November is done, and the countdown begins to the end of 2011 and he beginning of the New Year. We’ve been so focused this week on the year behind us, since 2011 Listmania is now in full swing, that we almost forgot that there is a future, and it will be filled with metal.

So, here’s the deal:  In these METAL IN THE FORGE posts, we collect news blurbs and press releases we’ve seen over the last month (November) about forthcoming new albums from bands we know and like (including occasional updates about releases we’ve included in previous installments of this series), or from bands that look interesting, even though we don’t know their music yet. In this series, we cut and paste those announcements and compile them in alphabetical order.

Remember — THIS ISN’T A CUMULATIVE LIST. If we found out about a new forthcoming album before November, we wrote about it in previous installments of this series. So, be sure to check the Category link called “Forthcoming Albums” on the right side of this page to see forecasted releases we reported earlier.

This month’s list begins right after the jump. As usual, this list is half-assed rather than comprehensive. So, feel free to leave Comments and tell all of us what we missed when we put this list together. Let us know about albums on the way that  you’re stoked about!

A BAND OF ORCS: “A BAND OF ORCS, the fantasy-themed heavy metal band from Santa Cruz, California, has entered Trident Studios in Pacheco, California with producer Juan Urteaga (MACHINE HEAD) to begin recording their new concept album about killing giants. The artwork is being created by Chuck Lukacs.”

ABIGAIL WILLIAMS: “American black metal outfit ABIGAIL WILLIAMS has put the finishing touches on its new album, “Becoming”, for a January 24, 2012 release via Candlelight Records. Mixed by vocalist/guitarist Ken Sorceron with Michael Keene (The Faceless), “Becoming” contains over 60 minutes of new material and features art by Metastazis (Morbid Angel, Watain, Ulver).”

AUTOPSY: “Legendary San Francisco Bay Area gore grind act AUTOPSY has completed work on its new collection, “All Tomorrow’s Funerals”, for a February 28 release via Peaceville Records. This monstrous 22-track effort will contain all of AUTOPSY‘s EPs remastered by the bandmembers themselves, as well as new cuts.”

BLEEDING THROUGH: “Bleeding Through is currently wrapping up the recording process for their next album, now titled “The Great Fire.” The effort is expected to hit stores in early-2012 via Rise Records.”

BONE5: “Drummer Pasi Pasanen (ex-SWALLOW THE SUN, PLUTONIUM ORANGE) has joined the Jyväskylä, Finland-based rock/metal band BONE5. The group’s new album, “From The Ashes”, will be released on December 7.”

CALIBAN: “German modern metal force Caliban is proud to announce the release of their eighth studio album, I Am Nemesis on February 28, 2012 via Century Media Records. After spending 10 months writing new material, the band is very excited to get the record out to fans. ‘It was important to us to have an elaborate album without any fillers,’ says lead guitarist Marc Görtz. ‘Additionally, the sound of the album is the best we’ve ever had by far: it is heavy and brutal without being chaotic.’”

CATTLE DECAPITATION: “In November 2010, Cattle Decapitation returned home from headlining The California Blood Tour and decided to take the next year off and immediately began writing the follow up to their critically-acclaimed 2009 release The Harvest Floor.The band has been holed up in the confines of their rehearsal studio in National City, California ever since and are preparing to unleash a new slab of human-dissecting carnage for a Spring 2012 release via Metal Blade Records. The band will be recording in January/February in Denver, Colorado”

DEATH: “The next chapter in Relapse Records’s Death reissue campaign is Vivus!, a deluxe 2CD collection compiling two separate Death concerts. Each recorded in 1998, Disc One features the band at the height of their prowess tearing the roof off of the infamous Whisky A Go-Go in Los Angeles while Disc Two is a brilliant recording of the band on the festival stage at Dynamo Open Air.
Vivus! is set for a February 28th North American release date, March 2nd in the Benelux / Germany, and March 5th in the UK and rest of Europe.”

EMMURE: “Emmure has spent a good portion of November in New York City writing material for their next album. The band will enter the studio in January with producer/engineer Joey Sturgis (We Came As Romans, The Devil Wears Prada) to begin tracking the effort. Sturgis also recorded the band’s last release, Speaker of the Dead.”

EPHEL DUATH: “Formerly Italian, currently US based band EPHEL DUATH, known as a modern mixture of avant-garde metal and progressive rock with jazz-fusion and hardcore punk elements, has inked a worldwide deal with Agonia Records for the release of an EP and two full-length albums. Under the leading role of talented guitarist and songwriter Davide Tiso, the machine of EPHEL DUATH is ready to send out a new musical impulse, with the artistic contribution of a new line-up of well-known special session musicians, soon to be announced. The upcoming spring release EP is going to be recorded in January 2012 at Sharkbyte Studios (Machine Head, Exodus, High On Fire) in Oakland, California. Erik Rutan will do the mixing at his Mana Recording Studio (Cannibal Corpse, Hate Eternal, Goatwhore, Agnostic Front) in San Petersburg, Florida. Alan Douches will master the material at West West Side Music (Death, Swans, Mastodon, Converge, Baroness, The Dillinger Escape Plan, Clutch) in New York.”

