Much like the fated phoenix from the ashes, Release Day Roundup is back from the dead and back to the rhythm of bringing you the best new releases. As you may have noticed, the post is also under new management while Scott takes a much-needed sabbatical in the name of propagating the species. We thank him for his service and hope he can pop in every now and then to recommend you some cool jazz or something. Otherwise, things should keep on rolling in much the same fashion as you’ve become accustom to (and expressed a lot of appreciation for in our absence, thank you!), albeit with more hair metal asides.
To kick off this new era, and make up for our technical-difficulty-induced tardiness, we’re bringing you a bumper post this week, covering all the best releases from the last two weeks, which have been absolutely stacked with some of the years’ best and biggest heavy releases.
Top Picks
Carrion Vael – Abhorrent Obsessions (brutal tech death, melodeathcore)
Comparisons between Carrion Vale and The Black Dahlia Murder are pretty unavoidable. Beyond vocalist Travis Lawson’s striking similarities to the late Trevor Strnad, the band tread a very similar line between technical melodeath and deathcore that owes and obvious debt to the Michigan mainstays. There are moments here that bring to mind more extreme acts, like Archspire and Cattle Decapitation as well – especially on outstanding opener “Wings of Deliverance” – along with a hearty dose of symphonics. Dare I say Abhorrent Obsessions is even better (and far more versatile) than the last few BDM records, and comparing it to one of modern metal’s most respected extreme metal outfits can hardly be that damning now can it?
Soilwork – Övergivenheten (melodic prog metal)
With Övergivenheten, Soilwork have completed the transition from melodeath mainstays to purveyors of modern, melodic progressive metal begun on 2019’s Verkligheten and hunted at pretty much throughout their entire career. The album’s not quite on par with their melodic death metal classics and could certainly use some trimming (I advise skipping over seven-minute snooze-fest “Nous Sommes la Guerre” on first listen). Nevertheless, Soilwork sound far more confident and accomplished here than they have for a few releases now, and they’re certainly a lot more adept at altering their sound and growing old gracefully than the Gothenberg gang seem to be. There really is no one else like them.
See Also: Those new Aronious and Arch Enemy albums also slap.
-Josh