Greetings, Decibel readers!
Ah, finally some new black metal for 2025. Don’t get me wrong, I was happy to be covering so much death metal for the last few weeks, but it’s good to get some cold and grim new releases for an exceptionally cold and grim February. Oh, and there’s a new Killswitch Engage album out today! As your resident 2000s metalcore defender, I am of course very happy about that.
Hope you find something to be happy about below.
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Abduction – Existentialismus
Very proud of these guys. Abduction first landed on my radar about eight years ago when I started closely following new black metal releases on bandcamp. I remember when A Crown of Curses came out on Death Kvlt Records, and so it’s really cool to see them on Candlelight all these years later. Abduction plays some truly nightmare-inducing metal, but in a way that’s also thought-provoking and rewards repeat listens. Glorious.
Stream: Apple Music
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Drugs of Faith – Asymmetrical
Not-quite-grind, not-quite-90’s angular noise, but maybe a secret third thing. A full-on pessimistic assault of unforgiving drums, ruthless guitars, and cynical vocals.
Stream: Apple Music
Asymmetrical by DRUGS OF FAITH
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Killswitch Engage – This Consequence
As I wrote in Decibel #245:
Their sound has always been a blend of melodic death metal and ’90s hardcore, but this album leans especially hard on the metal side.
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Likewise, the album’s lyrics follow the themes that have long been part of the band’s core message: morally conscious and awake to the world’s myriad injustices—but never preachy or self-righteous.
Granted, I’m a giant fan of Killswitch, so they really can do no wrong for me. Well, musically. That logo. My goodness.
Stream: Apple Music
This Consequence by Killswitch Engage
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Malacath – Eternal Roar of the Thunder and Rain
I’ve known about Malacath since Fólkvangr Records put out The Elders Below back in 2019. This time, the project has found its way to Eternal Death, furthering that label’s pedigree as the premiere outlet for black metal in New England. Malacath’s brand of black metal art blends atmosphere and power to make for a rewarding sonic journey. Specifically, the guitars are very present in the mix and give the listener that jolt of power, while the vocals and drums are allowed to sit further back to create the feeling of wide and open spaces.
Stream: Apple Music
Eternal Roar of the Thunder and Rain by Malacath
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Scour – Gold
With a lineup like this, I figured this would at least be worth checking out. But this goes way beyond that, Gold is absolutely blistering. It takes various elements of the members’ other projects and throws them into a blackened-death metal blender. I imagine Phil was stoked to get this project going in 2015 to scratch the same itch he had for Christ Inversion back in the day. For his part, his low harsh vocals are rock-solid here, playing to a new confidence (and dare I say, power) in that realm now that his voice has changed with age.
Stream: Apple Music
The post Five For Friday: February 21, 2025 appeared first on Decibel Magazine.