GOD OF ATHEISTS: “Former DIMMU BORGIR and current BORKNAGAR member ICS Vortex(real name: Simen Hestnæs) will handle the lead vocals on the upcoming debut album from GOD OF ATHEISTS, the Norwegian extreme metal project led by Asgeir Mickelson (SARKE, SPIRAL ARCHITECT, BORKNAGAR, TESTAMENT). Drums on the CD were recorded by Trym (EMPEROR, ZYKLON, ENSLAVED), while the rhythm guitars were laid down by Mickelson.”

KING GIANT: “Taking the dark tales of their Appalachian folk forefathers to contemporary Southern doom territory, Northern Virgina-based quintet KING GIANT have wrapped up the final details on their sophomore full-length release, Dismal Hollow, and are preparing to self-release it just after the kickoff of the new year. Dismal Hollow will be available worldwide on January 31, 2012 — a split release between KING GIANT’s band-operated imprint Graveyard Hill Records and The Path Less Traveled Records, part of the MRI Group, with distribution by RED, Code 7 and Plastichead — and will be available in CD, LP and digital download formats.”

LIBERTEER: “Relapse Records is extremely proud to announce the signing of California anarcho-grinders Liberteer. The creation of Matthew Widener (Cretin, Citizen), Liberteer is a manifestation of total anarchy, driven by an incendiary lyrical message designed to burn the system down! The band’s debut album, entitled Better To Die on Your Feet Than Live On Your Knees, will see it’s release on January 31st of 2012.”

LIFELESS: “German traditional death metal machine LIFELESS has signed with FDA Rekotz for the release of the band’s as-yet-untitled follow-up to 2010′s“Beyond The Threshold Of Death” (Ibex Moon Records). The new album is currently slated for a spring 2012 release.”

MISERY SIGNALS: “Fans of Misery Signals know that the group hasn’t released a new album in several years. Said fans shouldn’t have to wait too much longer though, as the group is currently working on material for their next full-length. Misery Signals tentatively plans to enter the studio in early-2012 to commence tracking, though neither a studio nor producer have been selected thus far. Notably, this will be the band’s final album under their current contract with Ferret Music.”

NAGLFAR: “Fans of Swedish black metal take heed: five years have passed since the release of mighty Naglfar’s last album Harvest, but now the band is back in the studio again, finishing-up their sixth album, Téras! Expect nothing less than another prime example of infernal, melodic black metal from the vanguards of the scene. Diehard Naglfar fans will also be pleased to hear that prior to the release of Téras, the band will release a very limited-edition 7″ EP featuring one track from the upcoming album and an exclusive second track that will only be available on this vinyl. Téras will ascend from hell’s blackest voids in spring/summer 2012.”

NAPALM DEATH: “As leaders of extreme music and one of the hardest working bands around, the legendary Napalm Death is currently putting the final touches on their 14th studio album (excluding the cover album Leaders Not Followers). This new piece of brutality is entitled Utilitarian, and it will hit stores on February 27th in Europe and February 28th in North America via the band’s long time partner, Century Media Records.”

NORMA JEAN: “Following their just-announced “Pizza Riot 2011″ Tour, Norma Jean will be hitting the studio to record their sixth full-length album. The band is currently writing material for the effort and will head into the studio with producer Jeremy Griffith in January 2012.”

NOTHNEGAL: “Maldives-based death/black metallers NOTHNEGAL will release their full-length debut, “Decadence”, on January 20, 2012 (January 24 in the U.S.) via Season Of Mist. The CD was mixed by Greg Reely (FEAR FACTORY, MACHINE HEAD, DEVIN TOWNSEND) and Ahti Kortelainen (SENTENCED, SONATA ARCTICA).”

NUFUTIC: “Drummer Romain Goulon (NECROPHAGIST) and vocalist Trevor Sadist (SADIST) have joined NUFUTIC, the fusion-metal project founded by Dutch bassist Jeroen Paul Thesseling (PESTILENCE, ex-OBSCURA) and Italian guitarist/keyboardist Tommy Talamanca (SADIST).”

OBITUARY: “OBITUARY is currently writing material for the follow-up to the “Darkest Day” full-length CD, released in 2009 via Candlelight Records. “Our goal is to be in the studio by January or February and to release the album in May or June of 2012,” said guitarist Trevor Peres.”

