Every Friday is new music release day. I dig through new release lists from sources like All Music, Metal Injection, Pitchfork, and Bandcamp to put together a queue of releases from bands and labels that might interest me. As I listen through the list, I add the stand out albums to a playlist for revisiting. This list is what I refer to as the First Pass. Some of the albums make it to my best of the month playlists. Others get tossed upon further review. Below is a list of albums from this week that made the first pass.
Macseal
Super Enthusiast
Emo, Math Pop
Fun and upbeat energy. A solid listen.
slow
VI – Dantalion
Doom, Funeral Doom
I do not like doom much, but certain albums, like this one, manage to sneak into my brain.
Fern Mayo
Week of Charm
Indie Pop
This album might be one song too long, but it has a lot of good on it.
Wells Valley
Reconcile The Antinomy
Sludge, Doom
Let the heaviness wash over you.
Pendant
Through a Coil
Rock
There seems to be a crop of bands putting out rock music influenced by bands from my youth. I can get behind that.
Hideous Divinity
Simulacrum
Technical Death Metal, Brutal Death Metal
This is in your face metal.
Grumpster
Underwhelmed
Pop Punk
This is a super catchy album.
Second to Sun
Legacy
Black Metal
A solid album for the genre.
Wiki
OOFIE
Hip-Hop
Interesting arrangements and flows.
Crimson Throne
The Resilience of Life & Death
Black Metal
This is just a two song seven inch, but the songs are great.
Hawthorne Heights
Lost Frequencies
Emo, Post-Hardcore
This is a collection of b-sides, rarities, and covers. It is solid, fun stuff.
Liturgy
H.A.Q.Q.
Black Metal, Experimental
This band puts out genre bending content that may be too weird for some, but it is really intriguing.
Mono
Before The Past – Live From Electrical Audio
Post-Rock
Three songs at thirty minutes; a serene live experience.
Sertraline
These Mills Are Oceans
Atmospheric Black Metal
Exactly the type of black metal that I enjoy the most.