A weekly feature focusing on select heavy music news, primarily involving new and upcoming releases with a list of ’em provided at the end. This also serves as a week in review, collecting all of the most recent content on Grizzly Butts in a brief additional list. Want to see what came out this week? Read the “Annihilate This Week” column every week. If I can’t hear it, I won’t cover it! If you have new releases, show announcements, or important heavy music news that’ll be relevant or interesting to folks send it to: grizzlybutts@hotmail.com

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THIS WEEK IN NEWS (6/26/21 – 7/02/21)

• Finland’s Sacrificial Dance and Quiet Notes have announced a cassette from LUCUBRATION titled ‘Aspiration Of Corrupted Ancient Blood‘ a torrent of what they describe as bestial black war industrial noise doom! Expect raw and ripping havoc from the tape thanks to members from Oksennus and Kuilu. Check out the first preview song over on Bandcamp: [LINK]
• Primitive Reaction have announced September 24h as the international release date for the third album from Finnish black metal band AZAZEL titled ‘Aegrus Satanas Tecum‘. Formed in 1992 between folks who were active in death metal bands to some degree, Azazel retain the perspective of the early second wave or, first wave within Finland depending who you ask. The first preview from the album, “Demons Attack the Nuns Chapel” says it better than I could, over on YouTube: [LINK]
• Australian heavy metal quartet FATE’S HANDS have announced the release of their self-titled debut EP is set for July 30th via Dying Victims Productions. Fate’s Hand features musicians from some of the best fuckin’ bands around: Mongrel’s Cross, Impetuous Ritual, and Stargazer. This is traditional heavy metal with a superior 80’s stride to it, right on the precipice of “epic” as far as I’ve gotten from the first preview track “Fascination”, which you can go listen to on YouTube: [LINK]
• Primitive Reaction have announced September 24h as the release date for Finnish black metal act MALIGNAMENT‘s debut album, ‘Hypocrisis Absolution‘. Yeah I don’t know if folks still remember the incredibly melodic demo they put out in late 2019 but Malignament have been on my damned radar ever since. This first preview track from the album takes a different direction, something more regal and not grabbing for melody as ferociously. See what you think and check out “Like Rats They Followed” over on YouTube : [LINK]
• Eisenwald have announced August 27th as the release date for FLUISTERAARS‘ fourth album, ‘Gegrepen door de Geest der Zielsontluiking‘, on CD and vinyl LP. Cassette will be released by their own gig, Haeresis Noviomagi. The interesting note from the press release is that ‘Gegrepen door de Geest der Zielsontluiking is “in many ways a polar opposite of what Bloem had to offer.” and I’m way, way interesting to see what that is all about because it is a three song album with one giant 20+ minute piece! Huge fan of this band and can’t wait to see what this album ends up being. For now, follow Fluisteraars on Facebook and check out the cover art and details: [LINK]
• Edged Circle Productions have announced their official signing of Norwegian speed metal band Black Viper. They’ve got an EP coming up to celebrate, two new songs and a cover of Warlord’s “Black Mass” to tribute the late Billy Tsamis. They’re aiming for winter for its release. They’ve also announced that the second Black Viper full-length, ‘Solitary Gates‘, is already in pre-production with final recordings to commence shortly. Follow then on Facebook to keep up with what’s next: [LINK]
• Hell’s Headbangers have announced July 23rd as the release date for KROSSFYRE‘s debut album, ‘Rites of Extermination‘ on CD format. The vinyl LP will follow later this year. This Spanish black/death thrash band includes members/ex-members of Sheidim, Graveyard, Körgull the Exterminator, Insulters, Morbid Flesh, and Suspiral. More importantly, they’ve got riffs. That album cover sucks, though. Pre-order on Hell’s Headbangers distro: [LINK]
• Seance Records have set September 3rd as the release date for PESTILENTIAL SHADOWS‘ sixth album, ‘Revenant‘, on CD, vinyl LP, and cassette tape. Seven year long wait for this one but so far it sounds worthwhile. Check out “Hunter & Reaper” on YouTube: [LINK]
• Aliens, from outer space, disguised as mannequins? And they’re murderous? Good. Greek progressive metal band HAIL SPIRIT NOIR weren’t kidding when they announced an 80’s synth pop album was on the way, themed as a kitschy horror movie soundtrack but the first single “Mannequins” not only makes it real but made my day with its catchy, hump-worthy hooks and kind of hilarious narrative foreshadowing. The music video for this song is absolute class and the song is a solid hook. Just keep in mind this record is a “one-off to celebrate their 10th anniversary and it does not signal a change in style for the band. It releases September 10th on Agonia Records. Check out “Mannequin” over on YouTube: [LINK]
• Hell’s Headbangers have announced August 20th as the release date for Finnish black/speed metal trio BONEHUNTER‘s fourth album, ‘Dark Blood Reincarnation System‘, on CD and cassette tape formats. The vinyl LP version will follow later this year. I really enjoyed the last one, this one sounds darker, more raw. Check it out yourself “Black Magic M16” over on YouTube: [LINK]
• French heavy metal band TENTATION have announced they will release their full-length debut album September 24th on Gates of Hell Records. ‘Le Berceau Des Dieux‘ is a throwback to the glory days of 1980s metal, complete with a deadly Maiden-on-Mercyful Fate twist, and sung entirely in French. The album will be available on CD, vinyl, and digital formats. They’ve got one preview song up so far and it sounds very promising: [LINK]
• Bitter Loss Records have announced September 3rd as the release date for DEAD SOUL ALLIANCE‘s debut album, ‘Behind the Scenes‘, on CD format. The cassette tape version will be released by Dawning Septic Productions. This band comes from the same fellow from Expunged but this a bit more groovy and brutal. Check out two brand-new tracks “Mental Comatose” and “Behold Forever Darkness” over on Bandcamp: [LINK]

