New Release Highlights: June 16th 2017

This is the first of my weekly new releases updates, where I will be sharing what I consider to be the cream of the week's new (mainly) Metal releases. The main purpose of these posts isn't to recommend quality new releases, rather it is to keep you guys informed of notable releases week to week. What you do with this information is entirely up to you, but I will provide a link to a song from each album for you to listen to if you so desire.

To be honest, just about all of the featured albums will be ones I'm personally interested in, but there will be times when a big release deserves a mention, even if it isn't something I'm really into.

Ok, that's enough explaining. Now it's time to get to the actual point of the post. Here are this week's Metal highlights complete with a short overview text for each one.

Iced Earth - Incorruptible

US Trad Metal veterans Iced Earth were rejuvenated in 2011 with the addition of powerhouse vocalist Stu Block and are now on their third album with him at the helm. One of the most under-rated Metal bands to have formed in the 80s, Iced Earth have proven themselves by their longevity and the fact that they are still churning out quality albums, where many of their peers have long since split or vanished into obscurity.

CKY: The Phoenix

CKY are probably best known for their connection and involvement with the MTV show, Jackass and feature one Jess Margera (brother of Jackass member Bam) on drums. The band had moderate success in the early 00s with the  Infiltrate.Destroy.Rebuild and An Answer Can Be Found albums. Have they risen again liked the famed bird after which the new album is named? That remains to be seen.

Carach Angren - Dance and Laugh Amongst the Rotten

Spooky Dutch Symphonic Black Metallers Carach Angren have been underground mainstays for almost 15 years and on this, their 5th full length, could finally be set to establish themselves as major players in the scene. Their creepy and unique take on Black Metal makes them a far more interesting prospect than many of their peers as they take their listeners on a journey using in-depth storytelling and immersive, multi-layered soundcapes.

Igorrr - Savage Sinusoid

Igorrr has no regard or respect whatsoever for genre boundaries and he will gleefully bombard the listener with what is quite frequently a dischordant noise. Not one for the faint of heart or for those who prefer traditional ideas of song structure. This French madman has been known to fuse Death Metal, Electronica, Trip Hop, Baroque, Jazzm Breakcore and more into his music, occasionally on the same track.

Suffocation - ...of the Dark Light

US Death Metal legends, Suffocation should need no introduction, but for the uninitiated, the band play good old fashioned Brutal Technical Death Metal and, I'm pleased to say, show no signs of mellowing with age.

Wizard - Fallen Kings

I think I have already made it very clear in the past that Power Metal is certainly not my genre of choice and is not something that I am generally very clued up on, beyond the likes of Dream Evil, Firewind, Dragonforce, et al, who I tend to see as nothing more than an amusing and ironic guilty pleasure. Needless to say then, that despite them having been around for the best part of 3 decades, I had, until this point, not crossed paths with "The German Manowar" before, but to be honest, they are nothing more than a facsimile of the original "Kings of Metal" and are only recommended for hardcore Manowar fans desperate for a new fix of "True Metal".

Royal Blood - How Did We Get So Dark?

Last up this week are Brighton-based Garage / Stoner / Psychedelic noise duo, Royal Blood. The band may well take influences from many who have come before them, but they twist them into something fresh and forward looking, Jimmy Page himself has said that the band are "going to take Rock into a new realm" and if that isn't high enough praise, then I don't know what is.