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
Extinction A.D. – Culture of Violence (crossover thrash)
There I was, claiming I’d be happy for Extinction A.D. to simply go about releasing killer four-track EPs every few years, only for the band to turn around and drop an absolute monster of a full-length record. The This is Hell offshoot made leaps and bounds with 2018’s Decimation Treaty, but Culture of Violence takes things to a whole new level—literally! You want Pantera-style stomp and groove sans the underlying racism? Then Extinction A.D. are your band. Not only do they directly rally against police brutality on “1992”, but the album is packed with enough riffage to level any social injustice you care to point them at. Seriously, this thing goes hard as hell and firmly establishes Extinction A.D. as one of the best modern thrash bands in the game.
See Also: Converge – The Poacher Diaries (Redux); I had no idea this was even a thing until I perused this very list, but given the Redux version of You Fail Me was an absolute revelation I can’t wait to hear it.
Last Week’s Biggest Surprise: Arkaik – Labyrinth of Hungry Ghosts; The singles from this album didn’t grab me for whatever reason, but this album is an absolute beast and the tech-death standout of the year so far.
–Josh Bulleid