Djunah
Three-and-a-half years since Femina Furens, which remains one of the greatest albums of the past decade or more, I had started to worry that Djunah might have faded into nonexistence, so I was thrilled when Giallo was recently announced. In part inspired by the soundtracks from '60s/'70s Italian horror firms and deemed a "noise-rock opera," it's far too soon to gauge the entire effort with only the opening three tracks available. These early singles do seem quite promising, though, and don't come across as off-the-wall as "noise-rock opera" might imply. The elements that made Femina Furens so gut-punchingly powerful are very much able to be discerned herein, and the wider-spanning context opens up some interesting twists. Certainly eager to hear how the full tracklist unfolds when the time comes...
Giallo will be out digitally next week with CDs shortly thereafter, vinyl in January. Multiple variants are still available for pre-order over at Bandcamp. Keep an eye on Apple Music and Spotify for eventual streaming options.
Ezalor
Indonesian metalcore group Ezalor are the first-ever Southeast Asian signing for the resurrected Tribunal Records. Inspired by the likes of Prayer for Cleansing, Undying, etc., the band's strong songwriting and melodic tendencies should also appeal to fans of 7 Angels 7 Plagues and Skycamefalling. I know this style has been having a bit of a resurgence and there are a number of solid acts out there right now, but this is pretty damn impressive and some of the better material I've heard from the newer projects operating within this niche. One or two riffs are a little too lifted from Iron Maiden, but the overall aesthetic is on point here—including the performances, production, and visuals.
Verses Beneath a Dying Sky CDs include last year's Condemned by Faith EP as bonus tracks, so grab one direct from Tribunal, or use IndieMerch to save on shipping outside the U.S. Bandcamp (via Escape Records) has your digital. I don't see the new EP on Spotify, but Apple Music and YouTube should cover your streaming.
The Fault of Man
Greensboro, NC's The Fault of Man dishes out absolutely scathing blackened metalcore and carries lineup ties to Bloodjinn, Killwhitneydead, Spread the Disease, etc. The production and mix both have acerbic tendencies, and the results are interesting. There's a sheen of high-end bite over everything, which sort of blurs the ingredients together and implies a degree of thin, reverberating distance; but there's definitely a sense of pulsing low-end, plus some occasional slow-paced churn. Some of the melodic textures lean toward a post-rock/metal vibe, which is typically not my thing, but the prominence of the black metal aesthetic and the harshness of delivery twists those moments toward a darker atmosphere.
The amazingly-titled Hope Will Eat You Alive looks to be digital-only, so first stop: Bandcamp. Fire up Apple Music, Spotify, or whatever else beyond that.
Molly McGuire
Earlier this month, underrated greats Molly McGuire returned with their first new album since 2014, and it's arguably their second-best to Lime from 1996. For those unfamiliar, expect stunningly dense and heavy alternative rock with some of that "space rock" vibe akin to longtime contemporaries like Failure and Hum. Molly McGuire can tend to "rock" more, though. Case in point: moments herein actually make me think of a more respectable Foo Fighters injected with the mathy rhythmic pummelings of Helmet. Awesome. It's almost unheard of for a '90s-originated outfit of this nature to be releasing some of their finest material decades later, but that is indeed the case here.
It appears that Disaster in Reverse vinyl's already sold out, but you can still grab a download through Bandcamp. Otherwise, head to Apple Music or Spotify or something.
MyVeronica
Another cool recent release from Sunday Drive Records is the debut full-length from Los Angeles four-piece MyVeronica. The hype text cites influences like Mineral, Sonic Youth, and Sunny Day Real Estate, but in some ways I don't really hear any of that, yet in others it does make sense. Their approach can tend toward the sparse and only lightly distorted, so the gradual builds toward the "loud parts" don't always pay off, but since their style is kind of atypical, nothing comes across as generic. Unique cover art, too. It'll be interesting to see how this band develops moving forward.
I Hope There's Music in Heaven came out digitally over the summer, with physical copies scheduled to ship soon. Order direct from Sunday Drive or through Bandcamp. If you're the streaming kind, Apple Music and Spotify are out there.
Shiner
For whatever reason, I haven't really paid attention to Shiner since they reunited, so I almost overlooked this 10-song collection of rarities spanning roughly 1994 - 2002. Funny enough, the opening track is from their 1994 split 7" with Kansas City companions Molly McGuire, followed by four more 7" tracks from 1995 and 1997, the B-side from the "Semper Fi" single and a comp track from 1999, and then the Japan-only bonus tracks from The Egg and a cover of My Bloody Valentine's "Only Shallow" from 2002. I think of Shiner as being a fairly well-regarded cult classic of sorts, but if I almost missed this, I'm sure others have, too; and it's a great overview of their original run, from the more angular and propulsive early years to their more atmospherically adventurous and spacey side.
I haven't seen a physical copy of The Y Section yet, but they should be shipping soon. Grab a CD or LP direct from Spartan Records or Bandcamp. Stream using Apple Music, Spotify, etc.
