Greetings, Decibel listeners.
[Insert lame and worn out joke about yesterday being 4/20 here.]
Ha. Ha. Ha. Weed, am I right, guys? Ha. Ha. Ha.
Here are some new releases.
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Bonginator – The Intergalactic Gorebong of Deathpot
lol. Imagine Party Cannon but make add stuff about space into the mix. Here are some of the Pulitzer-quality lyrics from “Zombie Party Rockers”:
Only half a mile away,
They hear death metal music,
House show filled with beer and weed,
The perfect feeding ground,
As they approach no one is shocked,
They fit right into the crowd of thrashers,
Drunk idiots covered in puke,
The time has come to eat the living
Stream: Apple Music
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Concealed Blade – 2023 PROMO
Every few years, a wave of bands comes around that breathes new life into 80s hardcore, from the raw and dirty days before everything got refined through the machines of youth crew and crossover. Pittsburgh is a particularly vibrant and fertile garden of riffs at the moment, and Concealed Blade is one incredible basket of fruits. Sink your teeth into the band’s latest promo. A good friend of mine hipped me to this last week, and even though it’s not “new” for this week, it still deserves a bump from us here.
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Dawn of Ouroboros – Velvet Incandescence
Energetic and exciting progressive black metal. The band uses a healthy mix of aggression and melody to create an engaging sound for all types of audiences. Not a lot of bands find a way to effectively squeeze epic guitar solos into this style, so it’s impressive to hear Dawn of Ouroboros do it.
Stream: Apple Music
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Pestifer – Defeat of the Nemesis
Here’s how my colleague Jon Rosenthal described Pestifer last month:
Okay, so technical death metal isn’t the most joyous listen. It’s serious stuff–the musicians are pulling out all the stops and you have to pay attention to each and every detail if you want to understand half of what might be going on. But, what if I told you it could be fun? Technical death metal band Pestifer craft music which is as fun as it is dazzling. Yes, the riffs are some super serious business, but there is this ’70s sci-fi type of atmosphere surrounding it (no hyperreal aliens, here), which evokes a playfulness Pestifer’s peers simply miss in their quest to outdo each other. It brings joy! It’s fun!
Stream: Apple Music
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Undrask – God Emperor
What would happen if you mixed the power of Amon Amarth with the spirit of Windir? You’d get something like the lumbering colossus that is Undrask‘s new album. The riffs are big, the solos are epic, and the production is slick but still has enough grit to keep it interesting.