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
And So I Watch You From Afar – Jettison (post-rock, math rock)
The incendiary, instrumental Irish rockers in ASIWYFA return this week with their sixth full-length Jettison, their first in five years, marking the largest break between albums for the band. With this return comes a renewed sense of purpose, and a turn towards a more introspective, less-mathy and more post-rock focused sound. Following the path of friends in Maybeshewill, the band is accompanied for the first time by a string quartet. The high-energy, dancey riffs are still there, but the overall sound takes on a more expansive and cinematic feel. A bit of a bold yet welcome turn for a band who has remained largely consistent in sound, arguably to a fault, over their impressive now-17 year career.
See Also: Dreamtigers – Ellapsis (indie folk, post-emo-gaze); Keeping in the post-rock realm, learning that Phil from Caspian was a part of this project with members of Defeater had me very excited, and the first single did nothing to quell that anticipation.
–Trent Bos
Schizophrenia – Recollections of the Insane (thrash metal, death thrash)
Schizophrenia‘s debut EP was one of my favourite thrash releases of 2022 and their debut record more than delivers upon its promise. The band’s blend of early Slayer and Sepultura often borders on death metal in a manner reminiscent of recent In Malice’s Wake records, but with a gritty roughness in place of that band’s apocalyptic sheen. These Belgians are by no means reinventing the wheel, but there’s really no need to when they roll it this well.
See Also: Immolation – Acts of God (brutal death metal); Immolation have never released a bad album across their thirty-year career, and they aren’t about to start now. Acts of God is another outstanding entry in the band’s discography that stands apart due to its dissonant, blackened edge and a career-best performance from longtime sticksman Steve Shalaty. There’s a reason why Immolation are one of the most respected names in death metal, and Acts of God is simply one more.
–Josh Bulleid