New Releases: Death Angel, Death Before Dishonor, Divine Heresy, Anaal Nathrakh, Cave In

This past week metal has shown that there is no rest for the wicked, and there is no mercy with first week sales. With a heads up from our dear friends at Metal Insider , Noisecreep caught wind of some interesting sales numbers. First week sales for Lancaster, Pa.-based August Burns Red were impressive, as the band debuted at #24 on the Billboard sales charts with their newest release, 'Constellations.' DevilDriver followed suit with a healthy #35 debut. If you are blessed with a 'Strange Cousin From the West,' much like the title of the newest Clutch, you'll be happy to know that the release is expected to nab 13,000 in sales in its first week. With these releases taking force on the charts, here's a sampling what's hitting retail shelves this week.

Death Angel - 'Sonic German Beatdown: Live In Germany' - Nuclear Blast
As the Bay Area carries a well-earned reputation for introducing the rest of the States to the biggest, baddest and fastest bands in the thrash realm, these Nuclear Blast veterans come out of the gates with some classics, captured when they were performed live from the Rock Hard Festival in 2007. Get your fix with perennial faves, including "The Ultra Violence," and my personal favorite, "Mistress Of Pain."
Download 'Sonic German Beatdown'

Death Before Dishonor - 'Better Ways To Die' - Bridge Nine
Boston hardcore shows no signs of weakening. This week, Bridge Nine's hardcore punk outfit are releasing their third full-length effort and the music as hard and as fast as ever. If you're an Agnostic Front or Ignite buff, there is no excuse for not picking up this album immediately.
Download 'Better Ways To Die'

Divine Heresy - 'Bringer Of Plagues' - Century Media
'Bringer of Plagues' is the follow-up to their debut, 'Bleed The Fifth.' Featuring former (or current, depending on which legal team you ask) Fear Factory guitarist Dino Cazares, these Los Angeles melodic death metallers take the reigns in retailers this week. Upon a first listen, images of a faster In Flames-meets-The Bereaved danced in my head. One can never complain about Swedish metal influences, either!
Download 'Bringer Of Plagues'

Anaal Nathrakh - 'In The Constellation Of The Black Widow' - Candlelight
First and foremost, when a band takes a name from an incantation spell of Merlin from the movie 'Excalibur' they'll instantly capture my attention. When said band is daring enough to fuse elements of black metal and grindcore and ultimately execute it properly, they've got themselves a fan. Even more remarkable is that this sound is pulled off by only two musicians!

Cave In - 'Planets Of Old' - Hydrahead
Many tears were shed for this Boston band's initial hiatus back in 2006, but they've made this releases exclusive as a 12" vinyl! Cave In have released previously unheard material on Hydrahead Records. This is post-hardcore at its finest, so don't forget to pick this one up at your local Mom and Pop vinyl joint.