OBSCURA: “The wildly-progressive German metal quartet OBSCURA has announced their first ever demo collection, entitled ‘Illegimitation‘ and set to be released independently by the band this March.  The collection will include ten never-before-heard tracks, including the band’s earliest recordings from 2003, unreleased songs from the Cosmogenesis sessions of 2006, and brand new cover songs with the newest line-up from 2011.”

OPERA IX: ““Strix Maledictae In Aeternum”, the new album from the Italian symphonic black metal band OPERA IX, will be released on January 24, 2012 in Europe and February 28, 2012 in North America via Agonia Records.”

PARADISE LOST: “British gothic metal pioneers PARADISE LOST have entered The Chapel studios in Lincolnshire, England to begin recording their new album,“Tragic Idol”, for an April 24, 2012 release via Century Media Records. Commented Gregor Mackintosh: “The [new CD] will again be produced by Jens Bogren and is influenced by classic doom metal and classic metal. I would say it is more melodic than the last record whilst retaining the heaviness.”

PERIPHERY: “Maryland progressive metal outfit Periphery enters the studio today to begin tracking a new full-length. Recording will take place with engineer Taylor Larson (I The Breather) and a spring release via Sumerian Records is expected.”

PRIMER 55: “Atlanta-based band PRIMER 55 — featuring Bobby Burns (guitar, bass, vocals), The DRP (vocals), Heath Shaw (drums), and Mattytime (bass) — has signed a worldwide distribution deal with THC:Music/Rocket Science Ventures. The group’s's self-titled LP will be released on March 13. The effort will be preceded on February 14 by “The Big F.U.”, a retrospective B-sides and rarities collection, featuring nearly 20 tracks from PRIMER 55‘s classic lineup.”

PSYCROPTIC: “Aussie technical death metal outfit, Psycroptic, has announced that its fifth studio album, The Inherited Repression, will hit stores on February 7 in North America and February 10 in Europe. The upcoming nine-track full-length will mark the band’s second release on Nuclear Blast Records. Commented Psycroptic guitarist, Joe Haley, “The Inherited Repression is far and away my favorite Psycroptic album thus far – all of us in the band think this. It’s the age-old cliché from bands when they talk about their current album as being the best of their career, blah, blah, but I have to say it because it’s true.”

SLAYER: “Slayer drummer Dave Lombardo has revealed that the band is currently writing material for a new album. Details are sparse, with Lombardo offering only the following: “Slayer is writing a new record.”

SPAWN OF POSSESSION: “Swedish tech-death assassins SPAWN OF POSSESSION have completed their highly anticipated third full-length album, Incurso, and are preparing it for release upon the helpless masses this Spring (on Relapse records).”

3 INCHES OF BLOOD: “Metal veterans 3 Inches Of Blood will soon be entering the studio to begin tracking their fifth full-length album, planned for release in 2012 via Century Media Records. The band will be working out of Vogville Studios and Profile Studios in Vancouver with engineer and producer Terry Sho Murray, who also worked on the band’s last 7″.

UNLEASHED: “The legendary Swedish Viking Death Metal outfit UNLEASHED have started the recordings of their 11th studio album. The album name is still a secret – but you’d better get ready for another classic album. With their blend of melody and brutality UNLEASHED includes to the founder of the Viking death metal. Their riffs are pure shrapnel, but their choruses are epic, melting uncompromising brutality with anthemic odes to the Odin. The new album will be released in spring 2012 via Nuclear Blast.”

WORMED: “Willowtip Records is excited to announce the official signing of Madrid, Spain’s “Sci-Fi Death Metal” band Wormed. The group is currently in the writing stage of a new full-length album that will be released in the spring of 2012. Prior to the new album, Willowtip will be reissuing Wormed’s previous two releases: 2010′s Quasineutrality EP and 2003′s Planisphaerium CD. Both reissues will be released in early 2012.”

Opera IX is a symphonic black metal band from Italy who’ve been around since 1989, which makes them . . . survivors. On January 24, 2012 in Europe and February 28 in North America, Agonia Records will release their first studio album in 7 years — Strix Maledictae In Aeternum. The new album is described as the last in a trilogy of records that explores witchcraft.

I’ve heard a bit of Opera IX music in the past, but it came from the days when Cadaveria was fronting the band, and I’ve heard nothing since. But curiosity about what had become of their post-Cadaveria sound led me to watch an official video that was released in early November for a song from the new album called “Mandragora”. I’m including the video after the jump (because it’s NSFW), and featuring it here for three reasons.

