Three metal releases to soothe your nonbleeding ears this week

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It’s been an unusual week for metal music. There were plenty of releases that touch on metal, with varying degrees of success – you can be the judge of those! These days, it’s common to see bands blurring genre lines, but it’s always refreshing to hear some classic, energetic thrash metal now and then.

Despite a week of generally milder releases – including a subdued album from Michael Sweet and a surprisingly restrained effort from Jarboe – some genuinely heavy and energetic music still managed to break through.

Nervosa’s Slave Machine immediately grabs your attention, but I want to listen to it a few more times to see if it holds up. The new album from Green Carnation, following A Dark Poem, will likely appeal to those who enjoy the more melodic style of Scandinavian metal.

Three new metal singles for your headbanging pleasure

This week’s best metal releases were, in my opinion, three standout singles that perfectly blended classic and modern sounds.

“You Bastard” by Monolord

The first single from the Swedish band’s new album, Neverending (coming out May 29th), showcases a move towards more melodic songwriting while still maintaining the heavy, fuzzy sound they’re known for. Singer Thomas V. Jager’s vocals are reminiscent of Brad Delp, but Mika Hakki’s powerful bass keeps the song rooted in a dark, intense atmosphere.

“Asleep on the Killing Floor” by Corrosion of Conformity

Okay, so I’ve been listening all week, and this new full-length metal album is seriously the best thing that came out last week. The lead single? Man, it really shows these North Carolina legends at the top of their game. The singer, Pepper Keenan, starts off with this cool, almost swampy vibe – you can tell he’s drawing on his roots – but then he just explodes into a full-on shout. It’s awesome!

To play alongside Stanton Moore’s complex and energetic drumming, he really needs to be on top of his game. Everyone is performing incredibly well on this song, and the album as a whole keeps that high energy going, though the speed varies.

“Vanilla Latte” by the Barbarians of California

AWOLNATION’s Aaron Bruno delivers a fantastic metal EP, arguably the best release of early April. The four songs are powerfully energetic, and thanks to Bruno and producer Eric Stenman’s diverse musical backgrounds, the EP avoids sounding repetitive – a common pitfall for many metal bands.

The band’s sound is a powerful mix, reminiscent of both Beastie Boys and hard rock – think Foo Fighters. Vocalist Keith Buckley joins for a song with a playfully dramatic title, “PSEUDO INTELLECTUALS ARE HATING ON MY BAND!!!.” The song quickly launches into intense, fast-paced rhythms that constantly shift and change.

While those three songs are all excellent, “Vanilla Latte” – the first single released – really shines and feels like an instant classic. It even features one of my favorite metal lyrics of all time…

“Kombucha is for snitches…”

It also hammers away with an undeniable message in its chorus …

“You don’t believe in the devil
But the devil believes in you”

The music is fantastic. The Barbarians, as usual, aren’t afraid to experiment with rhythm and quickly change time signatures. Listening to the song “Vanilla Latte” makes it clear that Bruno has been influenced by Captain Beefheart, among many others.

While the band Barbarians of California doesn’t sound exactly like Melvins, there’s definitely a connection between them. Speaking of Melvins, a deluxe edition of their collaboration with Napalm Death, Savage Imperial Death March, is coming out next week. I think it’s going to be good, but I want to give it a proper listen first before I say for sure.

I’ve had a chance to listen to the new EP from The Barbarians, plus some recent songs from two other great metal bands, and I can confidently say they’re all worth checking out.

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2026-04-05 16:00