Five For Friday: June 12, 2020

Hello, dear readers.

I hope this list of new releases find you well. And I really mean that. I don’t just say it as a poorly disguised expression of workplace hostility that it totally means 99% of the time.

This week’s batch of albums includes some techy deathcore, the latest installment of 20 Buck Spin’s extreme metal dominance, and much more!

Check it out:

Aversions Crown – Hell Will Come for Us All

Here’s that techy deathcore I was referring to. Anversions Crown’s sound is a good summation of much of the previous decade’s prominent metal. Hell Will Come for Us All is the band’s fourth album, following up 2017’s Xenocide.

Stream: Apple Music

A Light in the Dark – Insomnia

For those of you still proudly flying the black-gaze banner, here’s another warrior answering the call. A Light in the Dark is a Russian export, and Insomnia is the project’s third outing. The black metal here is very subdued, adding sharp edges to the thick layers of post-rock electronics and moody sections that recall This Will Destroy You, Caspian, and Explosions in the Sky.

Nemesium – Continua

Australian blackened death metal played in a thoroughly Swedish style- recalling bands like Hypocrisy, God Dethroned, Naglfar, and many others. The band serves up a rich feast of riffs both brutal and melodic, drum lines both crushing and groovy, and consistently guttural vocals to hold it all together.

Stream: Apple Music

Ulthar – Providence

The mighty Ulthar returns! That’s um, quite some album artwork isn’t it? Whether it’s meant as a denunciation or celebration of promiscuity I’ll leave up to you. But in any case, Providence rips and tears through eight tracks of sickening, raw blackened death.

Stream: Apple Music

Valdrin – Effigy of Nightmares

Effigy of Nightmares, the latest from Cincinnati’s finest, is almost entrancing in it’s blending of approaches: atmospheric (lots of reverb on those vocals, always a plus), but still powerful in terms of riffs and beats. While the band’s excellent early work stands very much in the blue-cover melodic black metal tradition, Valdrin now seems ready to transcend those influences with occasional proggy and dissonant flourishes to try and clear their own path.

Stream: Apple Music