NEW MUSIC OUT TODAY: 4/29/2008

Executive Editor Brandon Geist’s quick takes on the shitload of new albums hitting record stores on this day of our lord, April 29, 2008:

B’S PICK: Life Of Agony - River Runs Red CD/DVD (Roadrunner)
Man, this 1993 album (reissued here with bonus tracks and video) basically got me through those four years of angst and alienation known as high school. If you don’t have the record already (or maybe even if you do), pick this shit up—it could change your life.

Boris - Smile (Southern Lord)



This Japanese power trio (named for the Melvins song) fares much better when sticking to the monolithic drone/doom metal on which the band made its name than on its recent forays into shitty garage rock, which means that you can skip this latest album’s more up-tempo first half for its sludgy, shoegazing close.

Cephalic Carnage - Conforming To Abnormality (Relapse)



Reissue of these Coloradan “hydro-grind” 
progenitor’s Relapse debut. Good shit, but nothing from these hard-toking maniacs tops the sheer awesomeness of their song “Black Metal Sabbath” live.

Century - Black Ocean (Prosthetic)




Editor in Chief Tom is all about this album, and for good reason. It’s full of spacious, melodic post-hardcore—think Snapcase, Burst, Coalesce, et al, and you get the idea.

Children Of Bodom - Follow The Reaper, Hatebreeder, Something Wild, and Tokyo Warhearts: Live In Japan 1999 (Spinefarm/Fontana)



Following up the debut of CoB’s new album, Blooddrunk, at Number 22 on the Billboard charts (congrats, boys), Spinefarm has dropped these killer reissues of Alexi “Wildchild” Laiho & Co.’s back catalog. Expect lots of guitar shred, cheesy keys, and flying blonde hair.

Desaster - 666: Satan's Soldiers Syndicate (Metal Blade)



Latest blast of blackened thrash from these Deutschlandic demon hailers. Frontman Sataniac gets props for the badass stage name—but then, pretty much any pseudonym rules compared to what his parents dubbed him: Guido.

Fate - Vultures (Metal Blade)




If onetime teen prodigies Job for a Cowboy are getting too old for you now that they’re tipping into the decrepitude of their (OMG) 20s, Metal Blade has followed up that signing with baby-faced wonders Fate. And much like JFAC, these kids’ absurdly complex and mature death metal totally belies their youth.

HIM - Digital Versatile Doom Live from the Orpheum Theater XXXVII A.S DVD (Sire)




I’ve only seen HIM’s Ville Valo perform once—when he covered Type O Negative’s “Blood No. 1” at the Roadrunner United 25th Anniversary show—and he had a shitload of charisma, wit, and attitude. But it also didn’t hurt that the song is genuinely kickass, unlike every original HIM tune I’ve ever heard. Too bad Ville and his band aren’t exclusively playing covers on this new live DVD.

The Hottness - Stay Classy (Ferret)




Every Time I Die-style partycore but with way more of a pop punk/emo/screamo influence, which makes it almost intolerable, as far as I’m concerned.

Korn - Playlist: The Very Best Of Korn (Epic/Legacy)




Didn’t Korn already put out a best-of album? 1994’s Korn. No, but seriously, didn’t they put out an actual best-of compilation disc, Greatest Hits Vol.1, back in 2004? Word up.

Mindless Self-Indulgence - If (The End)




I don’t really get this band’s brand of spastic, sophomoric electro-metal, but our former managing editor Brian loves them, and my younger brother Curran really digs them, too. I will say that their bass player is pretty fucking hot, and that definitely goes a long way. I mean, I once stood through a whole Coal Chamber headlining set, and did so very happily, just staring at their bassist, Nadja.

Morgion - Morgion (Relapse)




Collection of this now-defunct majestic doom band’s Relapse-era recordings, including their two full-lengths and seven previously unreleased tracks. Big fans of these guys, my then-girlfriend/now-wife and I dragged ourselves out to Brooklyn metal club L’Amour the day after the 2003 NYC blackout only to show up and discover that the band had cancelled—and shortly thereafter broke up. This comp is but a small consolation.

Puscifer - Dozo 7”, Queen B. 7”, V Is For Vagina (Deluxe Edition) (iTunes), and V Is For Viagra: The Vagina Remixes (Puscifer Entertainment)
A busy day for Tool frontman Maynard James Keenan’s bizarro electro side project. The highlight is the tripped-out remix album featuring reworking by the likes of Slipknot’s Joey Jordison, ex-Ministry bassist Paul Barker, and Isis frontdude Aaron Turner. If you metalheads can’t seem to get into this shit, try putting back a bottle of Keenan’s wine first and see if it doesn’t sound that much better then.

Spitfire - Cult Fiction (Goodfellow)




Manic metalcore from this on-again/off-again Virginian outfit, featuring vocalist Jon Spencer formerly of Scarlet, not the Blues Explosion. The album cover seems to feature a photo of a naked chick laying on her back with a skull sitting on her na-na, which is reason enough for me to want a copy.

Testament - The Formation Of Damnation (Nuclear Blast)




Stellar thrash comeback from the classic Testament lineup (plus ex-Slayer/Forbidden skinsman Paul Bostaph). And don’t miss these geezers out on their upcoming tour with Heaven and Hell, Motörhead, and Judas Priest.

Walls Of Jericho - Redemption EP (Trustkill)




Woah, is this really Walls of Jericho? Acoustic guitars? Sung vocals? A cover of “House of the Rising Sun”? Still trying to wrap my head around this one…