Unholy shit — what an awesome release day!! It was pretty tough picking out which albums to feature, and while I’ve narrowed it down to some definite bangers, almost everything in the “Other Shit That Comes Out Today” section is worth checking out. Let’s get to it!

Tengger Cavalry

Northern Memory (self-released)

FFO Rammstein, The Hu

Listen “My Sky”

Raise your hand if you’ve learned more about history from metal bands than you ever did at school. Today’s lesson takes us to Central Asia, which I’m sure many of us haven’t studied beyond Mulan. According to Nature G, the creative force behind Mongolian folk-metal outfit Tengger Cavalry, their latest work Northern Memory is “a concept album based on the history of the waves of nomadic tribes (Hunnu, Cian-Bi, Khi-tan) that charged and immigrated into Northern China from modern Mongolian and Siberian regions throughout the centuries. Their paths have now blended into the modern farming societies of China. We aim to uphold the memory and history of these people with this album release.” Kerrang! dug even further into Nature’s (rather dark) background and his motives behind the album, which you can read about over here.

Idle Hands

Mana (Eisenwald)

FFO Sisters of Mercy, In Solitude

Listen “Give Me To The Night”

I really want this to make me sad, but it’s just not happening, Even though, at its core, Idle Hands’ debut full-length is brooding goth-rock, there’s just something about Mana that screams “good vibes”. Perhaps it’s the massive hooks, the catchy, often peppy melodies, or the nerd fantasy stuff explored in tracks like “Dragon, Why Do You Cry”. For those who like their metal raw, bleak, and gnarly, this record may leave something to be desired. But, if you can look past the sterile production and cringe lyrics, everything else about Mana will suck you in and keep you till it’s done with you.

Warforged

I, Voice (The Artisan Era)

FFO Opeth, Alkaloid, Artificial Brain

Listen “Voice”

It would be easy to say I, Voice is “an unconventional, progressive take on blackened tech-death” and call it a day, but this behemoth from Warforged is more of a mindfuck than I can begin to convey with half-assed journalism. It took the talents of 19 different musicians — members of Inferi, Artificial Brain, Alkaloid, Nile, and every other band under the sun — to make the colossal vision behind the record come to life. And while, at 73 minutes long, it’s a bit of an undertaking, I swear on my uncle’s cousin’s mother’s grave that it doesn’t become a drag. The constant tension and release, the push-pull of subtle energy, the dimensional jumps that come just when you think you know what to expect, keep those neurons firing and the dopamine levels at an all-time-high.

Spirit Adrift

Divided By Darkness (20 Buck Spin)

FFO Judas Priest, Haunt, Visigoth

Listen “Tortured By Time”

Fellow MetalSucks monkey Karen pretty much summed up my feelings on this album in her write-up: “Divided By Darkness delivers a high-flying, anthemic adventure that makes me feel like the lady on the cover — bearing a torch and here to kick ass.” If you’re in to the heavy metal revival bands like Haunt that’re all the rage right now, Spirit Adrift’s latest is for you. While less downtrodden than their previous efforts, Divided By Darkness still brings plenty of doom-‘n-gloom in to crash to the 80s leather extravaganza. It’s awesome, you’ll love it, and so will all your friends.

Dreadnought

Emergence (Profound Lore)

FFO SubRosa, Bathsheba

Listen “Besieged”

I’ve been waiting for this one foreeeeever. To say I’m fucking ecstatic would be an understatement. Less than two years ago, Denver’s Dreadnought turned heads with their third album A Wake In Sacred Waves. Not long after, they got picked up by Profound Lore and wasted no time getting to work on their latest masterpiece, Emergence (which was just featured on Adult Swim’s metal compilation, so that’s something.)

This music is just fantastic, folks. Dreadnought build on each of their members’ strengths to create a sound that’s 100% their own: saxophone, flute, piano, haunting female vocal harmonies, and dynamic, groovy percussion to tie it all together. However, unlike many bands that employ such a wide array of instruments, every single note on Emergence sounds like it belongs exactly where it was placed, like the music was pulled out of thin air and filled with intention before coming to us. If you like what you hear, see if you can’t catch them at Fire In The Mountains(!!!) or one of their other upcoming tour dates.

OTHER SHIT THAT COMES OUT TODAY

Inanimate Existence Clockwork (The Artisan Era) listen

The Accused A.D. The Ghoul In The Mirror (Blackhouse) listen

BillyBio Freedom’s Never Free EP (Bridge Nine) listen

Sünhopfer Hic Regnant Borbonii Manes (Debemur Morti) listen

Defeater Defeater (Epitaph) listen

My Epic Violence (Facedown) listen

Whitesnake Flesh & Blood (Frontiers) listen

We Never Learned To Live The Sleepwalker Transmissions (Holy Roar) listen

Zaum Divination (Listenable) listen

Borders Purify (Long Branch) listen

Abnormality Sociopathic Constructs (Metal Blade) listen

Arch/Matheos Winter Ethereal (Metal Blade) listen

Possessed Revelations Of Oblivion (Nuclear Blast) listen

Zig Zags They’ll Never Take Us Alive (RidingEasy) listen

Lice Woe Betide You (Season of Mist) listen

Suspiral Chasm (Sentient Ruin) listen

Bewitcher Under The Witching Cross (Shadow Kingdom) listen

Big|Brave A Gaze Among Them (Southern Lord) listen

Martyrdod Hexhammaren (Southern Lord) listen

Employed To Serve Eternal Forward Motion (Spinefarm) listen

Danny Worsnop Shades Of Blue (Sumerian) listen

Tähtiportti Abiristeily (Svart) listen

War Curse Eradication (Svart) listen

Call of the Void Buried in Light (Translation Loss) listen

Mental Cruelty Inferis (Unique Leader) listen

SHIT THAT COMES OUT AGAIN TODAY

Metal Church Metal Church (Vinyl) (Music On Vinyl) listen

Static-X Wisconsin Death Trip (Vinyl) (Music On Vinyl) listen

Thrice Artist In The Ambulance (Vinyl) (The Sound Of Vinyl) listen

SHIT THAT CAME OUT EARLIER THIS WEEK

At Home in Hell Self Identified Deity (self-released) listen