• NOTABLE ALBUMS AT PRESS THIS WEEK FROM: Fluisteraars, Hour of 13, Internal Bleeding, Nocturnal, Hexenklad, Lucubration, Genocidio, Septage, Astora, Dead Soul Alliance, Bonehunter, Arna, Headshrinker, Antediluvian, Wraith, Vrexiza, Pestilential Shadows, Funeral Chasm, Amnessia Eternal, Osi and the Jupiter, Black Mass Pervertor, Nigrum Pluviam, Hellcrash, Krossfyre, Paradise Lost and several more. Look for coverage in the near future. Don’t see your album listed? Send it to me: grizzlybutts@hotmail.com

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SITE WEEK IN REVIEW (6/26/21 – 7/02/21)

• Annihilate This Week 6/26/21: “Aandene har begynt aa vise seg for meg.”
  • This year …From the Tomb becomes Annihilate This Week, still focusing on new releases from the week but now accumulating a New Releases list/discussion in addition to short reviews for around 5-10 new albums each week. It will now post every Saturday (or Sunday) to better fit my schedule.
  • This week I chose to cover 6 New Releases from June 12th-18th. Favorites being Taake, Hnagash.
• Spirit Coffin Publishing‘s distro items have largely moved to my Discogs account along with used records/CDs from my collection. You can still get Anti-God Hand and Stargazer tapes from the BigCartel store. Parasitic Entity CDs will ship on July 16th, Incinerate cassettes ship on July 23rd.

This week I am completely behind on all reviews due to working on other projects; We’ve only just caught up with last week. I am unwilling to crank out quick thoughts and let it ride, not my style. So, to catch up there will be no Annihilate This Week column on July 3rd and all of the releases I would have covered will be covered on July 10th. Them’s the breaks.

• DARKTHRONE – Eternal Hails…… (2021) | REVIEW
• DRAWN AND QUARTERED – Congregation Pestilence (2021) | REVIEW
• STRESS ANGEL – Bursting Church (2021) | REVIEW
• WARMOON LORD – Battlespells (2021) | REVIEW

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UPCOMING RELEASES (7/03/19/21 – 7/09/21)

NOTE: This is not a comprehensive list, some titles are already reviewed and/or covered and some have yet to enter the final queue for consideration and processing. An asterisk (*) indicates that a full review is drafted or in preparation. A pound (#) indicates a short review is warranted and in process. A plus (+) indicates that the album has already been reviewed. Click/Tap on RECORD LABEL name for preview, stream, or store.

• HINSIDES – Under Betlehems brinnande stjärna [July 9th, Shadow Records]
• PSYCHIC HIT – Solutio [July 9th, Seeing Red Records]
• MARRAS – Endtime Sermon [July 9th, Spread Evil] #
• UNENDLICH – Paradox of a Broken World [July 9th, Self-Released]
• DOUBTSOWER – Asphyxiation of a Seasick Soul [July 9th, UBAii]
• 71TONMAN – War is Peace/Peace is Slavery [July 9th, Transcending Obscurity Records] #
• MADS CHRISTENSEN – 5212 Helvete [July 9th, Edged Circle] #
• HAMMERS OF MISFORTUNE – The Bastard [July 9th, Cruz Del Sur Music] Reissue #
• ELDERBLOOD – Achrony [July 9th, Drakkar Productions] #

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