The 5 Metal Albums You Needed To Hear Last Week (8th January – 14th January 2021)

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Another week gone, another batch of fine releases from across metal’s vast spectrum to enjoy!

Here’s the 5 metal albums you needed to hear this week (8th January – 14th January 2021)….

Frozen Soul – Crypt Of Ice

Where: United States

Genre: Death Metal

Released: January 8^th 2021 via Century Media Records

The sound of old-school death metal needn’t be fucked with and Texas’ Frozen Soul are evidently not interested in messing with a winning formula on their outstanding debut full length album, Crypt of Ice. Embracing the overall barbaric simplicity, groove and power of prime early 90’s death metal, Crypt of Ice is purpose built to appeal to fans of Obituary, Grave and Bolt Thrower.

So, throw on something warm and dive in…..the water’s icy! 8/10

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House Of Lud – The Crooked and Thorny Path of Reckoning

Where: United States

Genre: Stoner Metal / Doom Metal

Released: Independently on January 8th 2021

This stoner / doom follow-up to House of Lud‘s 2019 debut, Blud, finds this experimental bunch incorporating every facet stoner rock / metal and doom has to offer. Considered blues-inflected dirge meets sludgy aggression and up-tempo stoner grooves, culminating in an album of varied highlights.

A house built on solid foundations of crushing riffs, deep fuzz and equal amounts of groove and gloom! 7/10

https://houseoflud.bandcamp.com/album/the-crooked-and-thorny-path-of-reckoning

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Need – Norchestrion: A Song for the End

Where: Greece

Genre: Progressive Metal

Released: January 12^th 2021 via Ikaros Records

https://needband.bandcamp.com

Greek progressive metallers Need aren’t going to set the world afire with their latest album, Norchestrion: A Song for the End, but they will please long term fans and those who faithfully salivate over prog’s complex song structures, varied tempos and shifting moods.

High quality melodic prog….and there’s nothing more to it! 7/10

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Malakhim – Theion

Where: Sweden

Genre: Black Metal

Released: January 8th, 2021 via Iron Bonehead Productions

Swedish black metallers Malakhim bring us Theion, their nicely polished, melodic black metal debut which delivers exactly what you’d expect, with little to no surprises. That being said, what is delivered is delivered rather well.

Theion is the kind of black metal album that people who think they don’t like black metal will probably enjoy – which may be a back-handed compliment, depending on how you read it! 7/10

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Midnight Spell – Sky Destroyer

Where: United States

Genre: Heavy Metal / NWOTHM

Released: January 8^th 2021 via Iron Oxide Records

The kind of traditional heavy metal album that has the lot – varied songwriting (from straight-forward bangers to melodic outings), ample well-crafted solos and fist-pumping, caterwauling vocals – Midnight Spell simply hit all the right notes in their quest to be 100% METAL!

You’ve heard it all before but you won’t mind hearing it again! 7/10