New Heavy Metal CD Releases: August 23, 2011

August 23, 2011
All Else Fails - The Oracle, What Was Is and Could Have Been (Suicidal Brides)
Atriarch - Forever The End (Seventh Rule)
Black Tide - Post Mortem (DGC)
Discharge - Desensitise/War Is Hell Re-Release (Candlelight)
Ghost Brigade - Until Fear No Longer Defines Us (Season Of Mist)
ICS Vortex - Storm Seeker (Century Media)
Jorn - Live In Black (Frontiers)
Leprous - Bilateral (InsideOut)
Minushuman - Bloodthrone (Season Of Mist)

July 2011 Best Heavy Metal CDs

The number of CD releases slows down a little bit in the summer, but not as much as it used to.  There were still plenty of quality releases in July, and the two artists that top the list might be unfamiliar to most metal fans.  The debut from 40 Watt Sun burns with a much higher wattage, topping the July list.  Black metalers Avichi also make a strong case for the top spot.  Here are July's top 5 metal CDs.
1. 40 Watt Sun - The Inside Room (Metal Blade)

2. Avichi - The Devil's Fractal (Profound Lore)

3. Jasta - Jasta (eOne)

4. Sepultura - Kairos (Nuclear Blast)

5. Disma - Towards The Megalith (Profound Lore)

list by Chad Bowar.

Essential Death Metal Albums

Death metal as a distinct genre dates back to about 1985 or so, and the sheer number of albums that have been released since is staggering. Aficionados of the genre will argue endlessly about which albums deserve to be placed on a list of the absolute best of the best that the genre has to offer. In an effort to avoid such arguments, the purpose of this list is to inform listeners new to the genre; that is, given the enormous number of albums released in the name of death metal, how does a fan new to the genre find where to begin?

Possessed - Seven Churches (1985)

Morbid Angel - Altars Of Madness (1989)

Deicide - Deicide (1990)

Entombed - Left Hand Path (1990)

Cannibal Corpse - Tomb Of The Mutilated (1992)

Suffocation - Effigy Of The Forgotten (1991)

Death - Human (1991)

Immolation - Close To A World Below (2000)

Incantation - Onward To Golgotha (1992)

Nile - Annihilation Of The Wicked (2005)