This week is the five-year anniversary of New & Noteworthy, and I have to say, it has been a wild and crazy five years. The amount of material that has been covered on this column is mind-boggling to consider. It has been my absolute privilege to bring you this content for all this time, and I look forward to continuing to do so for as long as I can.
That said, I’m extremely proud to say that this week’s lead album is from a band that is both a personal favorite of mine, and appearing on the column with an album of entirely new material for the very first time. The fact that it’s leading the column speaks volumes of how the metal community treats underground bands with the respect they deserve. Read up and enjoy!
Disarmonia Mundi, Cold Inferno (Coroner)
Disarmonia Mundi is a band that relies purely on their skills and their fans to gain popularity. The group is a two-person operation, featuring multi-instrumentalist and clean vocalist Ettore Rigotti alongside screamer Claudio Ravinale. They do no touring and exclusively produce studio albums, somehow finding time amidst Ravinale’s other vocal projects and Rigotti’s packed schedule as a record producer. On top of that, all of the band’s albums since 2004’s Fragments of D-Generation have featured guest vocals from Soilwork’s Björn Strid, which makes scheduling even harder. The results speak for themselves, though – Cold Inferno is the band’s fifth album, and the buzz for this album is easily the highest it has ever been for the band. If you want superb melodic death metal with some unexpected touches, this album is definitely worth your time.
Tremonti, Cauterize (Fret12)
Mark Tremonti’s solo band is back with its second album. This will be the first to feature Wolfgang Van Halen on bass, following his entry into the band as a full-time member in 2012. Those unfamiliar with Tremonti’s solo work and expecting anything similar to his work in Alter Bridge should prepare for a surprise, as Cauterize is full of the same thrash styles that made its predecessor such a pleasant surprise. It’s definitely worth checking out if you’re looking for an album that competently mixes thrash and melody into a unique package.
Lorna Shore, Psalms (Density)
New Jersey-based deathcore act Lorna Shore is the latest example of DIY attitude yielding positive results. Relentless touring and three self-released EP’s built a large following for the group, earning them spots on bigger events like South by Southwest 2014 and the 2015 New England Metal and Hardcore Festival. Their song “Life of Fear” was also used in the death metal cat video that was recently circulating the internet. Hopefully Psalms will give Lorna Shore a bigger claim to fame besides being the music of a cat meme.
The Night Flight Orchestra, Skyline Whispers (Coroner)
Björn Strid makes his second appearance in today’s column with the second album from his classic rock side project. While this is decidedly not a metal album, enough well-known figures from the metal world (Strid, Soilwork guitarist David Andersson, Arch Enemy bassist Sharlee D’Angelo) are involved with the project to merit its inclusion. If you enjoy breaking up your metal listening with hits from The Doors, Eric Clapton, or Jimi Hendrix, then this will be a perfect album for your ears.
Rise to Fall, End vs. Beginning (Coroner)
This Spanish metalcore group has had major breakthroughs around Europe and Japan, thanks to a strong touring presence and the raw talent present on their first two albums. End vs. Beginning displays the refinement and maturity of that raw talent into a cohesive sound, as the band relies less on their individual skills and more on creating music that has depth and progression. Rise to Fall is preparing to make a big impact, and this album could be the first step on that path.
