Monthly Metal: April ’18
It’s April 2018, and I’m making a bit of a roundup of the upcoming album releases I’m looking forward to this month. And there are a bunch, so turn up your speakers and get ready to rock!
Early this month Valhalla Lights, Woodhawk, Winterfylleth, Kalmah, Shadygrove, Paddy and the Rats, Spiders, and Kamelot all release albums. We also have releases from Wykan, Frequency Drift, and Stone Broken. April 20 finds us listening to Infinitee, Dokken, and Sense of Fear. And April rounds us out with Skindred, God is an Astronaut, and Kobra and the Lotus dropping on the 27th. My thoughts:
April Metal Picks: Dropping on the 6th
Valhalla Lights gives us My Gracious Highway, which is finally getting released to us here in North America.
Woodhawk takes us on a raucous, roadhouse, and roller coaster ride on Beyond the Sun.
Winterfylleth finds me drifting in an acoustic cloud on their latest, The Hallowing of Heirdom.
Kalmah gives us pure aggression, tempered with softer melodies on Palo. And I do happen to have a Quick Six interview with Pekka Kokko, the founder and guitarist-vocalist of Kalmah that you need to read.
Shadygrove fills my heart with folk music, with a bit of rock thrown in for good measure on In the Heart of Scarlet Wood.
Paddy and the Rats is punk meets pirate on Riot City Outlaws.
Spiders newest offering, Killer Machine, is the love child of Alice Cooper and Stevie Nicks, if she was mentored by Debbie Harry.
The final album to be released on the 6th, Kamelot graces us with their latest release in The Shadow Theory.
Available on April 13th
On the 13th, Wykan brings us their debut EP Solace. Three songs, clocking in at 24 minutes, and I’m really looking forward to what they can bring in a full length album.
Frequency Drift presents us with Letters to Maro, calling themselves “Cinematic Music”, and I have to agree.
Stone Broken reminds us to never give up, and to always chase your dreams on Ain’t Always Easy. And coming up I’ve got a Quick Six with their frontman, Rich Moss to share with y’all as well.
Monthly Metal: April 20th
Infinitee, comprised of Tres Thomas, invades our electronic brainwaves with his EDM and metal tracks on The Possibilities are Endless.
Dokken drops Return to the East Live onto our heads. With the original lineup reunited for a show at the Loud Park Festival in Japan, this is one hell of a treat!
And lastly, Greek metallers, Sense of Fear let loose with their debut album, As the Ages Passing By.
April Releases: April 27th
And finally, April 27th brings us Skindred and their latest work, Big Tings. I’ve been listening to this one on repeat, and am really enjoying it.
God is an Astronaut lays some gorgeous acoustic tracks for us on their ninth album, Epitaph.
And this brings us to my favorite metal frontwoman, Kobra Paige, and her band, Kobra and the Lotus. They assail us with Prevail II, and it flows perfectly off of Prevail I to bring joy to my little metal-loving heart. And yep, Kobra was gracious enough to answer our questions on yet another Quick Six Interview – have a look, Beastlings.
So mark your calendars, clear your schedules, put on your headphones, and immerse yourself in all the music I’m listening to this month!
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Robin is a semi-coherent, almost sentient being. She has some strange ideas, and some even stranger friends. Disabled, queer, agnostic, accident-prone & other adjectives.
She loves music, and talks about new releases from bands frequently. She also enjoys going to shows to recap them, and listening to albums by bands that "mainstream" music isn't interested in, because they're often the best music out there.
Follow me on Twitter and Instagram as @wyrdrobin to see what other things I have to say!