First, I enjoyed the song. It reminded me of Satanica-era Behemoth, an imperial mix of black and death metal. Second, I was surprised to see that the video is hosted on YouTube, because it features copious nudity. And then I saw the little notation on the YouTube page: “This video has been age-restricted based on our Community Guidelines.” I’d never actually read the Community Guidelines, and I wondered why the video was available with an age restriction rather than being banned altogether.

So, here’s what the Guidelines say about Sex and Nudity: “Most nudity is not allowed, particularly if it is in a sexual context. Generally if a video is intended to be sexually provocative, it is less likely to be acceptable for YouTube. There are exceptions for some educational, documentary, scientific, and artistic content, but only if that is the sole purpose of the video and it is not gratuitously graphic. For example, a documentary on breast cancer would be appropriate, but posting clips out of context from the documentary might not be.”

Well, this really was not terribly helpful. True, the Opera IX video uses nudity for “artistic content” — the song is about witchcraft, and I suppose there has always been a component of feminine sexual power in the idea of witchcraft (though I’m certainly no expert). On the other hand, an argument could be made that it’s “gratuitously” graphic — and I sure as fuck found it to be sexually provocative. Which is the third reason I’m posting it, of course.

By watching this video, you hereby certify that you are old enough not to be traumatized by female breasts and pubic hair. This age varies from person to person.

(By the way, the album cover, which features nude witches, is by Kris Verwimp (Enthroned, Marduk).

July is behind us, and the last month of the summer has begun. Drifting along even more stupidly than usual, I let the first day of the month come and go without posting our usual monthly  installment of METAL IN THE FORGE. So, we’re late with this, but I have a feeling no one was holding their breath waiting for it anyway.

You know the drill:  In these posts, we collect news blurbs and press releases we’ve seen over the last month about forthcoming new albums from bands we know and like (including occasional updates about releases we’ve included in previous installments of this series), or from bands that look interesting, even though we don’t know their music yet. In this series, we cut and paste those announcements and compile them in alphabetical order.

Remember — this isn’t a cumulative list. If we found out about a new album before July, we wrote about it in previous installments of this series. So, be sure to check the Category link called “Forthcoming Albums” on the right side of this page to see forecasted releases we reported earlier. This month’s list begins right after the jump. Look for your favorite bands, or get intrigued about some new ones. And feel free to tell us about how we fucked up by omitting releases that you’re stoked about.

ACHREN: “After a triumphant set at this years Metalcamp 2011 and their forthcoming invasion of Wacken Open Air, on Thursday 4th August at 2.15PM on the WET stage, rising Scottish metallers Achren have announced that they plan to release their long-awaited debut album on Thursday the 11th August at the UK’s Bloodstock-Open-Air 2011 festival, on the night they open the festival. Entitled ‘The Forgotten King’ this first full-length release was recorded around their native Scotland, mixed at Drop Hammer Studios in Finland by Matias Helle and mastered at Fascination Street Studios, Sweden by Jens Bogren (Amon Amarth, Opeth, Bloodbath, Devin Townsend Project).”

ANTERIOR: “U.K. modern metallers ANTERIOR will release their second album, “Echoes Of The Fallen”, in Europe on August 29 and North America on September 13 via Metal Blade Records. The 10-track effort was recorded at Grindstone Studios with producer Scott Atkins.”

BIOHAZARD: “Seminal New York City hardcore/metal band BIOHAZARD has se t“Reborn In Defiance” as the title of its tenth studio album, due in Europe on September 26 (three days earlier in Germany) via Nuclear Blast Records.”

BORKNAGAR: “BORKNAGAR is currently recording the next album roughly planned to be released in February 2012 through Century Media Records. The album will be mixed and mastered by Jens Bogren at famous Fascination Street Studios in Sweden in November.”

CIPHER SYSTEM: “15 years after the birth of the band, CIPHER SYSTEM returns with what has to be described as a masterpiece in a genre where innovation has become sparse, putting their murderous machinations on public display, forged with fearsome skill and precision: “Communicate The Storm”. Packed in the rapturous art of a true genius of darkened visuals, Seth Siro Anton (SOILWORK, PARADISE LOST, SEPTICFLESH), and with a mix once again stemming from the hallowed grounds of Studio Fredman, this colossus of an album is sure to send tremors throughout the scene when it hits the street on September 9.”

CRIMINAL: “Thrash masters CRIMINAL — originally formed in Chile and now based in the U.K. — have set “Akelarre” as the title of their seventh studio album, the first since the departure of lead guitarist and founding member Rodrigo Contreras and the subsequent addition of Basque guitar wizard Olmo Cascallar. . . . “Akelarre” will be released on August 19 by Massacre Records.”

