That's Not Metal

We convene for conversations on 2024's most monolithic potential landmark records, reviewing Blood Incantation, Undeath, Balance and Composure, High Vis, Touché Amoré, Oranssi Pazuzu, and Chat Pile, as well as scratching our heads at festival clues and Acid Bath(?!), and a toast to the late Paul Di'Anno.Blood Incantation 45:58Undeath 1:22:56Balance and Composure 1:45:20High Vis 2:00:55Touché Amoré 2:19:41Oranssi Pazuzu 2:42:46Chat Pile 3:09:54

On this Album Club episode we return to the scene of the crime to again preview some of the must-see sets at this year's Damnation Festival: Cradle of Filth's old school origins with The Principle of Evil Made Flesh, Ne Obliviscaris' Citadel, Discharge's Hear Nothing See Nothing Say Nothing, and Dragged Into Sunlight's terrifying Hatred for Mankind.

We've got a big catch-up chat talking about Sam's trip to a Tokyo hardcore show, tours from Orange Goblin, Cannibal Corpse, and Frank Carter fronting the Sex Pistols, leading into a discussion of the surprising news around The Rattlesnakes calling a hiatus and their potential future, and questions around nostalgia festival booking double standards and which band we'd want to see "do a Wintersun".Releases:High Parasite - Forever We BurnWeather Systems - Ocean Without a ShoreOrigami Angel - Feeling Not FoundAdorior - Bleed On My TeethSpite - The Third TempleBlood Incantation - Absolute ElsewhereUndeath - More InsaneFever 333 - Darker WhiteTrash Boat - Heaven Can WaitBalance and Composure - With You In SpiritDrug Church - PrudeChubby and the Gang - And Then There Was…Godspeed You! Black Emperor - No Title as of 13 February 2024 28,340 Dead1349 - The Wolf and the KingLowen - Do Not Go to War With the Demons of MazandaranCosmic Putrefaction - Emerald Fires Atop the Farewell MountainsMaul - In the Jaws of BereavementMotley Crue - CancelledSylosis - The PathThe Offspring - SuperchargedMyles Kennedy - The Art of Letting GoReal Friends - Blue HourTouche Amoré - Spiral in a Straight LineEnvy - EunoiaThe Linda Lindas - No ObligationChat Pile - Cool WorldOranssi Pazuzu - MuuntautujaDoedsmaghird - Omniverse ConsciousnessThe Crown - Crown of ThornsVomit Forth - Terrified of GodDe Mannen Broeders - Sober Maal

Autumn releases arrive with the album for the season, a huge return, and several much hyped debuts to assess, from Unto Others, The Black Dahlia Murder, Nightwish, Zetra, Heriot, Vended, Vicious Blade, & The Jesus Lizard.Unto Others 21:45The Black Dahlia Murder 57:55Nightwish 1:19:30Zetra 1:37:58Heriot 1:52:42Vended 2:08:41Vicious Blade 2:27:34The Jesus Lizard 2:38:44

Album Club is back with Slayer's sunset on their imperial era Seasons in the Abyss, My Bloody Valentine's shoegaze starting gun Loveless, a comprehensive look back on the divisive effect of Cancer Bats' Searching for Zero, and Blood Incantation's Starspawn blasting death metal through the stargate.This episode was originally published July 2023 on patreon.com/thatsnotmetal.

Another UK live event hits with Cosmic Void Festival and Cirith Ungol's UK date on their final tour, Iron Maiden announce their huge 50th anniversary tour, The Cure start to finally tease new music, and there's the unfortunate Jane's Addiction punch-up implosion to deal with.Releases:Nightwish - YesterwyndeUnto Others - Never, NeverlandVended - VendedCrimson Veil - HexCharlotte Wessels - The ObsessionKublai Khan TX - Exhibition of ProwessRegional Justice Center - Freedom Sweet FreedomGiant Walker - SilhouettesAlunah - Fever DreamDemon Head - Through Holes Shine the StarsDungeon Crawl - Maze ControllerGlacial Tomb - Lightless ExpanseCoffin Rot - Dreams of the DisturbedKanonenfieber - Die UrkatastropheMork - SyvDreamless Veil - Every Limb of the FloodEsoctrilihum - Döth-DerniàlhDeathless Void - The Voluptuous Fire of Sin

We take a trip to No Play Festival to see SeeYouSpaceCowboy and a day of UK hardcore bands, and follow up on last week's Linkin Park announcement with, well... all of that. Not the conversation we imagined having last time.Releases:Pyrrhon - ExhaustMan’s Gin - The ReprobateThe Jesus Lizard - RackCursive - DevourerNada Surf - Moon MirrorChastity - ChastityZetra - ZetraOceans of Slumber - Where Gods Fear to SpeakSatan - Songs In CrimsonWolfbrigade - Life Knife DeathSlomosa - Tundra RockTorus - TorusDale Crover - GlossolaliaWinterfylleth - The Imperious HorizonTrelldom - …by the Shadows…Taur-im-Duinath - Verso casaNightWraith - Divergence

