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

2 years ago

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

Don Broco – Amazing Things (alt-metal, pop rock)

Even in a year as stacked as 2021, this is probably my most anticipated album of the year. 2018’s Technology is one of my favourite and probably most listened to albums of the last five years and every single they’ve released so far only suggests that unprecedented hot streak is going to continue with the aptly named Amazing Things.

See Also: Green Lung – Black Harvest (heavy metal, stoner-doom); Best Black Sabbath album since Sabotage (1975); New ETID as well, and even that new Dream Theater album is pretty good!

Last Week’s Best Album: Hippotraktor – Meridian (progressive post-metal); Shout out to Karlo for putting me on to this one.

Josh Bulleid

Every Time I Die – Radical (chaotic hardcore, southern hardcore)

New Every Time I Die! It’s new ETID, you should know what to expect by now. The raucous five-piece from Buffalo have been around for over 20 years now with Radical being their impressive ninth full-length, and somehow they’ve arguably gotten better with each album.

Based off the singles, the sound here is a predictable continuation from the last two albums. They’ve really dialed in their distinct chaotic hardcore sound with a southern edge, while getting tighter and slightly more progressive without losing their belligerent, raging party dad enthusiasm.

See Also: Sentinels – Collapse By Design (progressive metalcore, mathcore)

Trent Bos

Best of the Rest

Angel Du$t – YAK: A Collection of Truck Songs (pop-punk, power pop)

Apparition – Feel (death metal, death-doom)

Biffy Clyro – The Myth Of The Happily Ever After (alt-rock, prog rock)

Black Marble – Fast Idol (synthpop, coldwave)

Bloodred Hourglass – Your Highness (melodeath)

Can’t Swim – Change Of Plans (alt-rock, emo)

CHUGMACHINE – Black Water (deathcore, tech death)

Circa Survive – A Dream About Love (art rock, post-hardcore)

· C O G N O S · – COGNOS (prog metal, prog death)

Cradle of Filth – Existence Is Futile (symphonic black metal)

Creux Lies – Goodbye Divine (darkwave, post-punk)

The Dear Hunter – The Indigo Child: Prologue: Cycle 8 (art rock, prog rock)

Deerhoof – Actually, You Can (experimental pop)

Death Blooms – Life Is Pain (nu-metal)

Dream Theater – A View From The Top Of The World (prog metal)

Feral Season – Rotting Body In The Range Of Light (atmospheric black metal, USBM)

Green Lung – Black Harvest (heavy metal, stoner-doom)

Grouper – Shade (contemporary folk, ambient)

Hand Habits – Fun House (indie folk, dream pop)

Hand of Kaliach – Samhain (melodic death metal, folk metal)

Ignea/Ersedu – Bestia (symphonic metalcore, folk metal)

La Luz – La Luz (indie rock, surf rock)

Last Hounds – Burden (hardcore punk, nu-metal)

LIVLØS – And Then There Were None (melodeath, death metal)

Lone – Always Inside Your Head (acid house, hardcore breaks)

Massacre – Resurgence (death metal)

My Morning Jacket – My Morning Jacket (alt-country, neo-psych)

1914 – Where Fear And Weapons Meet (blackened death metal, blackened doom)

Parquet Courts – Sympathy For Life (indie rock, art punk)

Past Forms – CTRL (mathcore, screamo)

Peculate – Your Own Personal Abyss (avant-garde metal, mathcore)

Primeval Well – Talkin’ in Tongues with Mountain Spirits (experimental black metal, southern gothic)

Rogue – Phantom (prog metalcore, djent)

Ross From Friends – Tread (future garage, house)

Said The Whale – Dandelion (indie rock)

SEIMS – Four (math jazz, post-rock)

Sentinels – Collapse By Design (tech metalcore)

Slow Crush – Hush (shoegaze, post-rock)

Tonstartssbandht – Petunia (noise pop, neo-psych)

Trace Mountains – House Of Confusion (lo-fi, slacker rock)

Waking The Cadaver – Authority Through Intimidation (brutal death metal, deathcore)

Wicked – Begotten in Blight (death metal, tech death)

Worm – Foreverglade (death-doom, blackened doom)

Yenisei – Reflections (post-rock)

Scott Murphy

Published 2 years ago