DEMON HUNTER: “Ryan Clark and DEMON HUNTER will return to producer/longtime collaborator Aaron Sprinkle in November to begin work on what will become their sixth album.”

DESCENDING: “After a long period of intensive work in Greece and Sweden along with producer Fredrik Nordström (IN FLAMES, DIMMU BORGIR, ARCH ENEMY) at Fredman studios, Athens, Greece-based death/thrash metal band DESCENDING has completed work on the follow-up to its debut album, “Enter Annihilation”, which was released in European and Japanese markets in 2008-2009. The new CD, “New Death Celebrity”, will be made available on September 23 via Massacre Records.”

DREAM THEATER: “A Dramatic Turn Of Events, the much-anticipated album from progressive metal giants DREAM THEATER, which marks new drummer Mike Mangini’s recorded debut, will be released on September 13 via Roadrunner Records.”

EX DEO: “EX DEO — the Ancient Roman-themed arsenal led by KATAKLYSM frontman Maurizio Iacono — will enter JFD studios in Dallas, Texas and Montreal, Canada in the fall with producer Jean-François Dagenais (KATAKLYSM, MALEVOLENT CREATION, MISERY INDEX, DESPISED ICON) to begin recording its sophomore album, “Caligula”, for an early 2012 release via Austria’s Napalm Records. According to the band, the CD will feature “the most intense ‘epic metal soundtrack’ to come out in recent history.”

FALLOCH: “Based in Glasgow, Scotland, the duo known as FALLOCH is a growing glimmer on the atmospheric, post-black metal horizon. Set for release on September 27 via Candlelight Records, “Where Distant Spirits Remain” was produced by Ronan Chris Murphy (ULVER,KING CRIMSON) and includes six songs that showcase the band’s unique blend of styles. Fans of ALCEST, AGALLOCH, PRIMORDIAL and others will embrace FALLOCH‘s somber soul.”

GOREAPHOBIA: “Legendary Philadelphia death metal battalion GOREAPHOBIA have joined forces with Dark Descent Records for the release of their new full-length, Apocalyptic Necromancy. Slated for release on August 9th, the follow-up to 2009′s Mortal Repulsion was recorded, mixed and mastered by drummer Jim Roe and features new guitarist VJS (KULT OV AZAZEL, CRIMSON MOON, DEMONCY, etc.).”

GRAVEWORM: “Our Italian friends of GRAVEWORM will enter the “Dreamsound Studio” in Munich at the beginning of July to record the successor of “Diabolical Figures” (2009). Eleven tracks will be taped up, which are described as a “combination of GRAVEWORM’s typical elements” by frontman Stefan Fiori. Hardness meets melody – once again an individual mixture of Gothic Metal and Melodic Death Metal, the two main pillars of the South Tyrolean’s sound. The album will be entitled “Fragments Of Death” and will be released on the 14th of October via Nuclear Blast.”

HELLSAW: “Austrian black metallers HELLSAW entered Munich, Germany’s Dreamsound Studios last week to begin recording their fourth full-length album. Titled “Trist”, the follow-up to 2009′s “Cold”, is due for release in early 2012 on Napalm Records.”

INSOMNIUM: “Finnish melodic death metallers INSOMNIUM will release their new album, “One For Sorrow”, on October 12 in Finland, October 17 in the rest of Europe and October 18 in North America via Century Media Records.”

LEVIATHAN: “If all goes according to plan, the cursed and wretched new LEVIATHAN full-length album, “True Traitor True Whore”, will see its official release on Nov 8th. The return of Wrest imminent…”

MEGADETH: “MEGADETH has set “13″ as the title of its new album, tentatively due in November via Roadrunner Records. The CD was recorded at MEGADETH mainman Dave Mustaine‘s Vic’s Garage studio in San Marcos, California with producer Johnny K (full name: John Karkazis), who has previously worked with DISTURBED, SEVENDUST, MACHINE HEAD and STAIND, among others.”

MOURNING CARESS: “Münster, Germany-based melodic death metallers MOURNING CARESS have inked a deal with MDD Records for the release of their third album. “Deep Wounds, Bright Scars” contains nine tracks plus a cover of the SCORPIONS classic “Blackout” as a bonus track. A new song, “Wastelands Within”, will be made available in September. The band says, “It’s a very special one for us, since it features guest vocals by the mighty Mikael Stanne from DARK TRANQUILLITY.”

OPERA IX: “Italy’s OPERA IX has inked a deal with Agonia Records for the release of the band’s new album, “Strix Maledictae In Aeternum”. Due in November, the CD — which is described in a press release as “a great opera dedicated to the dark ages of medieval witchcraft” — was recorded at the Occultum studios, owned by the OPERA IX guitarist Ossian, and was mastered at the Necromorbus Studio in Alvik, Sweden.”

