Wipe the blood from your teeth and get in the pit: it’s time for a recap of this week’s best hardcore, metal, and punk rock. We dug through the record crates to find the new tunes we think you need to spin and rage to. Looking for some new death metal to bring into your life? Got you covered. Need some grindcore to get your wedding reception off on the right foot? Say no more. Strap in, kiddies; it’s time to rock.

Holy hell, guys. Code Orange is back and heavier than ever. We were huge fans of their brilliant album, I Am King, so we’ve been looking forward to new tunes from them for a while. “Forever,” the title track from their new record, has just been unleashed and it is a seriously brutal song. These kids were heavy before, but they just increased density by a hundred percent and then crushed all livings under their weight. The video is equally mean and, at times, hard to watch. Code Orange is a vile and intense band. They don’t pull any punches and that is exactly what we love about them. There’s growth here, for sure, but that unmistakable Code Orange sound is still present and pounding you into submission. Forever officially drops in January of 2017 from Roadrunner Records, so get hyped.

There’s nothing quite like some dirty, angry, hardcore punk. Impalers thrash and they thrash hard. Listening to this stuff will make you pump your fists and circle pit. Grimy and imbued with a DIY attitude, this band is exactly the sorta stuff we need to power through the rest of the garbage year otherwise known as 2016. These guys will pummel your earholes with all the angry tunes you need to get your blood pumping. Oh, and they cover Crass. Covering Crass in the year 2016. Talk about unexpected. Check ’em out; you won’t regret it.

American Sharks play that special brand of hard rock we love so much.  A little bit stoner, a little bit punk, a lot a bit fuzz, it is just the right mixture to create that delicious blend of awesomeness. It’s stripped down and raw, just bruised and bleeding rock laid bare for all the world to see. There newest tune is “White Witch” and it sounds like pretty much everything else these guys have done. Hey, if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it. We have yet to see a firm release date, but word has it that a new record will be coming in early 2017. If you’re not into American Sharks, fix that that. Get into them. Rock ‘n’ Roll waits for no one.

Martyrdod are a crusty metal band from Gothenburg, Sweden. As you can tell from the video below, they’re also some sweaty dudes who play with an unbridled fury. This stuff is crazy good. It’s all riffs and screams and sweat. There are are some serious guitar solos happening here, as well. Sometimes you just need to shred, you know? This is the sorta stuff you just crank loud and bum out your whole family with.

The Great Old Ones like Lovecraft. A lot. Their band name is a Lovecraft reference. Their song titles are Lovecraft references. They–and I’m one hundred percent not kidding–have Lovecraft pictured with the band in their promo photos. Like, he plays lead guitar for them or something. Now, you’d think with all that Lovecraft obsessing they’d be all about slow build ups and creeping doom, but that is not the case: “The Shadow Over Innsmouth” hits you hard right out of the gate. It’s a wall of sound that is punishing and heavy from the very first second. From there, it slowly breaks down and evolves into an atmospheric doom number. It’s unexpected and really, really good. We dig this stuff, and not just because we love Lovecraft. It certainly helps, but this band is good with or without Lovecraft on lead guitar.

(Decibel)

Lastly, we have Ancress. This band plays a rad blend of hardcore, black metal, and noise. There’s elements of late ’90s noisecore throughout (stuff like Deadguy or Unsane) but it’s definitely metal, too. It’s hard to pin down, which makes it unique and unique is always a good thing. They never spend too long with one sound, cutting back and forth between heavy grooves and ripping tremolos. It’s all over the place in the best possible way. It’s ugly stuff, any way you cut it, and we love ugly around these parts. Ancress are a band we’re very excited about and it’s not just because of their supremely awesome album artwork, although if we are being honest that’s why we first gave them a listen.