Check 'Em All: Selection of releases in different metal subgenres

Our selection of 2016’s new metal releases by Anciients (Canada), Allegaeon (USA), Mouth of the Architect (USA), Sworn Amongst (United Kingdom), Baphomet's Blood (Italy) and öOoOoOoOoOo (France).

Anciients — "Voice Of The Wind"

Country: Canada
Release date: October 14, 2016
Label: Season Of Mist
Genre: Progressive metal/rock

With their second LP "Voice Of The Wind" and quite ensure motto "Bigger — Louder — Faster", the Canadian metallers Anciients start our Check 'Em All selection. The new album, which includes all features, listed in the band’s slogan, came out three years after their successful debut "Heart Of Oak" (2013). Anciients’ new CD becomes the collection of praiseful, juicy and dynamic progressive, which slightly flirts with some notes of psychedelic and doom. Like its predecessor, the album gathered nine tracks, with the duration from three to eleven minutes. Each of the songs, except the instrumental "Descending", can blow its own trumpet with the range of powerful guitar riffs, which create the parties of torn, ragged fast rhythms, and heavy melodies.

The musicians pay attention to their various vocal parties, which not only alternate from pure to extreme but even sound in different variations of growling. In the long run, the band seems to be quite similar to Lamb Of God or Opeth of "Blackwater Park" (2001) "Deliverance" (2002), or "Ghost Reveries" (2005) era.

Allegaeon — "Proponent For Sentience"

Country: USA
Release date: September 23, 2016
Label: Metal Blade Records
Genre: Melodic/technical death metal

The fourth LP "Proponent For Sentience" by the American death metallers came out with some significant changes inside the band. Riley McShane, who replaced the previous vocalist, brought kinda new sound and the first clean vocal parts in the Allegaeon’s discography. In general, the musicians remained true to their genre, still offering the high-quality, perhaps even classic melodic death metal with progressive elements. Although the only drawback, which is the timing of 72-plus minutes, the album reveals quite a cheerful tracklist. The musicians worked hard on its sinister atmosphere, accompanied by the gloomy sound effects, spacey riffs, and guitar solos. The listener will find the warlike percussions and fanfares, along with them some disturbing chorus parties, which draw in imagination the picture of the mysterious dark world from the album's cover. In the end of the tracklist, it was quite surprising to find the cover for "Subdivisions", originally performed by the famous Canadian trio Rush.

Mouth of the Architect — "Path of Eight"

Country: USA
Release date: October 7, 2016
Label: Translation Loss
Genre: Post/atmospheric sludge metal

Leaving the body, the human soul soars somewhere upwards. Weightless, caught by the wind flow, it rushes to the elusive line of the horizon, to the boundless expanses of the universe, where its owner had never been before. But suddenly it gets the panic attack. It’s the first time the soul lost the body and confusion takes control over it. Trying to find some shelter she runs from side to side, she bristles, she shudders. But after awhile the peace comes. Fear and anger just leave. Soul settles down and accepts its new look and the new life.

The sixth studio album "Path Of Eight" by the American post/sludge metallers Mouth of the Architect will lead you through the eight conceptual chapters, the eight thematic tracks, which unveil the story of the human soul after the death of physical body. Since the previous release of the fairly successful "Dawning" (2013), the band faced some staff changes, which, however, did not affect the quality of their future work.

One of the strongest features of the album is the tangible game of sentiments, expressed in the deep atmosphere, rich variety of sound effects and the emotional dynamics. Besides that, it is worth noting the live sound of the instruments on "Path Of Eight", which kinda were transferred from the scene to the record. The reason for that was the decision of the band to record it live for the first time. So, working on riffage variations in their native studio in Dayton, the band put its heart in their new LP, which now clearly deserves your attention.

Sworn Amongst — "Under A Titan Sky"

Country: United Kingdom
Release date: January 29, 2016
Genre: Groove/thrash metal, metalcore

The British musicians Sworn Amongst persistently increasing their furious powerful sound. The fourth full-length album "Under A Titan Sky", which came out six years after the last release, confidently brought the band’s fury to the next level. The LP brings the listener into the dark world, ruled by chaos and destruction, hatred and darkness, brought by those five brutal Horsemen of the Apocalypse. There is almost nothing left of the early band’s thrash style. Year by year Sworn Amongst replace it with the parts of crushing groove and some elements of heavy mathcore.

Listen to "Under A Titan Sky" full stream via Terrorizer.

Baphomet’s Blood — "In Satan We Trust"

Country: Italy
Release date: February 1, 2016
Label: Iron Bonehead Productions
Genre: Heavy/thrash/speed metal

Hey, the old thrashers’ fans! The worshippers of the classic pandemonium in the format of earlier Venom and Overkill albums, the fans of Motörhead’s velocity, there is something special for you here. Stop reading someone’s thoughts, sit back and straight to hell! The true underworld, as it was seen in the 80's!

Three bold guys and the lady from Italy pay no mind on popular genres and trends in today’s music world. This daring quartet flaunting in the streets of San Benedetto del Tronto in their sneakers, tight jeans and black T-shirts of famous bands. And in the evenings, wearing the notorious machine-gun belts, stun with their retro sound local clubs.

As you might guess, the fourth full-length album by Baphomet's Blood, which similar to some classic album got the loud name "In Satan We Trust", was made in keeping with the best traditions of the early 80’s popular bands. Eight tracks will present you the particle of high-speed "Bomber" (Motörhead), furious and fearless "Hell Awaits" (Slayer), and thoroughly imbued with the spirit of the underworld "Black Metal" (Venom). The vigorous and loud LP with a drop of poison collected seven original tracks and the cover for one of the songs by the heavy metallers Fáraó.

öOoOoOoOoOo — "Samen"

Country: France
Release date: October 21, 2016
Label: Apathia Records
Genre: Avantgarde metal

Experiment. Madness. Hysterics. Insanity. Genius. There is something common among these concepts. At least, all of them are the first association caused by listening to one of the most bizarre, bright and original albums, which details, up to the silence at the end of each track, were carefully thought over. The French project öOoOoOoOoOo ("Chenille" — "caterpillar" from French) can’t be labeled with some estimated genre. This is the exact situations when the listener can experience that invisible theatrical action, and it is called avant-garde. So you gonna face those bubbling fountains of various emotions, which are expressed in the huge number of instruments and sound effects, the clean and aggressive vocals, as well as the endless flow of impressively deep thoughts.

By Yuri Somov