PAIN OF SALVATION: “Following the turbulent and successful release of “Road Salt One” in the year 2010 and the touring activities in its support which climaxed with shows in India and South America earlier this year, Sweden’s PAIN OF SALVATION will issue “Road Salt Two” on September 26 in Europe and October 11 in North America via InsideOut Music.”

PATHOLOGY: “San Diego-based brutal death metal/slam band PATHOLOGY is completing the mixes for their new album. The effort, produced by Daniel Castleman (As I Lay Dying, Winds of Plague, Impending Doom) at Lambesis Studios, is entitled Awaken to the Suffering, and will be released Sept. 13th, 2011. Once again the band has utilized the talents of Par Olofsson (Immolation, Malevolent Creation) to handle the artwork.”

REDEMPTION: “REDEMPTION, the U.S. progressive metal band featuring in its ranks guitarist/songwriter Nick van Dyk and legendary FATES WARNING vocalist Ray Alder, will release its fifth studio album, “This Mortal Coil”, on September 26 in Europe and October 11 in North America via InsideOut Music. The follow-up to 2009′s “Snowfall On Judgment Day” was recorded and mixed with producer Neil Kernon (QUEENSRŸCHE, NEVERMORE, DEICIDE). The CD’s cover artwork was created by acclaimed artist and longtime band collaborator Travis Smith (OPETH, AVENGED SEVENFOLD, NEVERMORE).”

ROSE FUNERAL: “Beyond The Entombed, a brand new song from Cincinnati, Ohio’s ROSE FUNERAL, has been released for streaming. The track comes off the band’s new album, “Gates Of Punishment”, which will be released on September 27 via Metal Blade Records.”

SINGLE BULLET THEORY: “Philadelphia’s SINGLE BULLET THEORY will release its new album,“IV”, on September 27 via Goomba Music. The CD contains nine fresh tracks featuring new members John Ruszin III (guitar) and Jeff Kalber(bass).”

SKELETONWITCH: “SKELETONWITCH have announced October 11th, 2011 as the release date for their new album, Forever Abomination.  The band recorded the album in Los Angeles with producer Matt Hyde (Slayer, Hatebreed).”

SUBSIGNAL: “SUBSIGNAL, the new German band featuring former SIEGES EVEN members Arno Menses (vocals) and Markus Steffen (guitar), will release its second album, “Touchstones”, on September 30 via ZYX Music.”

SUFFOKATE: “Oakland, California death metallers SUFFOKATE have set “Return To Despair” as the title of their new album, due later in the year via Mediaskare Records. The CD was recorded at Undercity Studios in North Hollywood, California.”

SVARTSOT: “Danish folk metallers SVARTSOT will release their third album, “Maledictus Eris”, via Napalm Records on the following dates: July 27 – Spain, Finland, Sweden; July 29 – Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Benelux, Italy; August 1 – Rest Of Europe. According to the band, “Maledictus Eris” “recounts the tale of the Black Death’s incursion into Danish history from 1349 to 1350.”

VOYAGER: “Western Australia’s masters of progressive metal experimentation VOYAGER have signed with the New Jersey-based prog metal pros at Sensory Records for the release of the band’s upcoming fourth full-length album, “The Meaning Of I”. The official street date for the incredibly layered “The Meaning Of I” is set for October 11, 2011.”

WOLVES IN THE THRONE ROOM: “After devoting late Winter season to writing and recording, WOLVES IN THE THRONE ROOM have completed their fourth full-length opus of epic, earthen Black Metal ceremony. . . . The WOLVES IN THE THRONE ROOM clan have confirmed the title of this forthcoming astral black metal document as Celestial Lineage. Like both previous albums, it will be released via Southern Lord Recordings, with a street date of September 13, 2011 now confirmed.”

It’s been a few weeks since we did one of these MISCELLANY posts. In case you’ve forgotten, or you’re new to these pages, here’s how it works: I make a random list of new music or new videos from bands I’ve never heard before, but look interesting for some reason, and then I go check ‘em out. I don’t know in advance whether the music will be good or bad, and occasionally I get head-faked into listening to music that turns out not to be metal at all.

But whatever happens, I create this log of what I heard and saw, without filtering out anything. Sometimes, it becomes a vehicle for discovering gems. Sometimes, we blunder right into dreck — though most of the time the music has at least been passable.

On this particular venture into the musical unknown, I checked out DyNAbyte (Italy), King Giant (U.S.), and Darkness Rites (Canada).

DYNABYTE

I saw a blurb about this Italian band on Blabbermouth earlier this week. It said that the band featured a female vocalist named Cadaveria, formerly of the band Opera IX, as well as Necrodeath bassist John (aka “Killer Bob”). Those names “Cadaveria” and “Opera IX” rang a bell in my cobwebbed brain, and eventually it came to me.  (more after the jump, including music and video . . .)

