Long-awaited albums from Polaris and The Amity Affliction are almost here.
There’s a most excellent song by Tenacious D called, quite simply, ‘The Metal’. In it, Jack Black, in all his endearing comedic ways, sings about the longevity of heavy metal and how, despite the surfacing of many would-be contenders, has never failed to endure – and I could not agree more. I listen to this song frequently when I feel like injecting a sense of solidarity into my soul. Tenacious D are good like that.
That being said, my trust in the metal scene was briefly called into question when, in the first week of January, I opened up Spotify for the first time in a while to see that my Weekly Radar (a specially curated playlist of new releases) consisted only of covers. Yes, covers. Renditions of some metal classics across all the subgenres, as well as some questionable crossovers between genres that only served to enrage me.
Then the press releases started rolling into my inbox, and my soul was saved.
Thank the higher powers for the bands below, who’ve wasted no time whatsoever in announcing the release of new material pretty much from the moment the words “Happy New Year” were cried. Covers be damned, in the words of the great Jack Black, “You can’t kill the metal! The metal will live on!”.
Polaris – The Death Of Me
Due out February 21, this is a highly anticipated release from the Sydney metalcore outfit. The tour in support of the second album kicks off in Melbourne on release day, with Wage War, Crystal Lake and Alpha Wolf in support.
The Amity Affliction – Everyone Loves You… Once You Leave Them
A pretty heavy title for a pretty heavy band, TAA will also drop their new record on February 21. This announcement follows the release of two singles from the album, the hard-hitting ‘All My Friends Are Dead’ and ‘Soak Me In Bleach’.
Magg Dylan – Amethyst
Alt-metal outfit Magg Dylan have a new album coming out that addresses the band’s experience with depression and alcoholism. Latest single ‘Naked Alone In A Tub’ is an oddly uplifting track and points to good things to be heard in the new release, due out February 21 via Eclipse Records.
Poppy – I Disagree
Hear me out, because Poppy has some crazy heaviness happening in her third studio album. While she’s sickly sweet at times, the illusive artist has some pretty solid sentiments of anguish and rage coursing through this one. Already released on January 10, give this a spin for her clever manipulations of pop, metal, and dub step.
