New & Noteworthy, July 15th: Revival of Life

Posted by on July 15, 2014

suicidesilenceyoucantstopcd-300x300We’re at the midpoint of July and the beginning of the summer festival season, and there are some high-quality metal albums coming out today. You can always mix some humor with your metal by picking up the new Weird Al album today, if you feel so inclined. Otherwise, here is your list of heavy albums for consumption this week:

 

Suicide Silence, You Can’t Stop Me (Nuclear Blast)

 

This is the first Suicide Silence album released that does not feature Mitch Lucker. Following his tragic passing in 2012, Lucker was replaced by All Shall Perish’s Eddie Hermida, and all accounts say that he’s doing a great job. Hear it for yourself by listening to the full stream of the album before picking it up. You can also check out the video for the title track to see what the new Suicide Silence will look like in concert.

 

Grave Digger, Return of the Reaper (Napalm)

 

Grave Digger’s seventeenth album stylistically records some of their earlier work, according to vocalist Chris Boltendahl. Specifically, Boltendahl references their albums Heavy Metal Breakdown, Witch Hunter, and (not surprisingly) The Reaper. The second disc of this bonus edition contains two B-sides and a compilation of acoustic recordings taken from Grave Digger’s extensive back catalog. If you’re already planning ahead for the next 70,000 Tons of Metal cruise, Grave Digger is already confirmed as one of the bands appearing in 2015.

 

Novembers Doom, Bled White (The End)

 

Bled White is the ninth album from Chicago-based death/doom group Novembers Doom. As one of the originators of the death/doom genre, Novembers Doom has done much to advance its place in the metal world over the years. They still sound fresh and exciting on this album too, showing no sign of the fact that they’ve been around for a quarter-century at this point. The band has shown a talent for mixing all sorts of secondary and tertiary influences into their music in recent years, diversifying their sound to appeal to all sorts of metal fans.

 

Volumes, No Sleep (Mediaskare)

 

Breaking onto the scene around the time that Periphery was making djent a household term, Volumes has kept their place thanks to relentless touring and a die-hard following that made their debut album Via a bonafide success. No Sleep, the follow-up to Via, delivers the same djent-inspired progressive metalcore with groove and math metal influence. Give them a shot if you’re looking for a band similar to Your Memorial, This or the Apocalypse, or Northlane.

 

I the Breather, Life Reaper (Sumerian)

 

Word of I the Breather’s third full-length album first appeared in December, when the song “The Setting Sun” (later renamed “Setting:Sun”) debuted in music video form. The album was finished in time for the band to head out on this summer’s Warped Tour, and we’ve counted them as a band to watch if you’re heading out to a show. Vocalist Shawn Spann re-joined the band after missing the first week of the tour due to health problems, so if there was any question, attendees will be seeing the complete lineup of I the Breather.

 

Betraying the Martyrs, Phantom (Sumerian)

 

If Betraying the Martyrs wanted to get our attention, they certainly succeeded in doing so yesterday, when they released their cover of “Let it Go”, the hit song from Disney’s Frozen. It may not have been the cover anyone expected to hear of that song, but it definitely reached a lot of ears because of name recognition. As for the rest of the album, Betraying the Martyrs is a French deathcore band that mixes clean vocals and keyboards into a traditional deathcore frame. Worth a listen if you’re a fan of Chelsea Grin, Attila, or Thy Art is Murder.

 

United Nations, The Next Four Years (Temporary Residence)

 

United Nations is shrouded in mystery for a variety of reasons, most of which are label contracts and other legally-binding things. Former Thursday vocalist Geoff Rickly is the only member whose name is allowed to be officially mentioned as part of the project, but speculation is that the band’s lineup includes the likes of Daryl Palumbo (Glassjaw), Ben Koller (Converge), Lukas Previn (Acid Tiger), and some others. None of that really matters, though, because the song “Serious Business” is absolutely brilliant, and strongly indicates that this album will kick your ass. Go listen to it if you haven’t yet, and thank me later.

 

 

Next Week: Several high-profile releases populate our list, making for an exciting week! Get ready for more awesome metal coming in seven days!

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