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Friday, April 26, 2013

Metal Radar: Spring 2013

Hype Rating: A-
April 30: The Ocean – Pelagial
Post-metal, Progressive / Berlin, Germany

A concept album based on descending through the ocean, Pelagial is a single, massive piece of music that starts out with shimmering piano chords and ends with crushing doom metal. Take your pick from vocal or instrumental versions of this highly-anticipated album.




Hype Rating: C+
April 30: Deep Purple – Now What?!
Hard rock, Blues / Hertford, England

Back again with its 19th studio album, Deep Purple is still churning out solid, groovy albums and despite its ironic title, Now What?! should be another welcome addition to that legacy.






Hype Rating: B
May 14: Immolation – Kingdom of Conspiracy
Death Metal / New York, NY

After once again stomping on the copycats with 2010’s Majesty and Decay, brutal death metal veterans Immolation continue to up the ante with their trademark use of dissonance and suffocating songwriting.






Hype Rating: B-
May 28: Kylesa – Ultraviolet
Progressive metal, Psychadelic / Atlanta, GA

Part of Atlanta’s impressive sludge metal scene (Mastodon, Baroness, Black Tusk), Kylesa stands out from the crowd for its innovative songwriting, dual drummers, and etherial use of clean and female vocals.






Hype Rating: B-
June 11: Scale the Summit – The Migration
Progressive metal, Instrumental / Houston, TX

Despite the niche appeal of instrumental metal, STS really turned heads with 2011’s The Collective. The group's effortlessly intricate songwriting and jaw-dropping guitar pyrotechnics have placed it at the fore of its rising genre alongside Animals as Leaders and Cloudkicker.





Hype Rating: C+
June 17: Kalmah – Seventh Swamphony
Death metal, Thrash / Oulu, Finland

The band that once shot a music video in temperatures forty degrees below zero is set to release its seventh ode to the creepy marshes of its homeland. Expect another high-octane ride from Finland’s answer to In Flames and Dark Tranquility.

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