Behemoth - "Ora Pro Nubis Lucifer" & "Blow Your Trumpets Gabriel"

The two singles to have dropped from Polish death metal quartet Behemoth's forthcoming concept album The Satanist sound massive and are kind of awe-inspiring. The first, "Ora Pro Nubis Lucifer," is a straight-up death metal frenzy, whereas the second, "Blow Your Trumpets Gabriel," is a slower-paced, multi-phased piece complete with grand choral vocals and a brass-infused outro that is in a way quite moving. Stream them above and below, respectively. Brace yourself for The Satanist, due out February 4 via Metal Blade Records.

In Solutude- "Serpents Are Rising"

A new track from Swedish metal outfit In Solitude, whose third album dropped on Metal Blade this past May. The LP's title is The World. The Flesh. The Devil..

The sound here is one that's been a metal mainstay for decades, going back to the days of King Diamond and Iron Maiden. Maybe the vocals are little overbearing, but the songs are presented with a lot of sincerity. It's definitely a throwback, but I don't see any reason to bring authenticity into question. The riffs are too fiery to do that.

Blood Ceremony- Living With the Ancients

On Blood Ceremony's second album, the Canadian band embraces a traditional style of doom metal; but they still manage to make worlds collide. With guitar riffs coming straight out of the Toni Iommi playbook and flute playing that calls out to Jethro Tull's Ian Anderson, this album is like a rock nerd fantasy collaboration come true! Everything from the musicianship to the recording style on this album is pretty damn solid. I'm not 100% on the vocals, but it's a detail I can overlook when everything else I'm dealing with here is so rich, smoky, and flavorful.

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