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
we broke the weather – we broke the weather (prog rock, jazz fusion)
I’ve had the pleasure of spinning an advance copy of we broke the weather’s debut over the past month or so, and it’s easily one of the best albums I’ve heard so far this year. The quintet pulls from vintage and modern prog influences alike to deliver a complete yet complex experience. Everything from jazz and fusion to math and post-rock also crop up along the way, as if King Crimson invited Colin Stetson and Casey from The Dear Hunter to help write a reunion album. Definitely a must-listen today.
See Also: Orville Peck – Bronco: Chapter 1 (alt-country, outlaw country); Pony was not only one of my favorite albums of 2019, it was one of the catalysts that finally helped country “click” for me. Needless to say, I’m extremely excited for this surprise preview EP (full album in April), especially after the wild country-rock teaser.
Wait – The End of Noise (progressive death metal); The band’s quasi-self-titled We Are In Transit EP offered a refreshing dose of progressive death metal with heaps of melody, technicality, and…well, prog. I’m excited to hear what the group has in store across a full album.
–Scott
Girish and the Chronicles – Hail to the Heroes (heavy metal, hard rock)
It might just be because it’s the middle of summer for us Southern Hemisphers, but the new Cult of Luna is doing absolutely nothing for me right now. What is doing wonders, however, and what is perfectly suited to the current heatwave is the glorious new record from everybody’s favourite Indian hair metal revivalists, Girish and the Chronicles.
Hail to the Heroes is a huge step up from GATC’s previous release(s), while being a significantly more metal outing as well. This is not a coincidence. The added urgency and edge the Chronicles lay down on on Hail to the Heroes brings out the best in the band’s eponymous vocalist Girish Pradhan, allowing him to finally harness the true power of his banseemic wail. The band’s previous record certainly had its moments, but Hail to the Heroes is packed front to back with righteous bangers that draw on the tradition of Whitesnake and Dokken as well as more recent additions to the hair metal canon like Crashdïet and Crazy Lixx, relentlessly laying claim to a spot among their ranks.
See Also: We Broke the Weather – We Broke the Weather (psychedelic prog jazz); Nick’s band are really good you guys! Seriously. this is surprisingly accessible given its intimidating genre tag(s), and genuinely one of the best albums I’ve heard so far this year.
–Josh Bulleid