The fruits of Linkin Park's rollout emerge with all of the details of their reunion and return, Slam Dunk leads with its first announcements for 2025, there's trouble in the W.A.S.P. camp, and there's a live report from NWOBHM cult legends Satan.Releases:Rat Lord - Blazed in the Northern SkyEnumclaw - Home In Another LifeBoston Manor - Sundiver40 Watt Sun - Little WeightMolchat Doma - Belaya PolosaAluk Todolo - LUXBlitzkrieg - BlitzkriegHelvetets Port - WarlordsGod is an Astronaut - EmbersGod Dethroned - The Judas ParadoxPeelingFlesh - The G CodeBodysnatcher - Vile ConductLaura Jane Grace & The Mississippi Medicals - Give An Inch

Album Clubs kick off with an EP that set it all alight with Nine Inch Nails' Broken, Baroness make modern rock's great double album Yellow & Green, The Hotelier hit an emo revival high Home, Like Noplace Is There, and Satyricon take black'n'roll to the mainstream with Now, Diabolical.This episode was originally published May 2023 on patreon.com/thatsnotmetal.

The big reunion the world was apparently waiting happens with Oasis, but it was nearly two in week with Deryck Whibley finding himself at the centre of a storm of confusion, plus talk on the comedy metal albums we actually like.Releases:Stand Atlantic - Was HereSimone Simons - VermillionWithin the Ruins - Phenomena IIUniform - American StandardMelt-Banana - 3+5Fleshgod Apocalypse - OperaSpectral Wound - Songs of Blood and MireKoldbrann - Ingen SkanselGravenoire - Devant La Porte Des EtoilesBlack Birch - Black BirchDemiser - Slave to the ScytheNil / Castle of the Winds - Bastard Sons of TyrannyMark Lanegan - Bubblegum XXWintersun - Time IINails - Every Bridge BurningLeprous - Melodies of AtonementNick Cave & the Bad Seeds - Wild GodThrown - Excessive GuiltOceano - Living ChaosSatan’s Satyrs - After DarkPhaëthon - Wielder of the SteelTeeth - The Will of HateAnciients - Beyond the Reach of the SunDeceased - Children of the MorgueConcrete Winds - Concrete WindsAvmakt - Satanic Inversion of…Copse - MMXXIVCutdown - To the GraveChelsea Wolfe - UndoneHellripper - Fork-Tongued Messiah

Actual mythical albums lead this month's album reviews, as we discuss the actually real Wintersun album Time II, the comeback of Nails, Zeal & Ardor, Twin Atlantic, Four Year Strong, Leprous, & Nile.Wintersun 40:06Nails 1:21:18Zeal & Ardor 1:50:16Twin Atlantic 2:06:28Four Year Strong 2:24:22Leprous 2:37:44Nile 2:51:32

We're back for our annual report from Bloodstock Festival where Opeth, Architects, & Amon Amarth headlined atop Malevolence, Clutch, Satyricon, Whitechapel, Hatebreed, Green Lung, & plenty more.

Aerosmith unceremoniously call it a day, OPETH HAVE GROWLZ AGAIN, and we discuss the most disgusting things we've witnessed at festivals and have a conversation on the ethics of using depictions of real death on album artwork.Releases:Twin Atlantic - MeltdownFour Year Strong - Analysis ParalysisDune Rats - If It Sucks, Turn It UpKing Gizzard & the Lizard Wizard - Flight b741Oso Oso - Life Till BonesFucked Up - Another DayDestroy Boys - Funeral Soundtrack #4Mushroomhead - Call the DevilHammerFall - Avenge the FallenAnd So I Watch You From Afar - MegafaunaKurokuma - Of Amber and SandTendrils - Long DeadMamaleek - Vida BlueFulci - Duck Face KillingsOxygen Destroyer - Guardian of the UniverseMalodorous - The Carrion RecoilViscera Infest - TeratomaIn Aphelion - ReaperdawnHeilung - Lifa Iotungard: Live at Red Rocks Ampitheatre

Gojira make history with their absolutely insane Olympics performance, there's a massive stream of singles from Undeath, Better Lovers, High Vis, Jinjer, Oranssi Pazuzu, Jerry Cantrell, & more, and Sam talks about Bruce Springsteen again.Releases:The Smashing Pumpkins - Aghori Mori MeiAnberlin - VegaBlues Pills - BirthdayBarbarian Hermit - Mean SugarShadow Knell - Shadow KnellBlind Guardian - Somewhere Far Beyond RevisitedFootballhead - Before I DiePoison Ruin - ConfrereCalderum - Desecration of the Bastille

We are joined by drummer and vocalist Alasdair Dunn of experimental black metallers Ashenspire to blow the doors open with one of our most eclectic Album Roulettes with dance-noise, abstract hip-hop, discussion of the true ethos of post-black metal, and tips on getting into jazz as a metal fan.Ed Scissor & Lamplighter - Tell Them It's WinterCIVIL ELEGIES - CombatAltar of Plagues - Teethed Glory & InjuryModel/Actriz - DogsbodyEx Eye - Ex EyeDoomCannon - Renaissance