BAZUndergroundUpdates CCLVI

And it’s Wednesday once more and just as predictable as the weekdays are, so is the weekly installment of The Underground Updates with our relentless writers Julia Katrin and Tom Osman!
So, let’s see what’s out there…

Check these news
RIVERS OF NIHIL The latest single from death metal progenitors Rivers of Nihil titled American Death comes by way of the band’s eponymous fifth full length, set for a release on May 30th via Metal Blade Records! Head straight over here right now to check out the track and the accompanying video and of course over here to place your pre-order!
WARBRINGER Modern thrash unit Warbringer have unveiled ghoulish third single Through a glass, darkly as well as accompanying video, from the brand-new album Wrath and Ruin, which was out just last Friday! Head over here right now to check out the video, and over here to place your album order!
EPICA Symphonic metal frontrunners Epica have returned with a spellbinding third single off their upcoming album Spiral, scheduled for a release on April 11th! The track, T.I.M.E., takes listeners on a journey through self-discovery, as the title stands from transformation, integration, metamorphosis and evolution, and you can head straight over here to partake in the journey! Oh and of course over here to pre-order the album!
RWAKE After more than thirteen years of silence, Rwake has released a new transmission, and The Return of Magik is out on Relapse Records! Head over here right now to check it out!
ORTHODOX Having announced a new album, Door left Open, coming June 6th via Century Media, Orthodox have already released the single Searching for a Pulse as well as its accompanying video, and you can of course head over here right now to check it out, and over here to place your pre-order!

Goodies…
BLACK LION RECORDS It’s almost time for spring cleaning! The warehouse over at Black Lion Records is cramped, and they are now making room for new ventures beyond themselves! This follows, of course, a very enjoyable 25% off everything, both new and old! Head over here right now to check out the selection and use the code blacklion25 at checkout!
NEUROT RECORDINGS And Neurot Recordings continue to deliver and this week’s album pick for their weekly Pay What You Can segment is Forgive Us Our Trespasses by A Storm of Light! Head over here right now to claim your copy and simply pay what you can!

CARTILAGE The dead may rest but the grind goes on! Cartilage is serving up another frenzied feat with Tales from the Entrails: A Necrology, an EP which you can get your hands on right over here, but what’s more is that in less than two week, Cartilage will embark on their brief Pacific Northwest Tour on March 27th through 30th, directly after which they will launch their US/Mexico tour with Unidad Trauma from April 11th through 24th, so keep your eyes open for confirmed dates and tickets!
DOWN Long-running heavy metal supergroup Down will return to the stage for six special shows supporting Danzig! The journey begins on March 21st in Las Vegas and will run through March 30th with additional support from Abbath and Cro-Mags! This is a feast nobody should let slip them by so make sure you have quick hands and get some tickets!

Soon, will be out…

INHUMAN NATURE But let us not forget the deep joy of some good ol’ slamming thrash metal. London, England’s Inhuman Nature will release their latest album Greater Than Death on Church Road Records next month. Check out the preview tracks here and if you dig it, pre-order a copy on vinyl, CD or cassette.

Grab them…

PYRAMID MASS Praise those bands that defy any kind of genre classification. Richmond, Virginia’s Pyramid Mass can just about be classified as metal (although they incorporate hardcore elements into their sound). Beyond that we can say their sound is extreme, atmospheric and otherworldly. Check out their new EP Gargling Rot on limited cassette or digital here.

RWAKE Returning to the studio after a 14 year absence Arkansans Rwake have just released The Return of Magik (Relapse Records), an epic, psychedelic beast of ritualistic, apocalyptic progressive metal. Check it out here with the album available on vinyl and CD. The band will be hitting the stage for a few dates in North America. See the link above for all dates. This music is bound to be melting brains when the band hits the stage, so don’t miss out on the chance to see them.

Check the following links…
Having to pay gigantic sums for international postage is a real gear grinder. While it’s our default setting to link Bandcamp pages in the case of new and pre-releases, we thought it would be helpful to add some online stores that might provide a useful alternative.
So if you see a release you fancy, but it’s being sold in a far off land and you don’t want to fork out on exorbitant shipping, see if any of the links below can remedy the situation.
Dark Essence (Norway) Dark Essence (US)
Direct Merch (Australia)
eOne Heavy (EU) eOne Heavy (UK) eOne Heavy (US)
Metal Odyssey (EU) Metal Odyssey (US)
Napalm Records (Germany)
Prophecy Productions (Germany) Prophecy Productions (US)
Rough Trade (UK) Rough Trade (US)
Season of Mist (EU) Season of Mist (US)
Southern Lord (EU) Southern Lord (US)
Throne Records (World)
Transcending Obscurity (EU) Transcending Obscurity (US)
As we near the end of March, a warm breeze starts blowing every now and then, and we hope the thought of summer will encourage your hands to grab some of these goodies while they are still available!
By Julia Katrin and Tom Osman
**Please support the underground! It’s vital to the future of our genre.**
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