Early summer seems to be a great time for new releases. It’s traditional for touring bands to release new material before the summer of festivals and live shows begins, and this May has been no exception. Here are a few new releases I’ve been enjoying, from throughout May and some of June.

Starting at the top, there’s Katatonia’s The Fall of Hearts. While Katatonia’s last few albums were on the softer side, this album really shakes things up a bit. It’s still relatively chilled, but with a hard and slightly foreboding edge. Even if you don’t dog ‘new’ style Katatonia I’m sure you’ll agree that the vocal and guitar harmonies are amazing.

Listen on:

Like lots of InsideOut artists, Frost* is one of those bands I always think of a as little too grown up, and so I was pleasantly surprised by Falling Satellites. It’s fairly friendly prog, but it definitely deserves the prog label, in nothing else just for the inclusion of a dubstep style breakdown on the track Towerblock Also, you’ve got to love some of the particularly British humour in the lyrics:

My estately home

And check out the effects on this video:

Listen on:

I’ve been underwhelmed by most recent released from Lacuna Coil, but their most recent offering has some great material that really deserves a listen. The opening track ‘House of Shame’ is a great example, with, some properly metalcore parts:

Listen on:

I’d never heard of Zirakzigil before last week, and I know nothing about them, but their new album Worldbuilder is awesome. I’ve you’ve ever read this blog before, you probably know how much I love stoner doom metal, and if you’re anything like me then you need this album!

Listen on:

The end

This month I added Apple Music and Amazon affiliate links. Hopefully that won’t offend anyone! If anyone has any recommendations for new music I should listen to, let me know in the comments.