Five For Friday: December 3, 2021

Greetings, dear Decibel readers!

I’m sure I’ve harped on about this before (probably even did it this time last year, don’t care!), but if you’re living in the U.S., you know what time of year it is! It’s time for you to hear Christmas music absolutely everywhere you go! It’d be one thing if it was mostly the traditional hymns or the Vince Guaraldi Trio album. I can vibe with that. I know, I know, “shh, let people enjoy things.” But as anyone who’s ever worked retail will tell you, it’d be nice if they pushed it to at least December 10 or so. Anything to not make us feel like we’re living in a one-party state as fellow grinch Christopher Hitchens once quipped.

Anyway, here are five new albums to enjoy between trips as you buy a gift for one family member who will re-gift it to another one next year!

Cheers!

Eternal Evil – The Warriors Awakening Brings the Unholy Slaughter

With an album title like that, you know you’re in for some unironic metal devotion! The latest rebirth of thrash continues apace on this Swedish outfits debut album. If you’re into the 80s German sound and dig the blackened thrash of bands like Aura Noir, you’ll dig tracks like “The Nocturnal Omen” and “Terror of the Sphinx.”

Stream: Apple Music

Genocide Pact – Genocide Pact

Genocide Pact, along with Jarhead Fertilizer, was one of the bands who blew me away when I saw them in Philly after night one of Decibel Metal and Beer Fest. Brutal, dark and ferocious, this is the kind of cathartic satisfaction you look for from heavy music. I like the clear tribute to Napalm Death‘s Scum on the album cover as well.

Stream: Apple Music

Hypocrisy – Worship

Do you like heavy and melodic riffs? Do you like veteran bands who deliver one fantastic album after another? Do you think aliens are cool? Great! Hypocrisy has a new album for you! There are legions of newer bands out there trying to sound like this, and none of them can come close to Peter and co.

Stream: Apple Music

Morgul Blade – Fell Sorcery Abounds

This is what heavy metal devotion sounds like. You can tell immediately these guys are committed to the craft of classic metal, but are able to seamlessly infuse black and death metal elements in a way that brings the darkness without spoiling the fun. For the non-nerds out there: a Morgul blade is a sword carried by the ring wraiths in J.R.R Tolkien’s legandarium. One of these such blades stabbed Frodo Baggins at the ruins of Amon Sûl, leaving him permanently scarred by the dark powers until he left Middle Earth for the Undying Lands. Learn something new every day, am I right?

Unanimated – Victory in Blood

Any time Unanimated reappears, it’s worth paying attention. On the band’s latest album, they follow the same trajectory as their last EP and In the Light of Darkness, that of straightforward melodic blackened death metal. It’s all very solid stuff. It doesn’t display the dynamic integration of hard rock sounds that defines masterpieces like In the Forest of the Dreaming Dead or Ancient God of Evil, but there isn’t much to complain about either.

Stream: Apple Music