Our occasional guest contributor Steff Metal, who operates her own excellent web site (here), wrote a column for us back in March about women in metal called “No Clean Chicks Singing”. She featured that Opera IX band as well as Cadaveria’s follow-up project called, uh, Cadaveria. Those were/are black-metal bands, but DyNAbyte bills itself as industrial metal.

So, with that background, I was curious. The Blabbermouth blurb reported that DyNAbyte has a new album called 2KX scheduled for release in October (the cool album cover for that is to your right) and has made available a song from the album (called “The Mummy”) for free download (here) in exchange for your e-mail address. So I bit, and downloaded the song. That was my first stop on this MISCELLANY tour.

The music is a pretty far cry from what we usually cover on this site. It’s got a cool synth introduction and then bolts into a hammering industrial groove, with Cadaveria’s clean vocals coming over the top — but in the chorus she then shifts into a raspy growl that’s more our style. The song progresses through more shifting back and forth between vocal styles, between melody and hammering. It’s pretty fucking catchy (and it includes bass drops!). Here’s what it sounds like:

DyNAbyte has one previous album to its credit, Extreme Mental Piercing.  The band’s official web site features a video of a song from that album. I watched it — and because I did, it goes in this post. Here’s DyNAbyte’s video for “I’m My Enemy”, which includes only a snippet of Cadaveria’s raspy vocals near the end:

DyNAbyte’s MySpace page includes a link for a free download of Extreme Mental Piercing, so go get it if you like what you hear.

KING GIANT

The next item on my list was a brand new video from a Virginia band called King Giant. The song is called “13 to 1″, and it’s from an album called Southern Darkness that King Giant self-released about a year ago. I got a press release about the video that described King Giant’s music as “groove-heavy Southern doom rock” for “fans of Corrosion of Conformity, Kyuss, Clutch, and Down.”

I like me some of that Southern doom every now and then, and I’ve been a fan of Down for a while, so I thought, why not? After all, I am originally from the South and I do occasionally feel doomed.

That song “13 to 1″, like the DyNAbyte song, isn’t the kind of music we usually cover on this site, but it’s about as far from DyNAbyte as you could get and still be within the loose boundaries of metal. It’s heavy and sludgy and bluesy — slow and nasty, with whiskey-soaked vocals and big, rounded, beautiful guitar tones, not to mention the unusual tinkling of a banjo during the first 45 seconds. (We need more banjo in metal!)

I thought the shit was cool, and the video is good, too — a cautionary tale about what can go wrong if you play poker with good ol’ boys you don’t know in a West Virginia roadhouse. Here’s a hint: It don’t end well.

Here’s King Giant’s video for “13 to 1″:

For more info about King Giant, their MySpace page is here and the band’s official web site is at this location. They’re working on a new album for release in 2011. What the hell, here’s their ReverbNation widget, too:

DARKNESS RITES

Darkness Rites is a band from Ottawa, Canada. We got a MySpace friend request from them a couple weeks ago, not long after we frothed at the mouth over another Ottawa band (Immersed), and I’ve been hanging on to their name until I had time to give them a proper listen.

My first stop was at the band’s MySpace page, and what greeted my eyes was a photo of some pretty young-looking dudes. On the other hand, in that photo they’re wearing band shirts from Behemoth, The Haunted, Slipknot, Down, and Cryptopsy. Well, I thought, who knows whether they can play worth a damn, but they do have good taste in metal.

I played the first song on their MySpace music player — “Systemic Human Massacre” — and it jerked me upright, like a marionette on a string. It’s a thrash-paced offering of modern, melodic death metal. The sound is sharp as knives and the musicianship is first-rate — a nice blend of rhythmic pummeling, galloping riffage, and unusually attention-grabbing melodic solos. The mid-ranged howling vocals are also quite good.

In short, “Systemic Human Massacre” hit my sweet spot. These dudes may look young, but they sound like they know the fuck what they’re doing.

That song comes from the band’s second release, an October 2009 album called The Accuser, which was produced by Cryptopsy’s Chris Donaldson. Here it is, with a montage of band photos from various live shows and tours.

Here’s the Darkness Rites ReverbNation widget, which includes one more song from The Accuser, and more songs are streaming on the band’s MySpace page.  And here’s the link where The Accuser is available for purchase.

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That’s all for today’s MISCELLANY post. We had a good run of luck today, and hope you liked what we found, too. Whether you did or didn’t, leave a comment and let us know what you thought. Hasta la vista.

