New Releases From UMBRA VITAE, APOCALYPTICA & More Out Today 6/7

This week’s new heavy metal releases include Cello covers of Metallica with dudes from Metallica, two incredible sludgy records, and more! To the metals…

Apocalyptica – Plays Metallica Vol. 2

Genre: Cello Metallica covers
Origin: Helsinki, Finland
Label: Throwdown

Buy now on Amazon

The title on this one lets you know just about everything you need to know. This time the lads with cellos (and a drummer) are covering “One,” “The Four Horseman,” “The Unforgiven II,” and more. They have some guests with them like ex-Leather Charm vocalist James Hetfield, Infectious Grooves bassist Robert Trujillo, and sorta Cliff Burton as their take on “The Call Of Ktulu” includes his original bass.

Dysrhythmia – Coffin Of Conviction

Genre: Progressive/math metal
Origin: New York City, New York
Label: Nightfloat Recordings

Buy now on Bandcamp

After a quarter century in the game, you should know what you’re in for with Dysrhythmia. Their ninth album is another gem-filled collection of instrumental mayhem that shifts rhythms constantly, embraces atypical sonic styles, and frankly makes me feel a little stupid.

Evergrey – Theories Of Emptiness

Genre: Progressive/power metal
Origin: Gothenburg, Sweden
Label: Napalm

Buy now on Bandcamp

Album number fourteen from Tom Englund and the lads is another proggy epic of mighty earworms. This is their first with new drummer Simen Sandnes (Temic) and includes a rad guest spot from Katatonia‘s Jonas Renkse. I think an album from Englund and Renkse would be pretty neat, so hopefully this is planting a seed for more.

Hippotraktor – Stasis

Genre: Post-metal/progressive
Origin: Mechelen, Belgium
Label: Pelagic Records

Buy now on Bandcamp

Up next we have the first of two albums this week that I hope will propel their respective bands into the next level. Hippotraktor are a band with a hell of a name and Stasis is a hell of a record. They putting a unique, proggy spin on the post-metal thing that feels so fresh. Huge recommendation on this one for fans of the slow and heavy stuff that plays with tension.

Huntsmen – The Dry Land

Genre: Sludge/doom
Origin: Chicago, Illinois
Label: Prosthetic

Buy now on Bandcamp

And here’s the other record that should send the band up the ranks. Again, they’re putting a cool twist on the low and slow heavy subgenre. Like the rest of their output there’s a haunting twang on this one coupled with triple vocal harmonies over the top of crushing metal.

Umbra Vitae – Light Of Death

Genre: Death metal
Origin: Boson, Massachusetts
Label: Deathwish

Buy now on Bandcamp

Taking this week’s entry home with a supergroup’s sophomore release. After four years Jacob Bannon (Converge), Sean Martin (Twitching Tongues), Mike McKenzie (The Red Chord), Jon Rice (Uncle Acid & The Deadbeats/The Red Chord) and Greg Weeks (The Red Chord) are back showing you that they know how to death metal still. And this is some of that chunky, nasty death metal too. Max has a review here.

Also dropping this week…

• Ad Patres – Unbreathable (Non Serviam Records) – Death metal
• AxamentA – Spires (Self-released) – Progressive metal
• Between The Killings – The Killing Quartet Vol. 2: Omnipotence (Comatose Music) – Brutal death metal
• Brazen Tongue – Of Crackling Embers & Sorrows Drowned (Self-released) – Melodic death metal/thrash
• Blynd – Unbeliever (Pitch Black Records) – Heavy metal/thrash
• Bon Jovi – Forever (Island) – Rock/glam
• Candy – It’s Inside You (Relapse) – Hardcore
• Cruce Signatus – Cruce Signatus (Cruce Signatus) – Cruce Signatus
• Darko – Starfire (Self-released) – Experimental deathcore
• Deathwish – The Fourth Horseman (Beer City Records) – Thrash/hardcore
• Devil Moon Risen – Fissures Of Men (DMR Recordings) – Punk/desert rock
• Dislimn – Esmee (Octopus Rising) – Hard rock/doom
• Drip-Fed – Sold For Parts (I.Corrupt.Records/Head2Wall Records) – Hardcore/punk
• Dvrk – Infinite Reminiscence EP (Season Of Mist) – Deathcore/nu metal
• Enter Shikari – Dancing On The Frontline (SO) – Metalcore
• Fool The Masses – It’s All Lost (Dr. Music Records) – Industrial/metalcore
• From A Nightmare – Doom State (Self-released) – Metalcore/groove metal
• Grand Demise Of Civilization – The Blaze Of Abaddon (Ordovician Records) – Black metal
• Grand Slam – Wheel Of Fortune (Silver Lining) – Hard rock
• Richard Henshall – Mu Vol. 1 (Self-released) – Jazz rock
• Hide And Shine – Soft Machines (Self-released) – Rock/Americana
• Holy Mother – Rise (Massacre) – Heavy/power metal
• Holycide – Towards Idiocracy (Xtreem Music) – Thrash
• The Hu – The Hu Live at Glastonbury (Better Noise) – Folk/heavy metal
• Insect Ark – Raw Blood Singing (Debemur Morti) – Avant-garde metal
• Intranced – Muerte Y Metal (High Roller Records) – Heavy metal
• Issa – Another World (Frontiers) – Melodic rock
• Loverboy – Live In ’82 (earMusic) – Rock
• Missing Link – Watch Me Bleed (Triple B) – Hardcore
• Mythraeum – Oblivion Aeternam (M-Theory) – Black metal
• Nightmare – Encrypted (AFM) – Heavy/power metal
• Noroth – Sacrificial Solace (Carbonized Records) – Death metal
• Odio Deus – Spiritual Syphilis (Wormholedeath) – Black metal
• Okular – Regenerate (Regenerative Productions) – Death metal
• The Omnific – The Law of Augmenting Returns (Wild Thing Records) – Progressive metal
• Ordalie – Indifferent Universe (Paragon Records) – Ambient black metal
• Porcupine – All Is Vapor (New Mortality Zine) – Hardcore/punk
• Psychic Graveyard – Wilting (Artoffact Records) – Psychedelic rock
• Rarity – Lower Feeling (New Damage Records) – Post-hardcore/pop-punk
• Rendezvous Point – Dream Chaser (Long Branch) – Melodic/progressive metal
• Sect – Plagues Upon Plagues (Southern Lord) – Metalcore
• Severe Torture – Torn From The Jaws Of Death (Season Of Mist) – Death metal
• Swelling Repulsion – Fatally Misguided (Transcending Obscurity Records) – Progressive/melodic death metal
• Titan – Forced Worship (OMYAC Records) – Death metal/thrash
• Vomit The Soul – Massive Incineration (Unique Leader Records) – Brutal death metal
• Withering Surface – Exit Plan (Mighty Music) – Melodic death metal
• WyndRider – Revival (Electric Valley Records) – Stoner/doom