Weekend of Slam: New Riffs in 2016

This year has been huge for heavy music so far, and this weekend has just added to the monster pile of heavy that we can look forward to before the year is out. Included are some of the songs that you can expect to hear before the year is out.

Neurosis – Broken Ground (off of “Fires From Within”, due out 09/23/2016 on Neurot Records)

The highly anticipated follow up to 2012’s “Honor Found in Decay,” Neurosis has begun playing this slow burning monster at festivals recently and it does not disappoint. The audio quality is shot (cell phone cameras are the worst) but you can still get a sense of how the track will sound from the live recording. Loud as Hell and heavy as 20 tons of elephants sitting on your chest, Neurosis brings it once again, showing that even after 30 years, the creative well has yet to be drained.

Meshuggah – Born Into Dissonance (off of “The Violent Sleep of Reason”, due out 10/07/2016 on Nuclear Blast Records)

Meshuggah always pushes the envelope and changes the game for heavy music every time they release an album. With “The Violent Sleep of Reason”, the band pushes the boundaries of creativity, while taking a step back to their roots. This will be the first album they’ve recorded live in a studio in 20 years, giving it a “Destroy Erase Improve” and “Chaosphere” vibe, in terms of how the production sounds, while maintaining the best of the new era of Meshuggah from “Nothing” forward. I’m so excited for this album and to see these guys live again this October.

King 810 – Alpha and Omega (off of “La Petite Mort, or A Conversation With God”, due out 09/16/2016 on Roadrunner Records)

Love them or hate them, Flint heavy weights King 810 have given us an actual heavy song off their upcoming sophomore release. The song tackles the uncomfortable subject of sexual abuse in the Catholic church, with vocalist David Gunn snarling every line with such hatred and ire, you’d think he was here to wage war with the church itself. More straight forward than anything off of their last album (which is saying a lot) the song is a crusher, guaranteed to wake you up by caving in your skull.

Candiria – Mereya (off of “While They Were Sleeping”, due out 10/07/2016 on Metal Blade Records)

THE HYPE IS REAL. After seven long years, the Brooklynites are back! Candiria is the American equivalent to Meshuggah, albeit with more melody and the addition of rapping and jazz elements. I know, sounds like noise, right? WRONG. Candiria has been gone far too long and “Mereya” is the perfect combo of the “300 Percent Density” and “What Doesn’t Kill You..” eras of the end. Vocalist Carly Coma has never sounded better, John LaMacchia is still weaving intricate tapestries out of riffs, and the rhythm section is giving us nothing but pocket, being held down by long time bassist Michael MacIvor and new comer, drummer Danny Grosarth.

In Flames – The End (off of the album “Battles”, due out 11/11/2016 on Nuclear Blast Records)

In Flames has released a string of divisive albums over the past decade or so, and fans of “Lunar Strain” or “Whoracle” era In Flames are probably going to hate this song. However, being a fan of their newer stuff as well, watching the band move forward further into being more “radio friendly”, for lack of a better term, while still maintaining their edge, has been a treat. Vocalist Anders Friden’s voice sounds more aggressive than it has in a while and the song is very riff driven, making this song quite a bit above par for the course, given their last two albums have been real stinkers.

Heirophant – Mass Grave (off of “Mass Grave”, due out 11/04/2016 on Season of Mist Records)

I myself am late to the party for Hierophant, but the Italian natives are crazy heavy, mixing old school Obituary-style death metal with punk to create their vicious, raw sound. Produced by Taylor Young (Nail, Twitching Tongues, Disgrace) at LA’s very own The Pit Studios, the song is a great way to really irritate your friends, family, neighbors, pets, local grave yards, etc. But the song will be pleasing to the ears of heavy music fans, so check this bad boy out.

Ion Dissonance – Treading on Thin Ice (off of “Cast the First Stone”, due out 11/13/2016 on Good Fight Music)

This one doesn’t have a video, but it’s been years since Ion Dissonance released anything, and these tech-metal vets are back with a vengeance. Continuing in the vein set by “Minus the Herd”, the band is low and groovy, but with multiple time signature changes and massive breakdowns. This album has been a long time coming and my inner eighth grader cannot wait for it.

Oathbreaker – 10:56/Second Son of R. (off of “Rheia”, due out 09/30/2016 on Deathwish Inc.)

Oathbreaker is a crazy band, combining shoe gaze and post-rock in with death metal, metalcore, and a hint of black metal. And yeah, while this technically came out last week, the song still deserves your attention, given Oathbreaker is very consistent in their body of work. This isn’t one to sleep on.

Metallica – Hardwired (off of “Hardwired…To Self-Destruct”, due out 11/18/2016 on Blackened Records)

This is DEFINITELY as “in case you missed it” post (though I’m not really sure how you missed this, provided you are alive and breathing in 2016) but Metallica has finally given us a new song off their first record in eight years. Guess what? It’s actually good! The production is tight, there’s a solo, the song is abrasive, short, and to the point, a real throwback thrash track, reminiscent of their “Ride the Lightning” and “Master of Puppets” era work. Granted, this is the first of 12 songs off the forthcoming album, but if the rest of the album is anything like this, I’m sold.