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Fresh Album Fridays: Earl Sweatshirt, Zach Bryan, The Armed and more
Good morning ~ This is a thread to discuss new album releases that have arrived on our doorstep this week. Feel free to share albums and EPs that have caught your eye and interest!
A little later in the day this week - was waiting for Drake's scheduled album to drop, which it never did. Inb4!
Discussion Points
What are you looking forward to listen to?
Have you listened to any of these releases?
What are your thoughts?
What have you enjoyed from these artists in the past?
Why Friday?
Most (but not all) new LPs release on a Friday, as labels want to give the release a full week of sales before entering the charts.
~~ Feedback on the format welcome!
Earl Sweatshirt & The Alchemist - Voir Dire
Genre(s): Hip Hop, Drumless
Country: United States
Gala
RYM
Possibly the biggest release of the week is annoyingly exclusive to Gala and might be for a while. Shouldn't stop die-hard Earl Sweatshirt fans.
Very disappointing to see two of my favourite artists go for an NFT grift but the album is nevertheless incredible
If someone could explain Gala in a less of a 'marketing speak' way, I'd appreciate. From face value I feel like anyone trying to find a way for the artists to make any acceptable amount of compensation is fighting the good fight.
That being said I love Earl but these track previews didn't get me hype enough to sign onto another service.
Open Mike Eagle - Another Triumph of Ghetto Engineering
Genre(s): Hip Hop, Drumless
Country: United States
Bandcamp
Spotify
RYM
https://album.link/i/1698214822
Artist:
Daði Freyr
Album:
I Made an Album
Release: 25th August 2023
Genre: Electropop
Country: Iceland
Links: Wikipedia | Spotify
Music videos that can be found via Tildes:
https://album.link/i/1686402099
An Object In Motion - Drab Majesty
bc / a.l
A wonderful darkwave / new wave / gothic rock band and this is a solid EP follow-up to 2019's Modern Mirror. Great video release accompanying a track too. If I'm going to listen to darkwave, Drab Majesty is possibly my top choice- at least one of them. Just has everything you want out of the genre.
Ronde De Nuit - Muertières
bc / a.l
Female-fronted heavy/trad metal from France. Vocals that soar along with the guitar leads, along the lines of Smoulder, another favorite. Great stuff and currently name your price on Bandcamp! Get it now!
And now we move towards the heavier side...
Seasons Dreaming Death - Graveripper
bc / a.l
Primo blackened thrash. Loved their previous release Radiated Remains in all its nuclear yellow glory and their absolute hell of a 4-way split in 2022. New release shows no signs of them stopping. Solid riffs and solos- they waste no time! Some blastbeats thrown in alternating sections for added fun. Song after song rips!
Heaven Into Dust - Knife
bc / a.l
Was slightly worried that Knife's signing to Napalm could water down their work. One of the bands on the aforementioned Graveripper 4-way split that has kept my attention. Knife's follow-up to the album Knife (featuring the song K.N.I.F.E.) might not repeat the word Knife as often, but the vocal screeches and gang vocals on top of spicy, sharp speed must not be missed.
Disharmonium - Nahab
bc / a.l
Winding, uncomfortable, hallucinatory. Cold and lovecraftian. Another Blut Aus Nord release that leans towards the heavily avant-garde-industrial-black-metal side of their work (unlike the more traditional black metal you'd find on the Memoria Vetusta series) - this feels much more in line with That Work Which Transforms God (an all-time favorite) or the 777 trilogy and just as high-quality.
Insatiable Thirst For Torment - Celestial Sanctuary
bc / a.l
Top favorite of the week maybe?! Previous release Soul Diminished kicked so much ass and became a death metal release I constantly revisit. Time to add this to that list. Plenty of harmonics, thick chunky tones, creative solos, and, as one of their bandcamp tags states: "caveman shit". Metal fans are eating well this month!
Unholy Deification - Incantation
bc / a.l
Titans of the death metal genre- but honestly less covered territory for me personally. This is the first release in a while that's grabbed my attention. Still not entirely sure about the vocal production, but enjoying what I hear so far regardless.
Beyond Oblivion - Transgressor
bc
Raw, murky, underground death metal from Japan from a band that's been around since the late 80's. Slow death/doom parts that give way to mid-tempo thrashing, back and forth.
Zach Bryan - Zach Bryan
Genre(s): Americana, Country
Country: United States
Spotify
RYM
Zach Bryan seems to be the most popular artist nobody's heard of. He's made an explosion on the new country scene in the last few years and seems now to be trying to break into the mainstream. Had a listen to this self-titled this morning, and it's his most confident release yet, but it still feels like Zach is bubbling to achieve greater things. His most urgent and exciting work still remain on 'American Heartbreak', but at a third of the length this is a very listenable release from start to finish.
The neo-traditional country boom is one of the real bright spots in the modern music sphere and I’m here for it.
https://album.link/i/1703216858
The Armed - Perfect Saviors
Genre(s): Indie Rock
Country: United States
Bandcamp
Spotify
RYM
https://album.link/i/1687408758
Artist:
Abu Nein
Album:
II
Release: 25th August 2023
Genre: Darkwave
Country: Sweden
Links: Discogs | Bandcamp