[Today, we're pleased to feature a post from our occasional guest contributor from the Antipodes, Steff Metal (whose usual site you can find here). We wish we had at least thought up the wicked title to this post, but that was hers, too. And the rest of post is also pretty damned wicked. Prepare yourself to be entertained, and to discover some new music in the process.]

I went to a Cripple Mr. Onion gig. During setup I was nursing my bourbon and cola at the bar when I overheard a couple of dudes discussing Arch Enemy.

“She’s alright to look at,” one said, “but she can’t growl for shit.”

“Yeah,” his friend agreed. “Chicks can’t do extreme metal. Every extreme metal band with a chick vocalist is crap.” Therein followed a heated discussion of what chicks should be doing instead of playing extreme metal, which I’ve omitted due to the rules of common decency.

Resisting the urge to punch them both in the face, I drained my glass and wondered if I could prove his claim false. Surely there must be extreme metal bands with decent female vocals?

It’s a long-held belief among metalheads that girls can’t do extreme metal. Extreme Metal is probably the most aggressive, angry, violent form of music there is, and every study ascertains its audience as overwhelmingly male. There’s a kind of “lost boys club” surrounding extreme metal, a sort of grymm forest treehouse with a badly handwritten sign on the door: NO GIRLS ALLOWED.

I think the lack of decent female extreme metal musicians has more to do with simple maths. Hardly any girls listen to extreme metal, and of those that do, hardly any play instruments. There are hundreds of thousands of men playing in metal bands and about twenty-two girls (seriously, I counted), and if 80% of all metal is crap, then that’s only … 4.2 decent female extreme metal musicians.

No I just have to find them.  (and find them she did — read on after the jump . . .)

Exhibit A: Opera IX

I’ve never thought of Italy as a hotseat of black metal, much less black metal fronted by extremely pissed-off, growly chicks, but here’s Opera IX to prove the Italians are better at more than just clogging up the Alpine passes with suicidal drivers.

Here they are black metalling it with “Born in the Grave”:

I also found this video of Opera IX covering “Rhime of the Ancient Mariner”. This is actually really cool (the non-growly vocals are from Cadavaria, their former vocalist).

Exhibit B: Cadaveria

Cadaveria was the original vocalist of Opera IX, and having listened to some of their older, more Cradle of Filth sounding stuff, I prefer their new vocalist, but Cadaveria’s got her own band now: the vocals are quite raw, but it’s clear she can also sing.

From the album In Your Blood, “AnagraM”. I’m actually really digging this.

Exhibit C: Severed Heaven

I saw these lasses on an atrocious reality TV show “Singing with the Enemy” a couple of weeks ago, where they had to record a collaboration with a cock rock band. Although the cock rock / death metal song sounded like shit, Lauren’s vocals impressed me.

Exhibit D: Enter Chaos

There’s Polish death metal, there’s female vocals. The vocalist is quite cute, too. It’s all good.

Exhibit E: Adorior

I love a Myspace page that begins with: “Spawned of slut and abattoir semen in the festering pits of the UK”. Adorior spew forth an orgy of deranged intensity. I love the production on these tracks, which really allows you to hear Melissa’s vocals.

Exhibit F: Merlin

Mary, the vocalist from Russian death metal outfit Merlin, has a rare vocal range from contralto to soprano, which might have let her into the famous Moscow Conservatoire without need of sitting the entrance examinations had she not decided to form a brutal death metal band. She borrows heavily from John Tardy’s vocal style:

Exhibit G: Thorr’s Hammer

I think these are some of the best vocals I’ve heard. Ever. Thorr’s Hammer are death / doom from Washington, DC, but their vocalist, Runhild, is a tr00 Norwegian lass. They only released one demo, and they broke up in 1995, which is the saddest thing I’ve heard while researching this article (and I heard Black Thorn).

Yes, that is a female vocalist. She’d have Angela Gossow running for the hills.

Of the above tracks, I dig the Opera IX and Cadaveria songs the most, and I think Runhild from Thorr’s Hammer has the best vocals. I think all of these bands have merit, and I do believe I’ve proved that girls don’t suck at no clean singing.

For metal fans – who demand the utmost in honesty from their music – the true question is, how can you tell if a band is good in the truest musical sense, as opposed to a band you simply pay more attention to because they’re doing something different. Can we ignore the un-male-ness of these musicians and dissect their songs with the same rigor we apply to male musicians? Should we? Or is their womenliness part of their performance, part of the overall effect of the music? Should we stop saying “she’s pretty good, for a chick” and start saying “she fucking slays.” As a friend and lead singer of an all-female metal band once said. “Fuck, girls get angry too.”

So, I leave the verdict in your hands. Do we girls growl, rasp, screech and howls as good as you blokes?

Steff Metal