The world's greatest metal band, Metallica unite with their hometown symphony for a concert of symphonic metal magic to ring in opening night at San Francisco's new arena.
Italian gothic metal outfit, Lacuna Coil return with their ninth and heaviest album to date. Co-lead vocalist Cristina Scabbia reflects on the album's inspirations: "This record is basically us saying that it is OK not to be OK."
Twenty years into their career, instrumentally-driven trio Dysrhythmia still find new ways to surprise and astound listeners. Virtuosity isn't the only thing that matters here but it sure gives us a lot of marvel at on Terminal Threshold.
September is filled with exciting heavy releases, most notably the return of post-metal icons Cult of Luna, the sophomore record of post-black metal mavericks White Ward, and the resurrection of experimental proto-black metallers Mortem.
Neurosis and Jarboe collaborated on a stunning album of heavy metal experimentation back in 2003. Now the album has been remastered and it's time for a fresh appraisal.
Tool's Fear Inoculum meets nearly every expectation admirers could have and ranks as a worthwhile extension of the band's legacy.
For what is generally considered to be quiet month, the unearthly forces of the underground have produced a surprising amount of excellent works, with death metal and its black/death extension taking the lion's share.
King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard go full metal to craft a brutal warning against ecological destruction on their 15th studio album, Infest the Rats' Nest.
Lingua Ignota's second full-length CALIGULA continues her blend of opera, neoclassical darkwave, and death industrial. She transforms shattering lamentations into empowered declarations against misogyny, while also complicating the dominant narratives of women's trauma.
Sweden post-rockers Oh Hiroshima return with their first album in four years. Though some of the sounds are familiar, the band escape cliches and emerge with a deeply satisfying LP. Hear it in full ahead of tomorrow's release.
Ecstatic Vision's "Shut Up and Drive" challenges notions of heavy rock as it adds acoustic guitar and synthesizers to the spectrum.
Unconventional rock albums, from poppy sludge outfit Torche, noise rock masters Uzeda and post-hardcore outcasts Cherubs, along with the black metal fury of Falls of Rauros, False, Arkhaik, Celestial Grave and Sanguine Eagle and uncategorized extremists Immortal Bird are among this month's extreme output.
On Nighttime Stories, instrumental quartet Pelican make the most out of working without a singer, proving that some narratives are best built without words.
Admission isn't an enormous change in the sound of Torche, but rather an affirmation that this band insists on forging new paths and confounding expectations.
Slough Feg carry on their heavy metal journey while Darkthrone keep digging towards their proto-punk/heavy metal core. Baroness return with their most ambitious work to date, while Pinkish Black continue to explore the endless possibilities of synth driven extreme music.
The Spanish outpost of the legendary hard rock UK festival is back to confirm its place on the European hard rock map.
© 1999-2018 Popmatters.com. All rights reserved.
Popmatters is wholly independently owned and operated.
