael Ensemble lean into the electronic side of the genre, particularly ambient and melodic hip-hop textures.
–Scott