Weekly Binge 1/30/2015

Plenty of great releases this week from almost every genre. Grindcore entrepreneurs, Napalm Death, stand tall with their new LP, "Apex Predator - Easy Meat". Following this are phenomenal releases by progressive bands Nightingale and Periphery with "Retribution" and "Juggernaut: Alpha & Omega" respectively. Other releases include albums by Angelus Apatrida, Ingested, Jorn Lande and Trond Holter, Lord Dying, Papa Roach, Sodom, Venom and more! Enjoy and feel free to comment below!

Also don't forget to check out the Top Hard Rock/Heavy Metal Albums of 2014!

Pick of the Week

Napalm Death - Apex Predator - Easy MeatRecommended Track: Beyond the Pale

Genre: Grindcore
Label: Century Media

Napalm Death have stood at the top of the grindcore heap for over 30 years and continue to adapt their style without sounding desperate. Their 15th LP, "Apex Predator - Easy Meat", continues vocalist Mark “Barney” Greenway's adaptation of socio-political tragedies into intense verse. In this case, we find the collapse of a poorly constructed sweatshop building in Bangladesh, wherein 1500 workers were killed. In other words, the "easy meat" (workers) became victims of the "apex predators"(big business). Greenway's passionate growls speak volumes, and the tight backing of Mitch Harris(guitars, backing vocals), Shane Embury(bass, backing vocals), and Danny Herrera(drums) pulls it all together. Songs such as “Dear Slum Landlord” and “Hierarchies” have Greenway singing in addition to his trademark barking roar, while the backing screeches of Harris make "Predator" one of the more lyrically versatile albums the band has released. 30 years is a long time, and Napalm Death show no signs of slowing down.

Runner-Ups

Nightingale - RetributionRecommended Track: The Voyage of Endurance

Genre: Progressive Rock
Label: InsideOut

Periphery - Juggernaut: Alpha & OmegaRecommended Track: Graveless

Genre: Progressive Metal
Label: Sumerian

Notables

Other notable releases this week include:

• 2Cellos - CelloverseGenre: Instrumental | Label: Portrait
• Angelus Apatrida - Hidden EvolutionGenre: Thrash Metal | Label: Century Media
• Ascension - The Dead of the WorldGenre: Black Metal | Label: Season of Mist
• Battleaxe - Power From the Universe Re-releaseGenre: NWOBHM | Label: SPV
• Battle Beast - Unholy SaviorGenre: Heavy Metal/Power Metal | Label: Nuclear Blast
• Black Sheep Wall - I'm Going to Kill MyselfGenre: Sludge Metal | Label: Season of Mist
• The Body and Thou - Released From Love/You, Whom I Have Always HatedGenre: Sludge Metal | Label: Thrill Jockey
• Diablo Blvd. - Follow The DeadlightsGenre: Death Metal/Thrash Metal | Label: Lifeforce
• Gov't Mule - Sco-MuleGenre: Blues Rock | Label: Evil Teen
• Grimoire - L'aorasie Des spectres rêveurs - EPGenre: Black Metal | Label: Eisenwald
• If These Trees Could Talk - Above The Earth, Below The Sky Re-releaseGenre: Post-Rock | Label: Metal Blade
• If These Trees Could Talk - Red Forest Re-releaseGenre: Post-Rock | Label: Metal Blade
• Ingested - The Architect of ExtinctionGenre: Death Metal | Label: Century Media
• Iron Witch - Single Malt - EPGenre: Sludge Metal | Label: Witch Hunter
• Jorn Lande and Trond Holter - Dracula: Swing of DeathGenre: Heavy Metal | Label: Frontiers
• Level 10 - Chapter 1Genre: Heavy Metal/Power Metal | Label: Frontiers
• Lord Dying - Poisoned AltarsGenre: Sludge Metal/Thrash Metal | Label: Relapse
• The Lone Bellow - Then the Morning CameGenre: Indie Rock | Label: Descendant
• Night Demon - Curse of the DamnedGenre: Traditional Metal | Label: Century Media
• Papa Roach - F.E.A.R.Genre: Hard Rock | Label: Eleven Seven
• Sodom - Sacred Warpath - EPGenre: Thrash Metal | Label: SPV
• Sumokem - The Madness of Lu Shen Ti Vol. 1Genre: Stoner Doom Metal | Label: Handshake
• Sweet & Lynch - Only To RiseGenre: Hard Rock | Label: Frontiers
• Venom - From the Very DepthsGenre: Black Metal | Label: NWOBHM
• Visigoth - The Revenant KingGenre: Power Metal | Label: Metal Blade
• Voices - LondonGenre: Progressive Black Metal | Label: Candlelight
• Xibalba - Tierra Y LibertadGenre: Death Metal/Hardcore | Label: Southern Lord

Thanks for reading and hope you found something new to listen to. See you next Friday for the next Weekly Binge where I will break down more notable goodies.

- The Catalyst

Weekly Binge 1/23/2015

This week is kind of slow with some of the more major releases (Angra, Armageddon) being pushed back to February. There's still a few albums worth mentioning, however. Power/progressive metal fans will love this week as get the debut release by Serious Black, "As Daylight Breaks", along with the stateside release of the fantastic "Get Your Bulls Out" by Messiah's Kiss. Other notables include a releases by The Decemberists, Marilyn Manson, and the return of female indie punk group Sleater-Kinney, among others. Enjoy and feel free to comment below!

Also don't forget to check out the Top Hard Rock/Heavy Metal Albums of 2014!

Pick of the Week

Serious Black - As Daylight BreaksRecommended Track: Arkhenaton

Genre: Power Metal
Label: AFM

Serious Black is yet another European super-group consisting of members from bands like Pyramaze, Visions of Atlantis, Blind Guardian, Helloween, Masterplan, et al. Usually in these culminations we receive a stand out track or two combined with filler. Luckily, Black has defied the norm and released a solid debut. On the one-two punch of album openers/singles "I Seek No Other Life" and "High and Low", vocalist Urban Breed (Trail of Murder, ex-Pyramaze) belts catchy choruses and the listener is instantly engaged. Luckily, the rest of the album is as solid as these two tracks as the band waivers through slow-paced ballads and fast-paced salvos. Each band member's talent shines with guitarists Dominik Sebastian (Edenbridge, ex-Astaroth, ex-Mortus) and Roland Grapow (Masterplan, ex-Helloween) working in concert, and bassist Mario Lochert (Emergency Gate, ex-Visions of Atlantis) and drummer Thomen Stauch (Savage Circus, ex-Coldseed, ex-Blind Guardian) keeping a steady rhythm. Keyboardist Jan Vacik (D-vision, ex-Dreamscape) shares a particularly wonderful piece with Breed in the title track backed by strings. Super-groups tend to come and go over in Europe, but Serious Black is definitely a case where the combination works and gives a lasting impression.

Runner-Up

Messiah's Kiss - Get Your Bulls Out!Recommended Track: Immortal Memory

Genre: Heavy Metal/Power Metal
Label: Massacre

Notables

Other notable releases this week include:

• Arcane - Known/Learned (2-Disc)Genre: Progressive Metal | Label: Sensory
• Breathless - Return to PangeaGenre: Thrash Metal | Label: Xtreem
• Dead City Ruins - Dead City RuinsGenre: Hard Rock | Label: Metalville
• The Decemberists - What a Beautiful World, What a Terrible WorldGenre: Folk Rock | Label: Capitol
• Lectern - Fratricidal ConcelebrationGenre: Death Metal | Label: Sliptrick
• Marilyn Manson - The Pale EmperorGenre: Industrial Rock | Label: Loma Vista
• Satan's Host - Pre-Dating God Part 1 & 2Genre: Blackened Heavy Metal | Label: Moribund
• Sleater-Kinney - No Cities To LoveGenre: Punk Rock/Indie Rock | Label: Sub Pop

Thanks for reading and hope you found something new to listen to. See you next Friday for the next Weekly Binge where I will break down more notable goodies.

- The Catalyst

Weekly Binge 1/16/2015

Well it's the start of a new year, and with January tends to come some decent releases looking to capitalize on the holiday drought, but nothing outright exceptional. This week, however, sees the stateside release of Witchrider's debut LP "Unmountable Stairs"; a most definitely exceptional release. Also releasing this week is Sylosis' "Dormant Heart" and 6:33's avant-garde debut "Deadly Scenes" along with plenty of re-releases by the label Metal Mind including albums by Candlemass, Clawfinger, and Benediction. See below for a full breakdown. Enjoy!

Also don't forget to check out the Top Hard Rock/Heavy Metal Albums of 2014!

Pick of the Week

Witchrider - Unmountable StairsRecommended Track: SP

Genre: Stoner Rock
Label: Fuzzorama

Witchrider rides fuzzy, Californian waves with an intensity Josh Hommes (Kyuss, Queens Of The Stone Age) could only imagine. The starting half of the album consisting of “OCD,” “One for Five” and “Black” get the dust swirling as tracks "Far From You" and "SP" come in for the sonic kill. Vocalist Dan Dorninger kills the desert sun groove, and the rest of the group rises on the sum of it's parts. Consider this a 2015 release because it's going to most definitely be on a few end of the year lists.

Runner-Ups

Sylosis - Dormant HeartRecommended Track: Harm

Genre: Melodic Death/Thrash Metal
Label: Nuclear Blast

6:33 - Deadly ScenesRecommended Track: Black Widow

Genre: Avant Garde/Progressive Metal
Label: Kaotoxin

Notables

Other releases this week include:

• Benediction - Grind Bastard Re-ReleaseGenre: Death Metal | Label: Metal Mind
• Benediction - Killing Music Re-ReleaseGenre: Death Metal | Label: Metal Mind
• Benediction - Organised Chaos Re-ReleaseGenre: Death Metal | Label: Metal Mind
• Benediction - Subconscious Terror Re-ReleaseGenre: Death Metal | Label: Metal Mind
• Benediction - Transcend the Rubicon/The Dreams You Dread Re-ReleaseGenre: Death Metal | Label: Metal Mind
• Candlemass - Candlemass Re-ReleaseGenre: Doom Metal | Label: Metal Mind
• Candlemass - Lucifer Rising Re-ReleaseGenre: Doom Metal | Label: Metal Mind
• Clawfinger - Life Will Kill You Re-ReleaseGenre: Rap Metal | Label: Metal Mind
• The Crown - Death Is Not DeadGenre: Melodic Death Metal/Thrash Metal | Label: Century Media
• Desolate Shrine - The Heart of the NetherworldGenre: Death Metal | Label: Dark Descent
• Einherjer - Av Oss, For OssGenre: Viking Metal | Label: Indie
• Exlibris - AfterealGenre: Power Metal | Label: Metal Mind
• Karma To Burn- Arch StantonGenre: Instrumental Stoner Metal | Label: FABA
• Pain of Salvation - Falling HomeGenre: Progressive Rock/Acoustic | Label: Inside Out
• Palisades - Mind GamesGenre: Metalcore/Techno-core | Label: Rise
• Panzer, The German - Send Them All To HellGenre: Heavy Metal/Thrash Metal | Label: Nuclear Blast
• Wednesday 13 - Monsters of the Universe - Come Out and PlagueGenre: Horror Metal/Heavy Metal | Label: Self

Thanks for reading and hope you found something new to listen to. See you next Friday for the next Weekly Binge where I will break down more notable goodies.

- The Catalyst